Investigating the Optimized Open V-Shaped Trench Performance in Reduction of Train-Induced Ground Vibrations

An effective strategy in reducing train-induced vibrations on neighboring structures is to use open trenches on both sides of the railway lines. This paper investigates the effect of the trench’s shape on its performance. For this purpose, a V-shaped trench was first modeled using finite-element code, and its efficiency was confirmed in reducing the induced vibrations caused by passing the MD36 passenger bogie in comparison with a rectangular-shaped trench. In this regard, results indicate that the maximum values of the amplitude reduction ratio (Ar) for the ground displacement before the V-shaped trench for train speeds of 80 and 120 km/h were 1.17 and 1.28, respectively, which were less than the value of 2 obtained for the rectangular trench. In the final stage, an optimization algorithm was used to present the procedure of calculating optimized shape of the proposed V-shaped trench for various train speeds.