Analysis of subway induced vibrations and investigation of preventive measures for a building structure

Abstract eng:
In highly urbanized areas, subway systems are frequently built in close proximity of residential or commercial buildings. The inevitable result in many cases is the structure born vibrations, induced by the passing trains, which exceed the comfort levels. In this study, vibrations likely to be generated in a commercial building due to the subway tunnels which pass through the basement of the building are investigated via numerical analyses utilizing the finite element method. For synthetically obtained train excitations, response velocity spectra were calculated at specific points on basement level of the building and compared to the widely accepted limits of human perception cited in literature. In case the limits are observed to be exceeded, measures of mitigation and their likely effect on the vibration response were investigated so as to reduce the levels to the acceptable limits. The analyses indicated that provision of empty space between the tunnels and the structural components of the building greatly reduces the vibration energy transmitted to the structure and results in significant reductions in the levels of vibrations at control points in the models. Removal of the soil (fill) between the bored piles located among the subway tunnels generally resulted in decreased vibration amplitudes at the control points in the models.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket