New Technique for Ground Vibration Mitigation by Horizontally Buried Hollow Pipes

Mitigating the ground vibration initiated by the passage of trains to safeguard the surrounding structures is a challenge for geotechnical engineers. Among various existing methods, open trenches are one of the most common techniques for minimizing the transmission of such ground vibrations. Although there are several advantages to this technique in isolating ground vibrations, the main concern of such trenches is their instability under imposed dynamic loading. To overcome this issue, a new technique for isolating ground vibrations using horizontally buried hollow pipes is proposed in this study. The performance of such pipes in mitigating the ground vibrations produced by harmonic stress excitation has been investigated through finite-element modeling under plane strain conditions. These pipe assemblages have been found to be quite effective in reducing ground vibration transmission while eliminating instability problems when compared with open trench barriers. In-depth studies were carried out on the influence of various critical parameters relevant to the pipe installation, including barrier angle, depth, diameter, and different subsoil conditions on the vibration mitigation efficiency. Maximum efficiency of the new technique was achieved by optimizing the inclination angle, depth, and diameter of the pipe installation. Although the nature of the surface soil significantly influences the efficiency of this technique, ground vibration mitigation works best in soft soils. The numerical results were analyzed and interpreted to arrive at specific conclusions.