Efficient mitigation of high-speed trains induced vibrations of railway embankments using expanded polystyrene blocks

[Display omitted] The main aim of this work is to present an efficient mitigation measure of ground vibrations induced by high-speed trains (HST). It is very important to propose such mitigation measures against soil vibrations due to various negative impacts to the population, structures, as well as railway infrastructure. This study examines the application of expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks as an efficient mitigation measure against the ground vibrations induced by HST’s passage. EPS is a high-performance geosynthetic fill material, which is widely used due to its low weight and great compressibility. In the present numerical study, an three-dimensional (3D) model was used, utilizing the finite element software ABAQUS in conjunction with a user-developed subroutine in order to accurately simulate the complex dynamic phenomenon of soil response during the passage of HST. For this purpose, field data of a typical soil embankment from Paris– Brussels Thalys line were used to validate the adopted numerical approach. Subsequently, the use of different types of EPS schemes was investigated and compared in order to obtain an optimal geometrical configuration of EPS blocks that significantly reduces train-induced vibrations.