Frequency-wavenumber method for the wave propagation through the soil and the soil-structure interaction of railway tracks and building foundations near railway lines
- In soil-structure interaction, the soil and the (flexible) structures are modelled as elastic continua. The partial differential equations of elasticity can be transformed to algebraic equations in frequency-wavenumber domain where they can be solved by matrix methods. The results for the soil and a structure can be coupled in frequency-wavenumber domain, and the solution in space domain is obtained by an infinite wavenumber integral (the back-transformation). This method has several applications for the prediction of the emission, transmission and immission of railway-induced vibrations. The wave propagation in homogeneous or layered soils is calculated for surface and tunnel lines by a single wavenumber integration (transmission). The response of ballast or slab tracks (for the emission problem) and the foundation stiffness (for the immission problem) need an additional integration across the track or foundation width. In wavenumber domain, tracks and foundations of infinite lengthIn soil-structure interaction, the soil and the (flexible) structures are modelled as elastic continua. The partial differential equations of elasticity can be transformed to algebraic equations in frequency-wavenumber domain where they can be solved by matrix methods. The results for the soil and a structure can be coupled in frequency-wavenumber domain, and the solution in space domain is obtained by an infinite wavenumber integral (the back-transformation). This method has several applications for the prediction of the emission, transmission and immission of railway-induced vibrations. The wave propagation in homogeneous or layered soils is calculated for surface and tunnel lines by a single wavenumber integration (transmission). The response of ballast or slab tracks (for the emission problem) and the foundation stiffness (for the immission problem) need an additional integration across the track or foundation width. In wavenumber domain, tracks and foundations of infinite length are analysed. Finite structures can be calculated by finite element models where the soil is calculated by the boundary element method. The Green’s functions for the boundary element method are calculated by a wavenumber integration as for the transmission problem. Some example results for all these tasks will be shown. The immission into buildings will be analysed in detail, and the effect of stiff slab foundations and (basement) walls on the incoming wavefield is quantified in a parameter study. The transfer function (the amplitude ratio) structure to free field usually starts with 1 at 0 Hz and decreases continuously with frequency. The reduction is due to the structural stiffness against wave deformation which turns to be higher than the stiffness of the soil, for example above the structure-soil coincidence frequency of the slab foundation. The reduction is better for a high structural stiffness and for a low soil stiffness. Walls are stiffer than plates for the relevant frequency range, but even walls and especially low basement walls are not infinitely rigid and can follow the wave deformation to a certain extent. These basic rules from frequency-wavenumber analysis can well be used for real building projects near railway lines where stiff foundations can be an alternative reduction method to the commonly used base isolation by elastic elements.…

