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3D analysis of in-filled trench as passive

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Article in Science in China Series G Physics Mechanics and Astronomy October 2008
DOI: 10.1007/s11433-008-0151-1

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Science in China Series G: Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy
www.scichina.com
2008 SCIENCE IN CHINA PRESS phys.scichina.com
www.springerlink.com
Springer-Verlag

3D analysis of in-filled trench as passive

barriers for ground vibration isolation
GAO GuangYun1,2, SHI Gang1,2, FENG ShiJin1,2 & QIU Chang3
1
Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China;
2
Key Laboratory of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering of Ministry of Education, Tongji University,
Shanghai 200092, China;
3
Shanghai Pudong Construction Project Management Co. Ltd., Shanghai 201203, China

The three-dimensional (3D) problem of the ground vibration isolation by an in-filled

trench as a passive barrier is studied theoretically. Integral equations governing
Rayleigh wave scattering are derived based on the Greens solution of Lamb prob-
lem. The integral equations are solved accurately and efficiently with an iteration
technique. They are used to evaluate the complicated Rayleigh wave field gener-
ated by irregular scatterers embedded in an elastic half-space solid. The passive
isolation effectiveness of ground vibration by the in-filled trench for screening
Rayleigh wave is further studied in detail. Effects of relevant parameters on the
effectiveness of vibration isolation are investigated and presented. The results
show that a trench filled with stiff backfill material gets a better isolation effect than
a soft one, and increasing the depth or width of the in-filled trench also improves its
screening effectiveness. The effectiveness and the area of the screened zone are
surging with the increase in the length of the in-filled trench.

Rayleigh wave scattering, integral equation, in-filled trench, passive isolation, ground vibration

Traffic, machine operations, pile driving and other human activities can generate ground vibrations.
Such ground vibrations cause distress to adjacent structures and sensitive machinery, and even
cause annoyance to residents. Generally, these adverse effects of ground vibrations can be elimi-
nated or prevented by installation of various types of wave barriers, such as an open or an in-filled
trench and a row(s) of piles. Considering the location of isolation construction, the passive isolation
system is often used to reduce the ground vibrations at a close distance to the protected structure,
far away from the vibrating source, which shields the propagation of Rayleigh waves by way of a
complex mechanism of wave scattering and mode alteration.
The use of an open trench as wave barriers is restricted to the case associated with a small trench

Received August 3, 2006; accepted December 11, 2007; published online August 5, 2008
doi: 10.1007/s11433-008-0151-1

Corresponding author (email: gaoguangyun@263.net)

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50678128 and 50538010) and the Research Fund for PhD Student of
Chinese College (Grant No. 20050247030)

Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585
depth because of soil instability and water table level problems. Especially when the transmitted
waves, primarily Rayleigh surface waves, have medium to long wavelengths, an open trench
cannot be used as effective wave barriers because of its limitation in depth. However, in most
vibration isolation cases, especially involving medium Rayleigh wavelengths, an in-filled trench
provides a deeper depth compared with an open trench.
Woods[1] conducted several full-scale tests on the spot, in order to examine the screening per-
formance of concrete walls for both active and passive isolation cases. Haupt[2] carried out labo-
ratory model experiments on in-filled trenches to examine the isolation effectiveness. Ahmad et
al.[3] brought forward some design guidelines for vibration isolation by means of open and in-filled
trenches, based on a series of field tests for active and passive isolation cases. Hildebrand[4] de-
veloped a simple analytical model to predict the vibration isolation of a hard wave barrier such as a
filled trench, which is restricted to asymptotic conditions of high frequencies and soft soils.
However, the closed form solutions can be gained only in simple geometries and idealized condi-
tions.
For this reason, vibration isolation problems are solved effectively and accurately through nu-
merical methods, such as the finite element method (FEM) and the boundary element method
(BEM). Haupt[2,5] used FEM to examine the two-dimensional (2D) cases of vibration isolation by
trenches backfilled with concrete, and concluded that the ground amplitude reduction is related to
the cross-sectional area and the cross-sectional figure is shown to have little importance. Lysmer
and Waas[6] employed the lumped mass method to assess the isolation efficiency of open and
bentonite-slurry-filled trenches in a layered soil. Segol et al.[7] applied FEM along with special
non-reflecting boundaries to the same problem and verified the vibration amplification in front of
trenches, which was found in field tests by Woods[1]. Furthermore, Shrivastava et al.[8] examined
the effectiveness of open and in-filled trenches for screening Rayleigh waves due to the impulse
loads by FEM.
The BEM is an effective method for this class of infinite boundary problems since it only re-
quires the discretization at the ground surface and satisfies the radiation conditions at infinity
automatically. Beskos and Dasgupta et al.[9,10] and Leung et al.[11,12] investigated open and in-filled
trenches in homogeneous and non-homogeneous soil, respectively. Ahmad and Al-Hussaini[13]
used a rigorous BEM to investigate the effects of various geometric and material parameters on the
performance of the concrete barrier and the soil-Bentonite barrier in a 3D visco-elastic half-space.
Trenches filled with different materials were also discussed in ref. [14]. Conter et al.[15] used a
high-order element to investigate the vibration isolation efficiency by open trenches. Recently,
Andersen et al.[16] and Adam et al.[17] used a coupled FEM-BEM to analyze the effectiveness of
in-filled trenches to reduce the ground vibrations due to the passing trains.
However, with a little exception, most of the previous research has mainly dealt with trenches as
active barriers in which body waves are the major concern. Furthermore, in passive isolation cases,
the problems are often modeled as 2D plane strain problems. Therefore, the effect of the trench
length on screening effectiveness cannot be considered. Full-space Greens functions instead of
half-space ones are often used in BEM, which requires the discretization on the ground surface.
This paper presents a theoretical examination of the isolation efficiency by in-filled trenches as
passive barriers in a 3D context. An integral equation for Rayleigh wave scattering is deduced, and
only the Rayleigh surface wave contribution[18] (the Rayleigh part of the Greens function) is
considered, since Rayleigh waves transfer most of the vibration energy to a remote location. The

1574 GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585
integral equations are solved accurately and efficiently with an iteration technique. The passive
isolation effectiveness of ground vibration by an in-filled trench for screening Rayleigh wave is
further studied in detail. Effects of relevant parameters on the effectiveness of vibration isolation
are investigated and presented. The results show that a trench in-filled by stiff backfill material can
get a better isolation effect than a soft one, and increasing the depth or width of the in-filled trench
also improves its screening effectiveness. The effectiveness and the area of the screened zone are
surging with the increase in the length of the in-filled trench.

1 The integral equation method for R-wave scattering

Assume that the elastic solid contains N sub-domains 1, 2, , N, which represent obstacles.
1
They are bounded by the surfaces S1, S2, , SN, which have the elastic modulus matrices C hjkl ,
2
C hjkl N
,, C hjkl , and mass densities 1 , 2 , , N , respectively. Considering the case without
body force and using the reciprocity theorem of Greens function, the integral equations for scat-
tered displacement fields by many elastic obstacles embedded in an isotropic elastic solid are ob-
tained[19]:
N N
ui ( x ) = ui( ) ( x ) + a 2 Gim ( x; x )um ( x ) dv Cmjkl Gim, j ( x; x)uk ,l ( x) dv,
i a
(1)
a =1 a a =1 a

where ui is the amplitude of the displacement vector; x is a point of the elastic solid with volume v;
is the circular frequency of vibration; Gim(x; x) is the imth element of the Greens tensor and
represents the displacement vector at position x along the direction i when a force is applied to the

position x along the direction m; and Cijkl = Cijkl Cijkl , = , = 1, 2, , N, where
Cijkl and respectively represent the elastic modulus matrix and the density of the elastic solid.
For the scattering problem, the resultant displacement is expressed as a sum of the incident
displacement and the scattered displacement, and the scattered displacement is given a series of
expansions as follows:
M
ui ( x ) = ui( ) ( x ) + ui( ) ( x ),
i p
(2)
p =1

where ui( p ) ( x ) is the pth scattered displacement.

Substituting eq. (2) into (1) and considering the (p 1)th scattered fields as the incident wave of
the pth scattered fields, we obtain the following equation:
N N
ui( p ) ( x ) = 2 Gmi ( x; x )um( p 1) ( x ) dv Cmjkl

Gmi, j ( x; x)uk ,l ( x ) dv.
( p 1)
(3)
=1 =1

In this paper, only the Rayleigh surface-wave terms are considered:

Gqi ( x; x ) = Z qm ( z ) gim ( x, y; x ), (4)
m

where Z qm ( z ) is an operator notation of the form:

GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585 1575
 1 m m
V ( z ) + W ( z )
km x y
1 m m
Z qm ( z ) = W ( z ) V ( z ) , (5)
km x y

U m ( z)
m m
where V (z), U (z) are the horizontal and vertical displacement induced by the mth Rayleigh mode;
W m(z) is the horizontal displacement generated by the mth Love mode; km is the wave number of
the mth surface wave mode; x is the observation point and x is the source point; gim ( x, y; x ) is the
displacement potential. Details of the Greens function for an elastic half-space can be found in ref.
[18].
Similarly, the displacement of the pth scattered field is expressed as the same form as eq. (4):
ui( p ) ( x ) = Z im ( z )m( p ) ( x, y ), (6)
m

where m( p ) ( x, y ) is the displacement potential of the mth mode surface wave in the pth scattered
field.
Then substituting eqs. (4) and (6) into eq. (3) and introducing a new potential function yield
m( p ) = mn
( p)
, (7)
n
N
mn
( p)
( x, y ) = 2 g km Z kn ( z )n( p 1) ( x, y )dv( x )
=1
N
Cijkl

gi, j [Z k ( z )n ( x, y)],l dv( x),
m n ( p 1) (8)
=1

where mn
( p)
is the displacement potential of the mth mode surface wave in the pth scattered field
induced by the potential of the nth mode surface wave in the ( p 1)th scattered field.
Assuming a harmonic Rayleigh wave travels along the x-axis direction, the variations of po-
tential function in the y-axis direction can be neglected with respect to the one in the x-axis direc-
tion. Therefore, eq. (8) is further simplified as
mn
( p)
= K mn ( x, y; x, y )n( p 1) ( x, y )dxdy , (9)
where
N N
K mn = (Cijk

3 g i , j S k ,3 + ik m Cijk1 g i , j S k )dz + g i Si dz ,
m n m m 2 m n
(10)
=1 =1

where S nj is in the form S nj = U n ( z ) j 3 + i j1V n ( z ) + i j 2W n ( z ).

Eq. (9) shows that when the incident waves contact the obstacles, every point in the obstacles is
equivalent to a secondary wave source and induces scattered field K mnn( p 1) . The scattered dis-
placement field is obtained by integrating eq. (9) over the whole domains of all the obstacles.
Compared with Born approximation[19,20], eq. (9) is a process of continuous iteration, not a
one-time process. Thus, it is used to solve the scattering problem when the barriers are relatively
large in terms of the incident wavelength.

1576 GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585
 For an isotropic elastic half-space including obstacles, as shown in Figure 1, only one kind of
Rayleigh mode is considered. Then eqs. (9) and (10) are simplified as
R( p ) = K RR ( x, y; x, y )R( p 1) dxdy , (11)
i
K RR ( x, y; x, y ) = [ H 0(2) (kR) ( R 0 + R 0 R 0 )
8 J11cc g
iH1(2) (kR) cos ( R1 R1 ) H 2(2) (kR ) cos 2 ( R 2 )], (12)

where the angle is indicated in Figure 1; J11 is the normalized integral value of Rayleigh wave
in the elastic half-space; c and cg are the phase velocity and the group velocity for the elastic
half-space, respectively; k is Rayleigh wave number; H1(2) and H 2(2) are Hankel functions of the
second kind of order one and two, respectively. And the expressions of R0, R0, R0, R1, R1 and
R2 are given below:
2 2
dU dV
R 0 = + kV dz , R1 = kU dz , R 0 = U dz ,
2 2
dz dz
(13)
2
R 0 = 2 dU + k 2V 2 dz , R1 = 2V 2 dz , R 2 = k 2V 2 dz .
dz
Eq. (11) is solved by an iteration technique. Unlike the classic Born approximation[20], the proposed
iteration technique can iterate enough times to obtain a good solution. A computer code in Matlab
has been developed for the solution of the 3D scattering problem in the frequency domain. The
method is verified with a numerical solution available in the literature for a simplified Rayleigh
wave scattering problem[21]. For a detailed survey on numerical verification, one can consult ref.
[22].

Figure 1 A sketch map of the scattering angle.

2 Comparison with published experiments

Haupt[2] performed a series of laboratory tests in model scale on the passive vibration isolation
effect of the in-filled trenches in a sand bin with dimensions of 9.5 m by 9.5 m in plane and a depth
of 3 m. The soil was dense medium sand with a moisture content of about 3%. The depths of the
in-filled trenches were 0.06, 0.12 and 0.30 m, and the thickness was 0.30, 0.12, and 0.06 m, re-
spectively. The trenches were located at a distance of 0.165 and 0.175 m from the vibrator located
in the center of the sand bin, generating a concentric harmonic Rayleigh wave field. The ranges of

GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585 1577
nondimensional parameters for Haupts passive isolation tests were: h* = 0.201.28, t * = 0.20
1.24. These model tests were numerically simulated by utilizing the method of this paper, and a
comparison of the calculating results with Haupts testing ones is presented herein.
The material parameters of soil and trenches needed for the simulation of this problem were
mass density , shear wave velocity cs and Poissons ratio . Utilizing the published data, the
parameters in simulation are as follows:
Soil: s = 1.72 103 kg/m3 , css = 106 m/s, s = 0.25;
Trenches: b = 2.32 103 kg/m3 , csb = 530 m/s, , b = 0.25.
Figure 2 presents a comparison of the calculating results with Haupts measurement data of test
No. M2/30 ( t * = 1.0, l * = 0.4, f = 320 Hz ). The amplitude attenuation ratio (ARF) is defined as
the ratio of the vertical displacement component of the soil surface in the presence of the in-filled
trench to that in the absence of the trench[23]. This ratio is frequently used as a measure of the
screening effectiveness of an isolation barrier. A zero amplitude attenuation ratio indicates that the
incoming wave is completely scattered and that the barrier is completely effective. From Figure 2,
it is observed that though the measured curve shows considerable variations, the curve from ex-
periments is in good agreement with the calculated one, if the mean value is considered. However,
the calculated value of ARF in front of the trench is larger than that of the experiment, while the two
curves coincide well concerning the location of the peaks. This may be accounted that the damping
material is assumed to be 0 in calculation.

Figure 2 Comparative study for passive isolation by the in-filled trench. t* = 1.0, l* = 0.4, f = 320 Hz.

3 Screening effectiveness of in-filled trench

In this section, in-filled trenches with different backfill materials as passive barriers are examined
and compared. The efficiency of vibration isolation by an in-filled trench mainly depends on the
factors of the backfill material properties and the geometrical parameters of the trench. Consider an

1578 GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585
in-filled trench with a rectangular section as shown
in Figure 3, the soil has a shear modulus Gs, a
Poissons ratio s, a mass density s , a shear wave
speed css and a Rayleigh wavelength R . The
trench has a shear modulus Gb, a Poissons ratio b,
a mass density b and a shear wave speed csb .
The normalized geometrical data of the trench read
the depth h* = h / R , the thickness t * = t / R and
Figure 3 An in-filled trench barrier as passive vibration
the length l * = l / R . isolation.

3.1 Effects of the backfill material properties

In what follows, the effects of the backfill material properties on vibration isolation are examined
in detail, focusing on shear modulus Gb , Poissons ratio b and mass density b . A velocity ratio
of shear wave ( rc ) is defined as
rc = csb / css , (14)
where rc reflects the difference between the backfill material and the surrounding soil. Simply, rc
is used to determine whether the trench barrier is soft or stiff. When rc < 1 , the trench is defined as
a soft barrier, showing that it is softer than the surrounding soil, such as the barrier filled by sawdust
or flyash. While rc > 1 , the barrier is called a stiff one, such as the concrete-filled trench.
Throughout the following studies, to examine the effect of the backfill material properties, the
geometrical parameters of the trench are assumed to be constant, taking the values t * = 0.10 ,
l * = 1.0 and h* = 1.0 .
(i) Effect of the Poissons ratio. The analysis is performed for the case of the soil with
vs = 0.35 . The Poissons ratio of the backfill material is not a constant and equals 0.15, 0.20, 0.30
and 0.45, respectively; while the velocity ratio of shear wave rc is kept constant, taking the value of
rc = 1 .
Figure 4 depicts the variation of the factor ARF on the surface of the wave field for the above
passive isolation with vb = 0.45. It is observed that the values of ARF vary around 1.0 in most areas,
and there is no effectively isolated zone. Figure 5 shows the variation of ARF along x-axis for dif-
ferent Poissons ratios. These figures show that the Poissons ratio only has very slight influence on
the screening effectiveness of the in-filled trench.
(ii) Effect of the velocity ratio of shear wave (rc). In what follows, the analysis is performed
for the case of an in-filled trench with the same geometrical parameters as in sec. 3.1(i). The Pois-
sons ratio of the backfill material is taken 0.25 for a stiff barrier and 0.45 for a soft barrier.
Consequently, the value of the velocity ratio of shear wave rc is not a constant and equals 0.15, 0.5,
0.75, 2, 5 and 7.5, respectively.
Figure 6 shows the contour of the amplitude attenuation ratio ARF for the stiff trench barriers as
rc = 2.0. Figure 7 depicts the variation of ARF along x-axis for different rc. From these figures, one
observes that the effectively screened zone is at a distance behind the trench and the maximum
reductions occur in the center zone of the barrier. Moreover, it is also found that the increase of

GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585 1579
Figure 4 Contour of ARF for the trench as a passive barrier (b = 0.45). Figure 5 Graphs of ARF for different vb along the x-axis.

Figure 6 Contour of ARF for the stiff trench barrier (rc=2). Figure 7 Graphs of ARF for different rc along the x-axis
(stiff barriers).

rc results in an increase of the obtained reduction. The reduction effect can be further improved if rc
increases. As a result, it is suggested to choose the backfill material with the value of rc 5. In
addition, the results in these figures also show that there is a dual effect, i.e., the amplifications
are generated at the incident side of the barrier and the reduction is at the field behind the barrier.
Figure 8 shows the amplitude attenuation ratio ARF for the soft trench barriers with rc = 0.75.
And Figure 9 depicts the variation of ARF along x-axis for different rc. From these figures, one
observes that the effectively screened zone is small and it abuts upon the trench. Moreover, these
figures clearly reveal that the increasing magnification at the incident barrier side and the slightly
increasing screening efficiency are generated as rc decreases. Generally, to obtain certain efficiency
in the soft barrier case, rc should be less than 0.25.
Comparing the results shown in Figures 7 and 9, we observe that the reduction values obtained
by using a soft barrier are greatly less than those by using a stiff one. Moreover, the screened
zone in the case of a soft barrier is also greatly less than that of a stiff one. Furthermore, the am-
plitude attenuation ratio ARF obtained in the case of the soft barrier tends to approach 1.0 at a small
distance behind the barrier, meaning that the screened efficiency of the soft barrier is not steady.

1580 GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585
As a result, it is concluded that the velocity ratio of shear wave, contrary to the Poissons ratio,
has great influence on the screening effectiveness of the in-filled trench, and using stiffer backfill
material increases the screening effectiveness.

Figure 8 Contour of ARF for the soft trench barrier (rc = Figure 9 Graphs of ARF for different rc along the x-axis (soft
0.75). barriers).

3.2 Effect of geometrical parameters

In this section, the passive vibration isolation problem by an in-filled trench with different geo-
metrical parameters is examined in detail. Herein, only the stiff trench barrier (rc > 1) is considered.
The Poissons ratios of the trench and soil are b = 0.25 and s = 0.35, respectively. And the velocity
ratio of shear wave is rc = 5. The geometric variables of the trench are summarized in Table 1. Note
that when a certain parameter is investigated, the other two parameters are kept constant. Therefore,
unless otherwise specified, the normalized depth h* of the trench and its width t* and length l* are
taken as 1.0, 0.1 and 1.0, respectively.

Table 1 Geometric parameters of the trench barrier

Parameter Calculating values
Depth of the in-filled trench h* 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5
Width of the in-filled trench t* 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20
Length of the in-filled trench l* 0.5, 1.0, 1.5

(i) Effect of the trench depth h*. The trench depth is an important variable of practical concern
for the vibration isolation by an in-filled trench. For the purpose of this investigation, it is assumed
that the value of h* is not a constant and equals 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5, respectively.
Figure 10 depicts the variation of the factor ARF on the surface of the wave field for the above
passive isolation. Figure 11 is the variation graphs of ARF with different depths h* along the x-axis.
From these figures, one observes that an increase of the screening effectiveness and an increasing
screened zone are obtained as the trench depth increases. However, it is also found that when h* >
1.0, the increase is slight as the trench depth increases, due to the fact that the transmission of
Rayleigh wave is nearly confined to the surface. Therefore, it is suggested that the depth of the
trench should be equal to a Rayleigh wavelength in practical engineering to ensure a good

GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585 1581
Figure 10 Contour of ARF for the stiff trench barrier (h* = 0.5). Figure 11 Graphs of ARF for different h* along the x-axis.

screening effectiveness. An excessive depth is not requisite since the additional costs and the dif-
ficulties of construction must be taken into account.
(ii) Effect of the trench width t*. In what follows, the width of the trench, t*, is considered to be
variable, taking the values given in Table 1.
The isograms of ARF for t* = 0.10 are shown in Figure 12, and Figure 13 is the variation graphs
of ARF with different t* along the x-axis. These figures indicate that the screening efficiency and the
screened zone behind the barrier are increasing as the trench width increases. Moreover, it is no-
ticed that the magnification at the incident side of the barrier is increasing rapidly as the width t*
increases, while the values of ARF behind the barrier are decreasing rapidly. Therefore, increasing
the width of the trench results in a better screening effectiveness. When taking the costs and the
difficulties of construction into account, it is suggested that the trench depth should meet t*0.1 in
practical engineering to ensure a good screening effectiveness.

Figure 12 Contour of ARF for the stiff trench barrier (t* = 0.10). Figure 13 Graphs of ARF for different t* along the x-axis.

(iii) Effect of the trench length l*. For the purpose of this investigation, the length of the
in-filled trench, l*, is not a constant, taking the values given in Table 1.
Figure 14 shows the isograms of ARF for l*= 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5, respectively. It is observed that the
optimum screened zone is at a small distance behind the barriers and the distance is increasing with

1582 GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585
the increase of l*. The screening effectiveness and the area of the screened zone are also increasing
with the increase of l*.

Figure 14 Contour of ARF for the stiff trench barrier with different trench length l*. (a) l* = 0.5; (b) l* = 1.0; (c) l* = 1.5.

Figure 15 depicts the contour of ARF for different values of y* in the x-axis direction. The figures
show that the value of ARF varies in different positions from the center to the border of the trench
barrier. The value of ARF is a small amount and varies slowly near the center of the barrier, while
ARF increases dramatically near the border of the barrier. This result indicates that the screening
effectiveness near the border is worse than the center. Therefore, it is suggested that the value of l*
should be large enough in practical engineering to avoid that the protected object lies in the border
region of the barrier.

4 Conclusions
An in-filled trench as a passive barrier of vibration isolation in the far field is modeled and pre-
dicted by the scattering problem of Rayleigh waves induced by the trench obstacle. With the in-
tegral equation method of Rayleigh wave scattering, the screening effectiveness of the in-filled
trench as a passive isolation barrier is studied. Based on the obtained results, the following
conclusions are drawn.
The method presented in this paper is used to solve the 3D problem of Rayleigh wave scattering
from the irregular obstacles by iteration.

GAO GuangYun et al. Sci China Ser G-Phys Mech Astron | Oct. 2008 | vol. 51 | no. 10 | 1573-1585 1583
Figure 15 Graphs of ARF for different y* in the x-axis direction for different trench length. (a) l* = 0.5; (b) l* = 1.0; (c) l* = 1.5.

Using the in-filled trench barrier isolates the ground vibrations in the screened zone. The
maximum reductions occur in the center zone of the barrier behind the trench. The Poissons ratio
of backfill material has very slight influence on the screening effectiveness. Moreover, the trench
filled with stiff backfill material gets a better isolation effect and a larger screened zone than the
soft one. Thus, it is suggested to choose the backfill material with the value of rc5 in practice.
Increasing the depth and width of the in-filled trench results in an increase in screen effective-
ness. Therefore, it is suggested that the trench should meet the conditions of h* = 1.0 and t* 0.1
to achieve a satisfactory effect of isolation. Furthermore, the screening effectiveness and the area of
the screened zone are increasing with the increase of the trench length, and the value of l* should be
large enough to avoid that the protected object lies in the border region of the barrier.

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