In-situ experiments and numerical simulation of ground vibration isolation using concrete row-pile barriers

In recent years, ground vibration induced by train operation and other rail-transit activities has become increasingly prominent, creating a growing need for effective vibration isolation measures. This study combines in-situ experiments with finite element simulations to systematically investigate the ground vibration isolation performance of concrete row-pile barriers. Firstly, in-situ experiments were conducted under no-barrier, single-row, and double-row configurations to examine the effects of the number of pile rows and vibration direction on isolation performance. A finite element model was then established and validated against the experimental results. Based on the validated model, parametric analyses were performed to investigate the effects of pile length, pile diameter, pile spacing, number of pile rows, barrier location, and source position. Further dimensionless analysis was conducted by normalizing the pile geometric parameters and source-to-barrier distance with the characteristic Rayleigh wavelength of the site. The results show that the isolation performance of row-pile barriers exhibits pronounced spatial non-uniformity. For single-row barriers, pile length and spacing are the dominant parameters, with effective ranges of approximately 12–16 m and 1–2 m, respectively. For multiple-row barriers, increasing the number of rows improves vibration attenuation but produces diminishing marginal benefits. Local vibration amplification is also observed behind double-row barriers in the near-field oblique region. Finally, the findings provide a scientific basis and engineering reference for the design of concrete row-pile barriers for ground vibration isolation.