Soil Vibrations Caused by Underground Moving Trains

Abstract

The wave propagation problems caused by the underground moving trains are analyzed by the 2.5-dimensional finite/infinite-element approach. The near field of the half-space, including the tunnel and parts of the soil, is simulated by finite elements, and the far field extending to infinity by infinite elements. The train is simulated as a sequence of wheel loads moving at constant speeds. Using the present approach, a two-dimensional profile with three degrees per node is used to simulate the three-dimensional behavior of the half-space, which is valid for the case when the material and geometry of the system are invariant along the tunnel direction. The factors considered in the analysis of ground-borne vibrations include the damping ratio and stratum depth of the supporting soils, the depth and thickness of the tunnel, and the moving speed and excitation frequency of the trains. It was found that moving train loads with nonzero excitation frequencies can induce significantly higher vibrations than the static moving loads. The effect of stratum depth depends highly on the excitation frequency. For a tunnel constructed in a stiffer soil, the ground surface vibrations can be greatly reduced. Other conclusions useful to practical engineers are contained in the parametric study.