Modelling and experimental survey on ground borne vibration induced by rail traffic

The ground borne vibrations, induced by the passage of trains, can propagate to the foundations of surrounding buildings. This phenomenon can be dangerous when the railway passes through a town or near built-up areas. Therefore the suitable numerical models for assessment the values of ground borne vibrations come in handy especially to the railway designers. In this paper it was developed a 3D FEM model of rail track-ground system, that takes into account the train characteristics, the type of rail track, the shape of rail cross-section (tunnel, embankment, cutting), the ground mechanical characteristics, the soil stratigraphy, the foundation type of surrounding buildings and the train speed. On the basis of an experimental survey carried out along the Marsala-Alcamo railway, the measured outputs, in terms of acceleration of the points of system, and the results, coming from the 3D FEM model, were compared.