Excitation and Transmission of Train-Induced Ground and Building Vibrations—Measurements, Analysis, and Prediction

Measurement results of train-induced vibrations are evaluated for characteristic frequencies, amplitudes and spectra, leading to a prediction which is based on transfer functions of the vehicle–track–soil system, the soil, and the building–soil system. The characteristic frequencies of train-induced vibrations are discussed following the propagation of vibrations from the source to the receiver: out-of-roundness frequencies of the wheels, the sleeper passage frequency, the vehicle–track eigenfrequency, the car-length frequency and multiples, axle-distance frequencies, bridge eigenfrequencies, the building–soil eigenfrequency, and floor eigenfrequencies. Amplitudes and spectra are compared for different train and track types, for different train speeds, and for different soft and stiff soils, where high frequencies are typically found for stiff soil and low frequencies for soft soil. The ground vibration is between the cut-on frequency due to the layering and the cut-off frequency due to the material damping of the soil, but the dominant frequency range also changes with distance from the track. The frequency band of the axle impulses due to the passing static loads obtains a signature from the axle sequence. The high amplitudes between the zeros of the axle-sequence spectrum are measured at the track, the bridge, and also in the ground vibrations, which are even dominant in the far field. A prediction software is presented, which includes all three parts: the excitation by the vehicle–track interaction, the wave transmission through the soil, and the transfer into a building.