Evaluation of human exposure and building damage to high-speed train-induced ground-borne vibration based on numerical studies: A comparison with international standards

The use of high-speed railway network is becoming widespread in Turkey. High-speed passenger trains with a maximum of 250–300-km/h speed and a maximum of 22.5-t force axle loads can generate high levels of ground-borne vibration, especially in the high frequencies. Railway traffic on soft soil deposits for which measured shear velocity value is as low as 200 km/h can cause structural damage to the surrounding buildings. There has been a substantial increase in the studies on ground-borne vibration problems in the vicinity of the railway lines due to the passage of high-speed trains in recent years. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the high-speed train-induced environmental vibration in terms of human exposure to vibration in buildings and effects of vibration on structures according to the USA, Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) and German (DIN 4150-Parts 2 and 3) norms by using the verified finite element model based on in situ measurements. The 2-D finite element model dealt under the plane-strain condition with simulation of the moving load fully considers the vibrational energy dissipation by using viscous boundaries along the truncated interfaces of the infinite soil domain. In order to make a comparison with the threshold values defined in German and FTA standards, velocity response curves and frequency content at the measurement points where the accelerometers are located in the free field are obtained numerically for different soil types according to Turkish Earthquake Standard (TBDY 2018). Generally, it is observed that the unfavorable effects on human perception and building safety are increased when the ground rigidity underlying of building foundation has decreased.