Experimental and numerical evaluation of the effectiveness of a stiff wave barrier in the soil

This paper discusses the design, the installation, and the experimental and numerical evaluation of the effectiveness of a stiff wave barrier in the soil as a mitigation measure for railway induced vibrations. A full scale in situ experiment has been conducted at a site in El Realengo (Spain), where a barrier consisting of overlapping jet grout columns has been installed along a railway track. This barrier is stiff compared to the soil and has a depth of 7.5 m, a width of 1 m, and a length of 55 m. Geophysical tests have been performed prior to the installation of the barrier for the determination of the dynamic soil characteristics. Extensive measurements have been carried out before and after installation of the barrier, including free field vibrations during train passages, transfer functions between the track and the free field, and the track receptance. Measurements have also been performed at a reference section adjacent to the test section in order to verify the effect of changing train, track, and soil conditions over time. The in situ measurements show that the barrier is very effective: during train passages, a reduction of vibration levels by 5 dB is already obtained from 8 Hz upwards, while a peak reduction of about 12 dB is observed near 30 Hz immediately behind the barrier. The performance decreases further away from the jet grouting wall, but remains significant. The experimental results are also compared to numerical simulations based on a coupled finite element-boundary element methodology. A reasonable agreement between experiments and predictions is found, largely confirming the initially predicted reduction. This in situ test hence serves as a 'proof of concept׳, demonstrating that stiff wave barriers are capable of significantly reducing vibration levels, provided that they are properly designed.