An optimized method to evaluate the performance of trench isolation for railway-induced vibration

• A trench realized to reduce railway-induced vibrations is characterized.
• Acceleration measurements were performed on a high-speed railway line.
• Different signal-processing algorithms are discussed.
• The high potential of the wavelet approach is shown.

A variety of technologies are employed to reduce ground borne vibrations near railway lines. In this paper, the performances of different signal-processing algorithms are discussed in an effort to define an optimized methodological approach for evaluating the reduction potential of mitigation techniques. Different post-processing analysis methods have been applied to acceleration data collected during the passage of a train in order to evaluate the performance of a trench realized to improve the quality of life near railway lines. RMS computation at steady-state and amplitude of frequencies in the averaged spectra were used as a first assessment procedure, while joint time–frequency analysis were used for the characterization of the signals during transients. The possibilities provided by wavelet techniques were then investigated and compared with those of the classical Fourier analysis. Experimental results show that the wavelet approach can be used both to evaluate the effectiveness of the mitigation techniques, and to analyze the structure of the acceleration signals generated by trains.