Surface-wave attenuation zone of layered periodic structures and feasible application in ground vibration reduction

A layered periodic structure is proposed to construct a periodic wave barrier, which is defined by extended typical cells consisting of two different components. The periodic structure with reasonable design has attenuation zones (AZs) which can block wave propagation. The surface-wave dispersion curves and material/geometric parameters of layered periodic structures were investigated using finite element method. A typical three-dimensional simulation model was applied to verify the efficiency of the proposed periodic wave barrier in terms of ground vibration isolation. The results showed that simulated frequency zones of vibration reduction are consistent with the theoretical surface-wave AZs, and that periodic wave barriers can greatly reduce train-induced vibrations.