Ground-Borne Vibration due to Railway Traffic: A Review of Excitation Mechanisms, Prediction Methods and Mitigation Measures

The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art on railway-induced ground vibration. The governing physical mechanisms, prediction methods, and mitigation measures of ground-borne vibration are discussed, with focus on low frequency feelable vibration and the case of railway traffic at grade. In order to clarify the importance of quasi-static and dynamic excitation, the basic problems of a moving load with constant magnitude and harmonic magnitude are discussed first. Dynamic excitation due to wheel and track unevenness and parametric excitation is shown to be the dominant source of environmental vibration in most cases. Next, an overview of prediction methods for ground-borne vibration is given. The advantages and limitations of numerical methods, based on physical or mechanical models, and empirical models, derived from measured data, are discussed. Finally, the mitigation of railway-induced ground vibration is considered, where the focus goes to mitigation measures at source (wheel and rail unevenness, rolling stock, track) and measures on the transmission path (trenches and barriers, wave impeding blocks, subgrade stiffening, and heavy masses next to the track). In conclusion, a number of open points requiring further research is given.