Impact of Train-Induced Vibrations on Residents’ Comfort and Structural Damages in Buildings

Abstract The rapid growth of urbanization and the progress of industrialization have resulted in the construction of over or near-track buildings. Train-induced ground-borne vibrations have attracted attention because they can damage buildings and cause residents discomfort. This study conducted a series of finite element analyses on three 5-story concrete framed buildings, which were subjected to the passage of trains at various speeds. One of the buildings was modeled as an over-track building, whereas the other two buildings were located in close proximity to the track but at different distances. The present study investigated the impact of train speed and track-to-building distance on the acceleration and velocity responses of buildings. The comparison of residents’ comfort levels and the structural safety of buildings against potential damages was conducted using international standards as the controlling criteria. Furthermore, an efficient mitigation technique was implemented, involving the utilization of open trenches with different depths between buildings and the railway track. This approach was employed with the aim of minimizing the detrimental impacts caused by trains-induced vibrations. The findings indicated that the over-track building was impacted by the train-induced vibrations more than near-track buildings. Furthermore, it was shown that although the passage of high-speed trains can disturb the comfort of building residents and potentially cause some structural damage to buildings, it did not lead to any significant story drifts in the structures. Finally, the minimum required depth of open trenches to mitigate train-induced vibrations was computed for every type of buildings and train speeds.