Spatial Variation of Ground Vibrations in Ballasted High-Speed Railway Embankments

Abstract

Transit of high-speed trains in ballasted railway tracks leads to generation and propagation of ground vibrations onto buildings proximate to railway lines through the track embankment and native subsoil. These vibrations amplify through the building structure, causing deformations in the buildings and distress to the residents. The spatial variation of train-induced vibrations in the ballasted railway embankments is characterized for the high-speed train speeds from 160 to 200 km/h. Variation of PPVs in the embankment strata at different speeds, during the transit of train wheels on the track in single and multiple wheel load configurations, are presented. It is ascertained that faster train speeds induce strong ground vibrations in upper embankment strata and slower trains induce large ground vibrations in the strata below track subgrade. The results from the present study also point out that strong vibrations persist in the track embankment, even after a train wheel has traversed a distance of 15 m ahead of a given location in the track. Mitigation of these ground vibrations can avoid potential hazards due to track defects like flying ballasts, hanging sleepers and mud pumping resulting from strong ground motions.