A 2.5D coupled FE-BE model for the prediction of railway induced vibrations

Galvín, P.; François, Stijn; Schevenels, Mattias; Bongini, Estelle; Degrande, Geert; Lombaert, Geert

doi:10.1016/j.soildyn.2010.07.001

Cited by 179 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(49 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The corresponding two-dimensional problem is solved for each wavenumber and an inverse Fourier transform is used to recover the three-dimensional response. This so-called 2.5D method is computationally more efficient than a full threedimensional approach and has been widely used for railway vibration [22,23,26,27].…”

Section: 5d Finite Element / Boundary Element Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Mitigation of railway-induced vibration by using subgrade stiffening

Thompson

Jiang

Toward

et al. 2015

Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Railway-induced ground vibration is often associated with sites with soft ground. Stiffening of the subgrade beneath the railway track is one particular measure that has potential to reduce the vibration level at such sites. However, the mechanisms behind this reduction are not well understood. Here, the effects are examined in the context of two alternative approaches: (i) subgrade stiffening, where the soil directly under the track is stiffened, and (ii) stiff inclusions introduced at some depth beneath the track, sometimes known as 'wave impeding blocks'. The efficacy of the measures is considered for different ground types in a parametric study carried out using a 2.5D coupled finite-element / boundary-element methodology. The soil is considered to consist of a soft upper layer over a stiffer substratum; corresponding homogeneous grounds are also considered. With a 6 m wide, 1 m thick, concrete block directly under the track, the vibration between 16 and 50 Hz was found to be reduced by between 4 and 10 dB for ground with a 3 m deep soft upper layer. For a deeper soft layer the reductions were greater whereas, for a stiffer ground without the soft upper layer, the reductions in vibration from this block were negligible. Slightly smaller reductions in a similar frequency region were observed when the block was positioned 1 m below the 2 surface, suggesting that, as with stiffening directly under the track, the reduction in vibration was primarily due to the increase of the effective stiffness of the soil beneath the track rather than the effective creation of a new, thinner soil layer. Jet grouting is considered as an alternative to concrete and, although it is found to be less effective due to its comparatively low stiffness, it may still be considered as a practical measure for existing tracks on soft soil sites. The reduction in vibration from this form of soil improvement with a depth of 3 m is similar to that for a 1 m thick concrete block. Finally, results are presented for three example sites with different soil properties which show similar trends.

show abstract

Section: 5d Finite Element / Boundary Element Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As part of this study, a benchmark comparison has been made between the models used here and a similar approach used by KU Leuven [27]. In that approach the BE model is based on 2.5D Green's functions of a horizontally layered half-space [29].…”

Section: 5d Finite Element / Boundary Element Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigation of railway-induced vibration by using subgrade stiffening

Thompson

Jiang

Toward

et al. 2015

Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The current prediction methods mostly hide the excitation forces in a black-box prediction from track irregularities. 15 The presentation of excitation forces is advantageous for the prediction of ground vibration as well as for the evaluation of the reduction effect of elastic track elements. 16,17 It can be observed that the soil is often disregarded if the vehicle-track interaction is in focus, 18 and that the excitation force is not usually analyzed if the wave propagation through the soil is in focus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emission of Train-Induced Ground Vibration - Prediction of Axle-Load Spectra and its Experimental Verification

Auersch¹

2017

IJAV

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Train passages induce forces on the track, train-induced vibrations propagate through the soil and excite neighbouring buildings. The emission, which is the first part of the prediction of vibrations near railway lines, is presented by focusing on the dynamic axle loads. The calculation of the axle loads is based on the vehicle-track-soil interaction. This interaction calculus utilises the dynamic stiffness of the vehicle (the inertia of the wheelset) and the dynamic stiffness of the track-soil system. Based on various time consuming finite-element boundary-element calculations, an approximate track-soil model has been established. The vehicle-track-soil analysis yields several transfer functions between the various geometric or stiffness irregularities and the axle loads of the train. Geometric irregularities of the vehicle (the wheels) and the track (rail surface and track alignment) are the simplest components. Geometric irregularities of the subsoil (trackbed irregularities) have to be transferred to effective irregularities at rail level. The bending stiffness of the track is filtering out the short-wavelength contribution. Stiffness irregularities occur due to random variations in the ballast or the subsoil, which must also be transferred to effective track irregularities, and due to the discrete rail support on sleepers. All necessary transfer functions for the prediction of axle-load spectra are presented as general formula and as specific graphs for differing vehicle and track parameters. The prediction method is applied to a ballast track and a slab track and compared with corresponding axle-box measurements. Moreover, ground vibration measurements at numerous sites are exploited for the axle-load spectra and the validation of the prediction method. All theoretical and experimental results confirm that the dynamic axle-load spectra have an approximate value of 1 kN per third of octave and increase with train speed, track stiffness and around the vehicle-track resonance.

show abstract

“…Recent research over the topic allowed stablishing a consolidated pattern of behavior of the physical phenomena [4]: i) the train-track interaction mechanism gives rise to the source of excitation; ii) the energy is transferred to the surrounding ground and travels as elastic waves; iii) the vibrations can impinge nearby structures giving rise to annoyance of inhabitants [5,6]. Following this main pattern of behavior, several studies have been done regarding surface railway lines, deserving a special reference the studies conducted by the research group of K.U Leuven [7][8][9], by Alves Costa et al [10][11][12][13] and by Kouroussis et al [14], among others. Despite the huge research effort putted on the topic of vibrations induced by surface and underground railway infrastructures, all the studies were been confined to those classical cross-section configurations, i.e., surface lines or underground lines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%