Numerical Study on Vibration Screening Using Trench Filled with Sand–Crumb Rubber Mixture

Abstract

AbstractThe present study investigates numerically the effectiveness of open trench (OT) barriers as well as in-filled trench (IFT) barriers using sand–crumb rubber (SCR) mixture as vibration isolators to minimize the transmission of ground vibration. The numerical analysis is carried out considering an active screening using a square trench barrier surrounding the vertically oscillated square foundation which is acting as a dynamic source, and the trench is filled with SCR mixture. In most cases, the vibratory energy which affects the nearby structure is carried by the Rayleigh wave. The vertical dynamic displacements are estimated at different distances along the ground surface to determine the amplitude reduction factor (ARF). In the present study, the numerical analysis is carried out using a three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis (FEA). The effect of various influencing factors such as the depth of the trench, width of the trench, distance of the trench from the source, exciting frequency of the applied load and mix-proportion of sand–crumb rubber mixture on the ARF is investigated in the present study. The efficiencies of the open trench (OT) and in-filled trench (IFT) are estimated from the value of ARF.KeywordsVibration screeningSand–crumb rubber mixtureAmplitude reduction factorAcoustic impedance ratioVibration barrier