Vibration mitigation in saturated soil by periodic in-filled pipe pile barriers

Abstract

Abstract The complex dispersion relations and vibration mitigation properties of periodic in-filled pipe pile barrier in fluid-saturated poroelastic soil are investigated. The periodic structure theory is adopted and the viscosity of the in-filled materials is taken into account by using the Kelvin-Voigt model. The local resonance attenuation zones (LRAZs) covering the resonance frequency of the inner oscillator are obtained and then broadened by properly designing the viscosity of the in-filled materials. The influences of the typical geometry and material parameters of the pile barriers on the LRAZs are comprehensively studied. To validate the efficiency of LRAZs, the dynamic responses of a finite periodic pipe pile system are numerically simulated by conducting the time-history analysis. Taking the viscosity of the rubber into account, it is found that the attenuation parameter is suppressed in the LRAZs and enlarged outside of the LRAZs. In addition, the propagation of shear-waves can be effectively reduced in the LRAZs below 20 Hz when filling the pipe piles with soft materials. The findings of this study present a proper way to design periodic pipe pile barriers in saturated soil for ambient vibration attenuation, especially in the low-frequency range.