Full scale experimental study on vibration scattering using open and in-filled (GeoFoam) wave barriers

Ground vibrations induced by machine foundations can cause unfavourable effects on the nearby buildings ranging from annoyance to structural damage. Most of these vibrations propagate in the form of surface (Rayleigh) waves. Machine foundations produce a steady state vibration, for which, wave barriers can be a successful technique to minimize these effects by scattering the generated steady state surface waves. A full scale field experimental study has been conducted to investigate the protective performance of both open and in-filled trench with GeoFoam material as well as to examine the influences of wall geometry and location from the vibratory source on the isolation efficiency. An innovative approach to construct GeoFoam trench as a wave barrier is proposed in this study as well. The results of the field experimental investigations are analyzed and interpreted to provide recommendations for implementation in design. Experimental results show that both open and GeoFoam barriers can effectively reduce the transmitted waves. The field experimental results have been compared with those obtained from the developed numerical model using a finite element package, ABAQUS.     

饱和地基中空沟近场隔振的现场试验与二维半解析边界元分析

动力机器运行和车辆行驶等会产生振动污染,危及邻近建筑物安全和干扰精密仪器设备正常运行等。这些振动污染可通过在地基中设置空沟的方式来降低或消除。针对饱和地基上明置动力机器基础的环境振动影响及空沟近场隔振问题,进行了饱和地基上空沟近场隔振的现场试验,并对试验结果进行了无量纲化分析;基于饱和土半解析边界元法,分别推导了动力机器基础环境振动影响和空沟近场隔振的边界元方程;在此基础上,详细研究了空沟对动力机器基础振动影响的隔振效果,分析了空沟深度、宽度和距振源距离对其隔振效果的影响。结果表明:空沟能够有效的降低动力机器基础的环境振动影响;空沟宽度对其隔振效果影响相对较小,而空沟深度对其隔振效果影响较大,为获得较好的隔振效果,空沟深度建议取1倍Rayleigh波波长;空沟距振源距离对其隔振效果也有较大影响,距离越远则隔振效果也越好,当被保护建筑距振源较远时,建议空沟在被保护建筑附近设置。此外,在某些特殊情况下,空沟隔振系统会由于共振现象而出现隔振效果劣化的现象,在工程设计中应予以注意。     

Numerical study on screening of surface waves using a pair of softer backfilled trenches

Vibration screening effectiveness of a pair of in-filled trenches is numerically studied under conditions of plane strain using PLAXIS 2D in a linear elastic, isotropic, and homogeneous half-space acted upon by a steady-state vertical excitation. Barrier efficiency is analyzed in terms of reduction of vertical and horizontal vibration components with respect to the variations in barrier geometry and in-fill material parameters. The geometric features are normalized with respect to Rayleigh wavelength of vibration in soil. The in-fill trench material is considered to be softer and accordingly assigned lower shear wave velocities than the half-space. Non-dimensional design charts are developed and the key parameters participating in wave screening process are identified. Some recommendations are made regarding the optimal selection of these parameters. Comparison with a few published results shows close agreement. Such an isolation scheme may be advantageous in circumstances where a single trench requires unrealistic depth.     

Modelling of pile wave barriers by effective trenches and their screening effectiveness

The three-dimensional problem of isolation of vibration by a row of piles is studied numerically on the basis of a model replacing the row of piles by an effective trench in order to reduce the modelling complexity. The analysis is accomplished with the aid of an advanced frequency domain boundary element method, which is used for both the infilled trench and the soil medium in conjunction with a coupling procedure based on enforcement of equilibrium and compatibility at the trench–soil interface. Linear elastic or viscoelastic material behaviour is assumed for both the piles and the soil. The piles can be tubular or solid and have circular or square cross-section. The vibration source is a vertical force, harmonically varying with time, and the row of piles acts as a passive wave barrier. The effective trench model is constructed by invoking well known homogenization techniques used in the mechanics of fibre-reinforced composite materials, and its accuracy is compared against a rigorous boundary element analysis modelling each pile separately in full contact with the soil medium. On the basis of the effective trench model, the screening effectiveness of a row of piles is studied through parametric studies.     

Isolation of plane shear wave using water saturated trench barrier

The article presents a theoretical investigation of the propagation of normally and obliquely incident plane shear waves past a rectangular trench filled up with water saturated soil sandwiched between anisotropic elastic media. The motivation for this work is due to the effectiveness of the isolation of waves by the in-filled rectangular trench. Unlike the most of the previous researchers, this model considers the soil–structure interaction effects and directly determines the influence of barrier in the form of in-filled trench on the mode of wave propagation. It is of interest to determine the reflection and transmission coefficients, and the energy partition distribution of shear waves in the in-filled rectangular trench showing the influence of barrier on the propagation of waves. An extensive parametric study through numerical computation is carried out to investigate the influence of the material properties of the in-filled trench and the amplitude ratios on shear waves. The in-filled trench barrier directly declines the intensity of waves significantly in such a way that the waves do not create any hazards to the nearby structures, if exists at all.     

Attenuation of ground vibrations using in-filled wave barriers

Ground vibrations generated by construction activities can adversely affect the structural health of adjacent buildings and foundations supporting them. Therefore propagation and rate of attenuation of construction induced ground vibrations is important during construction activities, particularly in urban areas where constructions are carried out in the vicinity of existing structures. In practice wave barriers are installed in the ground to mitigate the ground vibration propagation and hence to minimise the effect of ground vibrations on surrounding structures. Different types of fill materials such as bentonite, EPS geofoam and concrete are used in constructing wave barriers. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model is developed to study the efficiency of different fill materials in attenuating ground vibrations. The model is first verified using data from full scale field experiments, where EPS geofoam has been used as a fill material in wave barriers. Then the same model has been used to evaluate the efficiency of open trenches, water filled wave barriers and EPS geofoam filled wave barriers on attenuation of ground vibrations. EPS geofoam is found to be the most efficient fill material, providing attenuation efficiency closer to open trenches. The efficiency of EPS geofoam and water filled wave barriers can be significantly increased by increasing the depth of the wave barrier.     

双线地铁运营隔振沟屏障性能研究

为研究双线地铁运营时隔振沟的减振效果,基于2.5维有限元法建立双线地铁列车-轨道-地基土体耦合分析模型。模型克服现有研究将轨道结构简化为弹性地基欧拉梁的缺陷,引入实际钢轨动力学参数,实现双线地铁列车荷载下隔振沟对周围地基的隔振效果分析,比较空沟、填充沟两种不同隔振措施的减振特性,并对填充沟隔振影响因素进行系统的参数分析。研究结果表明:双线运营地铁荷载下,空沟隔振作用体现在沟后范围内,填充沟减振范围更广且效果更好,相比空沟更具工程实用性;填充沟在沟深较小时也能发挥良好的减振作用,增大沟深、沟宽均可有效提高减振效果。研究成果可为今后双线地铁隔振设计与施工提供有益参考。     

Analysis and design of open trench barriers in screening steady-state surface vibrations

The problem of vibration isolation by rectangular open trenches in a plane strain context is numerically studied using a finite element code, PLAXIS. The soil media is assumed to be linear elastic, isotropic, and homogeneous subjected to a vertical harmonic load producing steady-state vibration. The present model is validated by comparing it with previously published works. The key geometrical features of a trench, i.e., its depth, width, and distance from the source of excitation, are normalized with respect to the Rayleigh wavelength. The attenuation of vertical and horizontal components of vibration is studied for various trench dimensions against trench locations varied from an active to a passive case. Results are depicted in non-dimensional forms and conclusions are drawn regarding the effects of geometrical parameters in attenuating vertical and horizontal vibration components. The screening efficiency is primarily governed by the normalized depth of the barrier. The effect of width has little significance except in some specific cases. Simplified regression models are developed to estimate average amplitude reduction factors. The models applicable to vertical vibration cases are found to be in excellent agreement with previously published results.     

Experimental study of a stiff wave barrier in gelatine

Railway induced vibrations and re-radiated noise in buildings can be mitigated by means of wave barriers in the soil. Numerical simulations demonstrate that a stiff wave barrier, consisting of a material that is stiffer than the surrounding medium, can be very effective if the stiffness contrast between the barrier and the medium is sufficiently large. This paper presents results of a lab experiment that has been carried out to validate these findings, using gelatine instead of soil in order to reduce the wavelengths and thus the scale of the test setup. An expanded polystyrene beam is employed as wave barrier, while a non-contact measurement procedure is applied for visualizing the waves in the gelatine, based on reflections of a grid of laser rays. The experimental results are found to be in line with the numerical predictions, confirming the vibration reduction effectiveness of stiff wave barriers.     

应用屏障进行被动隔振的研究综述

人工振动作为一种新形式的环境污染,被列为世界七大环境公害之一。各种形式的人工振动都涉及弹性波的产生和传播,在既有振源与保护区之间设立屏障来切断弹性波的传播路径,衰减振动能量,降低振动幅度,是目前国际上普通采用的隔振措施。屏障按几何构造可分为两类:连续屏障和非连续屏障。对国内外两类屏障的隔振理论和试验研究进行简述,得出的结论为:(1)连续屏障隔振效果好,但对于低频振源,屏障的深度需达到十几米以上(近似于R波的半波长),在软土和高地下水位地区的工程造价非常高,施工难度也非常大;(2)非连续屏障施工方便,不受深度和场地的限制,不需要进行额外的支护和维护,多排非连续屏障具有更广泛的应用前景。今后应注重和加强多排非连续屏障隔振的三维理论分析和吸振新材料的试验研究。     

弹性地基中波阻板对入射Rayleigh波的远场被动隔振研究

针对被保护结构下埋置波阻板的远场被动隔振问题,采用频域弹性边界元法,推导得到了弹性地基中波阻板对入射Rayleigh波散射的边界元方程,在此基础上对波阻板的远场被动隔振效果进行了计算,并对影响波阻板隔振效果的因素进行了分析。研究结果表明:在地基一定深度设置波阻板能够有效降低波阻板上方及后方区域的地面振动;减小波阻板埋深以及增大波阻板厚度均能获得更好的隔振效果;而增加波阻板的剪切模量是提高波阻板被动隔振效果的最有效措施。     

Experimental and numerical evaluation of the effectiveness of a stiff wave barrier in the soil

This paper discusses the design, the installation, and the experimental and numerical evaluation of the effectiveness of a stiff wave barrier in the soil as a mitigation measure for railway induced vibrations. A full scale in situ experiment has been conducted at a site in El Realengo (Spain), where a barrier consisting of overlapping jet grout columns has been installed along a railway track. This barrier is stiff compared to the soil and has a depth of 7.5 m, a width of 1 m, and a length of 55 m. Geophysical tests have been performed prior to the installation of the barrier for the determination of the dynamic soil characteristics. Extensive measurements have been carried out before and after installation of the barrier, including free field vibrations during train passages, transfer functions between the track and the free field, and the track receptance. Measurements have also been performed at a reference section adjacent to the test section in order to verify the effect of changing train, track, and soil conditions over time. The in situ measurements show that the barrier is very effective: during train passages, a reduction of vibration levels by 5 dB is already obtained from 8 Hz upwards, while a peak reduction of about 12 dB is observed near 30 Hz immediately behind the barrier. The performance decreases further away from the jet grouting wall, but remains significant. The experimental results are also compared to numerical simulations based on a coupled finite element–boundary element methodology. A reasonable agreement between experiments and predictions is found, largely confirming the initially predicted reduction. This in situ test hence serves as a ‘proof of concept׳, demonstrating that stiff wave barriers are capable of significantly reducing vibration levels, provided that they are properly designed.     

An experimental study of the isolation performance of trenches on ground-borne vibration from underground tunnels

This paper presents a study of the isolation performance of trenches on train-induced ground-bore vibration from underground tunnels. A series of model tests was conducted to perform the study. Both train loads and sinusoidal sweep loads were applied to the model tunnel invert by a shaker. The response of the soil at the surface of the ground was measured by accelerometers. Three types of isolation trenches, i.e., an open trench, an expanded Polystyrene(EPS)-filled trench, and a Duxseal-filled trench, were modelled in the experiment. The results showed that the open trench and the EPS-filled trench increased the dynamic response of the surface soil in front of the trench, but the Duxseal-filled trench had little effect on the dynamic response of the soil on the surface in this area. Although all three types of isolation trenches reduced the response of the soil behind the trench, the open trench and the Duxseal-filled trench were clearly more effective. The test results also showed that, as the excitation frequency increased, the vibration isolation trench was more effective in the near field. The effects of the width, depth, and position of an open trench on isolation performance also were examined in the tests.     

Vibration isolation by trenches in continuously nonhomogeneous soil by the BEM

Vibration isolation of structures from ground-transmitted waves by open trenches in isotropic, linearly elastic or viscoelastic soil with a shear modulus varying continuously with depth is numerically studied. Both an exponential and a linear shear modulus variation with depth are used in this work. Waves produced by the harmonic motion of a rigid surface machine foundation are considered. The problem is solved by the frequency domain boundary element method employing the Green's function of Kausel-Peek-Hull for a thin layered half-space. Thus only the trench perimeter and the soil-foundation interface need essentially to be discretized. The proposed methodology is first tested for accuracy by solving two Rayleigh wave propagation problems in nonhomogeneous soil with known analytical solutions and/or for which experimental results are available. Then the method is applied to vibration isolation problems and the effect of the inhomogeneity on the wave screening effectiveness of trenches is studied.     

层状地基分界面对于空沟隔振效果的影响分析

为研究层状地基的分界面对于空沟隔振效果的影响,采用模型试验,选取三种不同深度的空沟,分别为小于分界面深度和等于分界面深度以及超过分界面深度的三种深度,分析在改变空沟宽度、空沟位置(固定振源即传感器位置,仅改变空沟所处位置)以及激振频率时对三种深度空沟隔振效果的影响.结果表明:当宽度和激振频率发生改变时,深度等于土层分界...     

均质及双层地基土条件下环形沟隔振效果分析

为了探究均质地基和双层土地基条件下环形沟几何参数变化对其隔振区域的影响规律,及环形沟在不同地基土层中隔振效果的差异,本文建立缩尺比为1: 15的模型试验,以地基土类型、环形沟深度、宽度及圆心角为研究变量,通过开展具体试验进行探究。结果表明:在均质地基和双层土地基环形沟隔振中,环形沟宽度变化对其隔振效果影响较小,环形沟深度及圆心角是影响其隔振效果的重要参数,且深度和圆心角越大,隔振效果越好,但当地基土为成层土地基,环形沟深在临近土层分界面深度增大时,环形沟隔振效果相对减弱;在均质地基和双层土地基中,相同参数条件下,均质地基土较双层地基土具有更好的隔振特性;振源与环形沟之间及环形沟末端位置区域由于振动波的传播特性存在振动增强区域。     

Asymptotic analysis of hard wave barriers in soil

A simple analytical model is developed to predict the vibration isolation of a hard wave barrier (e.g. filled trench, screen of piles, etc.). The model is, moreover, restricted to asymptotic conditions of high frequencies and soft soils. While the soil's surface wavelength is therefore short, ‘barrier hardness’ implies much longer wavelengths downward along the barrier itself. These conditions permit a number of approximations: the distributed excitation of the barrier by the surface waves is replaced by a concentrated force; the energy passing underneath the barrier is ignored in favor of that re-radiated by the barrier motion itself; and that radiation is approximated as if the barrier were rigid and semi-infinite. Subsurface soil-barrier interaction is accounted for in the barrier dynamic stiffness; both single degree-of-freedom and flexible models are considered. Successful comparisons are made to numerical results from the literature, as well as field measurements near a railway track.     

Effects of open trench siding on vibration-screening effectiveness using the two-dimensional boundary element method

The two-dimensional boundary element method in frequency domain is used to investigate the screening effectiveness of the open trench–wall barrier system on reducing vibration generated by a footing. Sheet piles or diaphragm walls are on both sides of the open trench as a vibration barrier in this study. The results showed that screening effectiveness of the open trench without siding is greater than that of the open trench–wall barrier system, which is essential for stabilizing the excavation surface in practice. The trench depth of the barrier system appears to govern the screening efficiency of the barrier, and increase in depth results in better vibration-screening effectiveness. The influence of the open trench width, the embedded length of the trench wall and the distance between the vibration source and the barrier are proven to be insignificant. The screening effectiveness of an open trench barrier with walls increases with the frequency of the vibration.     

三维层状地基空沟主动隔振分析

基于薄层法在研究层状介质中波的传播问题的高效性、边界单元法处理无限域问题的精确性,结合二者的优点提出三维层状地基薄层法基本解答,建立了基于三维层状半空间薄层法位移基本解答的半解析动力边界元法。该方法可有效的分析多层场地的动力问题,解决土-结构动力相互作用问题。同时分别对粘弹性上软下硬地基及上硬下软地基的三维空沟主动隔振进行了详细的分析。结果表明,两种情况下采用空沟屏障隔振均可以取得一定的隔振效果;同时,地基分层参数对空沟隔振体系的隔振效果影响显著。     

The performance of inclined secant micro-pile walls as active vibration barriers

The isolation of vibrations from the surroundings is one of the important problems in the design of machine foundations. The use of open trenches, infilled trenches, single and multiple pile rows have been widely studied. In this paper, the vibration screening efficiency of an inclined secant micro-pile wall positioned as an active vibration barrier is investigated. The study is performed using three-dimensional time domain finite element analyses. Various parameters such as barrier depth, inclination, barrier distance and load excitation frequency were studied. The results show that inclined secant micro-pile walls are a viable vibration isolation option for a multitude of vibration problems. It is shown that varying barrier inclination angle from 90° to 120° improved vibration isolation performance as high as 44% relative to the vertical barrier for the active isolation case. The effectiveness of the barrier increases as its depth increases and also as the excitation frequency increases. The orientation of the inclined barrier towards or against vibration source is shown to be a fundamental design consideration.