405

Ground propagation of vibrations from railway vehicles

using a finite/infinite-element model of the soil
G Kouroussis∗ , O Verlinden, and C Conti
Faculté Polytechnique de Mons, Department of Theoretical Mechanics, Dynamics and Vibrations, Boulevard Dolez,
Mons, Belgium

The manuscript was received on 21 August 2008 and was accepted after revision for publication on 24 February 2009.
DOI: 10.1243/09544097JRRT253

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the generation and propagation of ground
vibrations induced by railway traffic, more specifically in the case of urban vehicles. The complete
vehicle–track–soil model is developed according to an uncoupled approach: the vehicle–track
subsystem is first simulated so as to provide the ground forces which, in turn, are applied to
the model of the soil. The vehicle–track model is built with the help of the home-made C++
library EasyDyn, dedicated to the simulation of mechanical systems and namely multi-body
applications. The tridimensional model of the soil is developed under the commercial finite-
element code ABAQUS. It consists of a half-sphere of classical elements surrounded by infinite
elements in order to account for the unbounded nature of the ground. A particular procedure
has been developed in order to properly mesh the domain, especially at the transition between
finite and infinite elements. A special care is also taken on conditions with respect to the minimal
size of the domain and the maximal element size. On the contrary of the approaches classically
found in the literature, the simulation is performed in time domain in place of frequency domain.
This choice appears to be more appropriate and more natural in the case of vibrations induced
by localized discontinuities of the track, due to the transient nature of the process. Moreover, it
is shown that conditions on the domain size can be relieved in the time domain without loss of
accuracy. The approach is illustrated by the practical case of vibrations generated by a tramway
coming up against rail discontinuities. The vibratory levels obtained with the finite–infinite model
of the soil show a good agreement with experimental results.

Keywords: multi-body systems, soil dynamics, vibrations, finite-element method, infinite

element, railway vehicle

1 INTRODUCTION dependent on the ability of industry to limit the vibra-

Public transport and especially railway transport
appear as the most pragmatic solution to the con-
stantly increasing congestion problems of large cities.
For example, a Regional Express Railway network is
planned for the year 2012 in order to relieve the traf-
fic problems in the region of Brussels. However, a
lot of residents are legitimally worried about poten-
tial nuisances and complaints could be a curb to the
project. The development of railway networks is then
∗ Corresponding
author: Faculté Polytechnique de Mons, Depart-
ment of Theoretical Mechanics, Dynamics and Vibrations, 31
Boulevard Dolez, Mons, Belgium.
email: georges.kouroussis@fpms.ac.be
JRRT253 © IMechE 2009
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
tion level induced by the vehicles. This article aims at
bringing a contribution to this challenge by presenting
a numerical model devoted to predict the vibrations
generated by urban railway vehicles.
Train-induced vibrations are caused by several
mechanisms, described in [1], with three principal
sources: loads due to vehicle guidance, defects of the
track and the wheel, and discontinuities of the track
such as switches and rail joints.
For an accurate simulation of the generation and
propagation of the vibrations, a complete model
including the vehicle, the track, and the soil subsys-
tems is required. However, one of the three subsystems
is usually modelled in detail while the other ones are
given a rather coarse representation. The track–soil
interaction is one of the most studied subproblems
[2–4]. Several models of vehicle–track systems have
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit
406 G Kouroussis, O Verlinden, and C Conti
been studied in the past (see [5, 6] for a review), but
only a few of them are used in the determination of
ground vibrations. Metrikine et al. [7, 8] proposed
a numerical model where the track is considered as
an Euler–Bernoulli beam, supported by discrete elas-
tic supports lying on an elastic halfspace. A Fourier
transformation is made from the coordinate along the
track to resolve the equations of motion. Solutions are
presented for a moving harmonic force representing
the axle load. Knothe and Wu [9] have investigated
the vertical dynamic behaviour of the track–subgrade
system, where ballast and subgrade are modelled as
viscoelastic foundations, better representative than a
Winkler foundation. Their investigations show also the
dynamic effect of the sleepers and their coupling with
the soil. Zhai and Sun [10, 11] developed a detailed
model to represent the vertical interaction between
the railway vehicle and the track, without consider-
ing the interaction with the soil. Auersch proposed,
in recent papers [4, 12], a three-dimensional model
incorporating the track, the soil, and the vehicle, but
the latter is limited to an axle carrying an unsprung
mass.
The modelling of the soil is particular as it is natu-
rally an unbounded domain, consisting eventually of
several irregular layers of material. Various researches
have been performed using discrete formulations such
as the finite-element method (FEM) [1, 3, 13] or the
boundary element method (BEM) [14–16]. BEM are
superior in dealing with infinite domains while finite
elements are better adapted to complex geometries,
inhomogeneous domains, and non-linear materials.
To benefit from the advantages of BEM while avoiding
its limitations, Sheng et al. [2] proposed a wavenumber
BE/FE method able to deal with complex geometries
with a good computational efficiency. On the other
hand, Laghrouche [17] has presented various possi-
bilities to model an unbounded domain by means
of finite elements. A two-dimensional problem has
been investigated with a model where artificial bound-
aries are imposed in order to absorb any direct wave.
Unfortunately, these boundaries cause wave reflec-
tions leading to loss of accuracy. An interesting contri-
bution of this work was to emphasize the requirements
on the domain dimension and on the element size to
assure a sufficient accuracy. Some studies based on a
finite/infinite-element model of the soil exist [13, 18]
but are limited so far to planar analyses and the
response to an harmonic load.
The few papers devoted to the urban case were
either measurements of vibration levels and compari-
son with standards [19] or experimental assessment
of a vibratory protection system [3]. The specific case
of underground systems takes also a constant inter-
est [20, 21]. We then chose to focus our attention to
the specific case of urban railway vehicles (tramways).
The problem of the track–soil interaction has been
studied in the past: Sarfeld et al. [22] and Rücker [23]
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
have investigated the dynamic interaction and the
coupling effects of a system of sleepers lying on the
ground. Under certain assumptions (e.g. tie dimension
ratio), it appears that the cross compliance between
sleepers can be neglected with respect to the direct
compliance. This observation, initially studied for a
static axle load, can be extended to a slow dynamic
load. The same conclusion is drawn by Lombaert [24]
in the case of the vehicle–road interaction when the
stiffness of the soil is large, compared to the stiffness
of the road and the vehicle. Consequently, due to the
low speed of the vehicle in our application, the cou-
pling between sleepers through the soil is limited, so
that the responses of the soil and the track–vehicle
subsystems can be determined separately.
In our work, therefore a decoupled approach
devoted to the simulation of the occurrence and
propagation of vibrations induced by railway vehicles
coming up against track discontinuities is proposed,
which is the most critical case in urban vehicles. The
track–vehicle subsystem is first simulated based on
the Zhai model [10] to determine dynamic forces at
the wheel–rail interface, which are then applied to a
finite-element model of the soil as ground excitation.
This approach has been preferred as it is based on a
standard formulation able to deal with two- and three-
dimensional geometries. The final goal is to propose a
complete prediction model that can be used to evalu-
ate changes in both the vehicle and the track design in
order to reduce the level of vibrations transmitted to
the environment.
2 MODELLING OF THE VEHICLE–TRACK SYSTEM
The model chosen for analysis of the vehicle–track
interaction is depicted in Fig. 1. It is two-dimensional
as it is limited to the vertical dynamics.
The considered vehicle is the tram T2000 riding in
Brussels. It is modelled according to the multi-body
formalism and involves two axles, one bogie, and a
carbody. Only a reduced set of degrees of freedom is
retained during the simulation: the vertical displace-
ments of all bodies and the pitch angle of the bogie.
The longitudinal velocity is assumed to be constant.
The bodies are interconnected by springs and dampers
representing the primary and secondary suspensions.
The motion equations have been derived manually
and are written as
[Mv ] {q̈v } + [Cv ] {q̇v } + [Kv ] {qv } = { fv } (1)
where the subscripts v are related to the vehicle (the
mass Mv , damping Cv , and stiffness matrices Kv show
that the equation are linearized around the nominal
position). The right-hand term fv contains the static
weights of each vehicle component and the forces due
to the wheel–rail contact.
JRRT253 © IMechE 2009
 Ground propagation of vibrations from railway vehicles 407

Fig. 1 Parameters of the vehicle–track model

The model of the track consists of two layers, as hdefect the eventual defect on the rail surface. Since the
proposed in reference [5]: the rail, considered as a con- vehicle–track model focuses on the vertical dynamics,
tinuous Euler–Bernoulli beam, and regularly spaced tangential forces are not relevant here.
sleepers represented by lumped masses. The flexible Around the home-made library EasyDyn [26], dedi-
rail is described by the FEM, with Nn elements between cated to simulation of problems represented by
two sleepers. Railpads and ballast are introduced by second-order differential equations and, more parti-
springs and dampers, defined between rail and sleep- cularly, multi-body systems (available on our website
ers, and between sleepers and the ground, respectively. http://mecara.fpms.ac.be/EasyDyn), the simulation
Models with additional ballast masses (three-layer of the vehicle–track system is carried out in the time
models) were not used in the present study for ground domain. This approach is preferred to keep the possi-
vibration. Three-dimensional models also exist for the bility to include non-linearities (e.g. for contact laws).
track but are not necessary here as they are specifi- A residual formulation has been preferred to build the
cally reserved for cases where stresses in ties or noise equations of motion. Combined with a complete iter-
emission [25] must be evaluated. ation matrix [27], this formulation is well adapted to
The equations of motion of the track have the the treatment of stiff differential equations, as it is the
following form case namely in the presence of wheel–rail contacts that

 
  introduce high stiffnesses in the model.
Mr 0 q̈r Cp −Cp q̇r The dynamic characteristics of the vehicle can gen-
+
0 Ms q̈s −Cp Cp + Cb q̇s erally be supplied by the constructor while the charac-

 
K + Kp −Kp qr teristics of the rail (material properties, section area,
+ r = { ft } (2) and moment of inertia) and the mass of the sleepers
−Kp K p + K b qs
are easily available. The railpad and ballast stiffness
where subscripts r and s relate to the rail and the sleep- coefficients and damping coefficients should rather
ers, respectively. The stiffness and damping matrices be directly measured on the site of interest. The most
clearly show the contribution of the railpads (p) and convenient way to measure these coefficients is to per-
the ballast (b). form an identification of the vertical track receptance,
The forces ft acting on the rail are due to the defined as the frequency response function between
mechanical contact between the wheels and the the vertical displacement of the track above a sleeper
rail. They are determined according to the classical and the vertical force applied at the same point. An
Hertzian theory but, for the purpose of simplicity, are updating of the corresponding finite-element model
linearized about the static equilibrium position, so is a good practice to identify the values of damping
that the contact force exerted by the rail on the wheel and stiffness.
is written as

Frail/wheel = −kHz (zwheel − zrail − hdefect ) 3 MODELLING OF THE SOIL SYSTEM

= −Fwheel−rail (3) 3.1 Dynamics of soil

where kHz is the Hertzian stiffness of the contact, The simulation of unbounded domains in numerical
zwheel and zrail are the vertical position of the wheel methods is a very important topic in dynamic soil–
and the rail at the considered contact point, and structure interaction and wave propagation problems.

JRRT253 © IMechE 2009 Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
408 G Kouroussis, O Verlinden, and C Conti
Dynamic soil–structure problems involve waves prop-
agating in the soil but its dynamic response is complex.
Soil is composed of solid particles, water, and air. Its
mechanical behaviour is essentially dependent on the
size of its solid particles and voids. Nevertheless, the
non-linear behaviour of the soil is often neglected
when the shear strain is <10−5 [24], e.g. in the case
of vibrations induced by railway traffic. In various
applications, the soil can be modelled as a homoge-
neous or layered halfspace, most often modelled as
an elastodynamic medium. The interaction between
body waves (longitudinal and shear waves) and sur-
face waves (called Rayleigh waves) is generally used
to explain some phenomena [28]. Closed-form solu-
tions exist to understand these phenomena, estab-
lished in Fourier domain [29] or Laplace domain using
the Cagniard method [30]. In the case of layered
media, reflexion and refraction increase the problem
complexity and the use of numerical tools becomes
necessary.
3.2 The concept of infinite elements
In this study a finite-element model is used. This
method proves to be more powerful than the pure BEM
if non-linear problems or local discontinuities are
present. Our model consists of a half-sphere made up
of classical finite elements, surrounded by infinite ele-
ments, which materialize an unbounded domain. The
use of infinite elements is transparent and perfectly
joins the standard finite-element procedure.
The infinite-element formulation has followed two
main lines of development [31]: the mapping of the
element from finite to infinite domain, and the use
of decay functions in conjunction with the ordinary
finite-element shape function. For the present study,
vibrations of train foundation were simulated using
the widely used finite-element software ABAQUS,
which has adopted the mapping formulation. In
dynamic analysis, damping is automatically added at
the border between finite and infinite elements in
order to attenuate the incident body wave and to avoid
any reflection. This technique, developed by Lysmer
and Kuhlemeyer [32], allows one to compensate the
possible weakness of the mapping. In their works, they
have investigated different possibilities for expressing
this boundary condition analytically and have found
that the most promising way is to express it in the
following way
σ = ρcP ẇ
τ = ρcS v̇
where σ and τ are normal and shear stresses along
the finite/infinite elements border, depending on the
normal and tangent velocities ẇ and v̇ on the bor-
der. Parameters ρ, cP , and cS denote the local values of
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
Fig. 2 Effective energy ratio for incident P-wave
(ν = 0.25)
the density and the longitudinal and shear wave velo-
cities, respectively. Physically, equations (4) and (5)
define a border supported on infinitesimal dashpots
oriented normal and tangential with respect to the
boundary. A simple study of the body wave refle-
xion and refraction at the viscous border shows that
the latter is able to absorb impinging elastic waves
through the effective energy ratio, defined as the ratio
of the reflected to the impinging energy by unit of
surface. This parameter thus represents the ability of
the boundary to absorb the energy. Figure 2 gives the
effective energy ratio calculated for incident longitu-
dinal waves (P-waves). This figure indicates that the
viscous border is 98.5 per cent effective in absorbing
P-waves. Same results exist for incident shear waves
(S-waves). The study of Rayleigh waves is more com-
plex, Lysmer and Kuhlemeyer have shown that, in the
case of steady-state problems, the damping should
depend also on the depth. It is not the case in ABAQUS
where equations (4) and (5) are used as is.
Oddly enough the ABAQUS software does not pro-
pose infinite elements in its mesh tool. A complemen-
tary program has been developed to modify an initial
model in order to add infinite elements at its bound-
aries. The initial model defines the near field with
the eventual geometrical complexities and/or non-
linearities and, inevitably, all the external forces acting
on the soil. The surrounding underground is mod-
elled as a half-sphere (Fig. 3), which can be meshed
in the usual manner, independent of the complexity
of the track. Moreover, the spherical border imposes
(4)
a convex shape, more adapted to the infinite-element
(5) definition as the element edges in the infinite direction
do not cross over.
From the works of Laghrouche [17], rules can be
proposed to correctly define a frequency analysis of
a general finite–infinite-element model: a minimum
of ten elements by Rayleigh wavelength λR (fmax ) and
JRRT253 © IMechE 2009
 Ground propagation of vibrations from railway vehicles
Fig. 3 A finite–infinite model
a domain size of the finite region Td at least 3λR
(fmin ) give a relative error of 5 per cent. In the case
of a large frequency band model, these two combined
conditions impose a large number of elements (>109
elements!) in three-dimensional analysis. It is proba-
bly the reason why many people [3, 13] worked only
in two-dimensional analysis (plane strain problem
with a harmonic load representing the vehicle con-
tribution). In the case of non-linearities and specific
geometries, this type of analysis cannot be used and
a three-dimensional model is necessary. Therefore, a
validation step has been conducted in order to relieve
the modelling rules.
3.3 Validation of the time response approach
A first approach is based on an axisymmetric analysis
of a circular surface load acting on a soil, repre-
sented by a homogeneous halfspace with a density ρ =
1500 kg/m3 , Young’s modulus E = 250 MN/m2 , and
Poisson’s ratio ν = 0.3. A viscous damping ratio β =
0.0002 is used. Corresponding to these parameters,
Fig. 4 Validation of the finite–infinite-element approach in a homogeneous halfspace: (a)
frequency analysis and (b) time domain analysis
JRRT253 © IMechE 2009
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
409
the velocities of the longitudinal waves, the shear
waves, and the surface waves (Rayleigh waves) are
cP = 459 m/s, cS = 263 m/s, and cR = 252 m/s. With
an analysis from 0 to 100 Hz, the wavelength λR of
the surface waves varies from λR = 2.5 to 250 m and
would lead to more than 8 millions of elements if
the previous rules were respected. Figure 4 shows
the results of this dynamic problem in frequency
(constant load charge with the frequency) and time
domains (impact load with large frequency band) in
order to verify the same phenomenon. These results
are compared with an analytical solution for homo-
geneous halfspace [29]. In this set of simulations,
only the domain dimension Td was changed, the
element size being constant and equal to λR /10. In
the case of frequency analysis, oscillations appear
when the Laghrouche’s conditions are not strictly
satisfied and become important for the smallest con-
sidered domain size. Let us note that the analytical
solution presents also oscillations at very low fre-
quency, issued from the inverse wavenumber trans-
form. This parasitic phenomenon does not appear in
time domain, even on the Fourier transform of the
time response, while the results remain similar to the
analytical results, without influence of the domain
dimension. The best explanation is that the wave
propagation is basically a transient dynamic problem,
which is represented in a more natural way in time
domain.
As the domain can be meshed with a lower number
of elements, time domain analysis allows to consider
tridimensional cases with usual computer ressources.
Moreover, no phase problem appears on the contrary
of frequency domain analysis.
The second approach allows to compare numeri-
cal results in the real condition of a falling weight
as excitation on the soil surface (Fig. 5(a)) in a
site where dynamic parameters have been identified.
Geotechnical tests have been performed to determine
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit
410 G Kouroussis, O Verlinden, and C Conti
Fig. 5 Validation on a layered halfspace: (a) impact exci-
tation and (b) peak velocity as a function of the
distance from the impact
the soil stratification and its dynamic characteristics,
including the cone penetration test (CPT), seismic
refraction, and spectral analysis of surface waves
(SASW).
The results of these tests conclude that the site is
composed of a layer with a thickness d = 2–3 m (E =
120 MN/m2 , ρ = 1600 kg/m3 , ν = 0.3, and β = 0.0003)
lying on a halfspace (E = 704 MN/m2 , ρ = 3500 kg/m3 ,
ν = 0.3, and β = 0.0003). Measurements have been
performed in seven points, in the x-, y-, and z-
directions, for impacts of a falling weight on the soil
surface. The weight has a mass of 50 kg and falls from
a height of 1 m.
The evolution of the force impact has been mea-
sured on the one hand and calculated with ABAQUS
on the other hand. Figure 5(b) compares measured
and computed peak particle velocities at various dis-
tances from the source. A good agreement exists
between experimental and numerical results. The dif-
ference can come from the difficulty to determine
exactly the dynamic parameters of each layer of the
soil.
3.4 The link to the vehicle–track simulation
As presented previously, the vehicle–track subproblem
is decoupled from the soil subproblem. In the first sub-
problem, the vehicle–track motion is calculated from
the track unevenness and therefore the soil loads are
determined, from the reaction forces from the ballast
to the railroad bed
{ fsoil } = [Cb ]{q̇s } + [Kb ]{qs }
In the second subproblem, the free field response is
computed from each sleeper load acting on the soil
surface, issued from the first subproblem. Figure 6
shows, for each sleeper considered in this problem, the
time evolution of the force acting on the soil, defined
as a distributed load acting on a tie surface represent-
ing the sleepers area. The mesh of the soil surface
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
Fig. 6 Load case defined for the soil model
is adjusted to the sleeper surface for an appropriate
definition of these forces.
4 RESULTS AND VALIDATION OF THE
COMPLETE MODEL
An experimental campaign has been undertaken in
order to validate the complete model in a representa-
tive situation of vibration generation and propagation.
In this experiment, a T2000 LRV developed for Brussels
rides over a step discontinuity of the rail with a height
of 1 mm and a length of 5 mm (in Fig. 6, the sleeper sup-
porting the defect is emphasized). This excitation was
chosen very carefully to be representative of practical
rail discontinuities like crossing, switch gears, and rail
joints. The length of the discontinuity is short enough
to avoid agreement between defect passing frequen-
cies and eigenfrequencies of the vehicle. The vehicle
and the tramway site have been completely identi-
fied, with a particular focus on the track and the soil
properties.
Figure 7 shows the time history and the frequency
content of the measured and predicted vertical accel-
erations of the motor (fixed to the wheel): as the bogies
of tramway T2000 consist of completely independent
wheels, a motor is fixed directly to each front wheel.
Figures 8 and 9 show the same comparison for the
vertical free field velocity, respectively, at 2 and 8 m
from the centre of the track, caused by the passage of
the vehicle on the unevenness at 30 km/h. The time
history reveals how the front axle and the rear axle
(6) pass the unevenness at t = 0.103 s and at t = 0.307 s,
respectively. Both events are well separated in time.
As expected, the vibrations induced by the front axle
are stronger, due to the mass of the motor. Since the
vibrations excited by the front axle have nearly died
out when the second axle passes the unevenness, the
limitation of the model to only one bogie is justi-
fied, because the spacing between two bogies is quite
larger. These results show that the essential physical
JRRT253 © IMechE 2009
 Ground propagation of vibrations from railway vehicles 411

Fig. 7 Vertical acceleration of the motor: (a) time history and (b) frequency content

Fig. 8 Vertical velocity of the ground at 2 m from the track: (a) time history and (b) frequency
content

Fig. 9 Vertical velocity of the ground at 8 m from the track: (a) time history and (b) frequency
content

JRRT253 © IMechE 2009 Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
412 G Kouroussis, O Verlinden, and C Conti
phenomena are described by the prediction model
with a good agreement.
The frequency content of the vertical acceleration of
the motor shows that the pitch mode located at 26.5 Hz
dominates the spectrum. The bounce mode, at 1.7 Hz,
also plays a part in the motion with less effects. The
frequency content of the free field velocity is domi-
nated essentially by the bounce mode frequencies of
the vehicle. The high frequency content is completely
attenuated by the ballast and soil properties. The
results show that a complete model is therefore neces-
sary to predict this phenomenon, in comparison with
other models that represent the vehicle contribution
only as a constant axle moving load.
5 CONCLUSIONS
This article aims to bring a global understanding of the
vibrations induced by tramways running against dis-
continuities at the wheel–rail interface: it deals with
the generation and also with the propagation of vibra-
tions into the ground. A complete model is presented,
based on a multi-body approach for the vehicle, a FEM
model combined with lumped masses for the track
and a finite–infinite-element model for the soil.
The numerical model allows to predict the dynamic
interaction between the train, the track, and the soil, in
the special case of low-speed vehicles where the sub-
systems vehicle–track and soil are uncoupled. First,
the equations of motion of the vehicle and the track
are solved and the soil loads are computed and solved.
Next, the response of the soil is solved. A validation
phase has been performed to emphasize the rules
to correctly model a soil. The latter is defined as a
half-sphere, surrounded by infinite elements. The half-
sphere consists only of classical elements and can
be meshed with the standard tools of ABAQUS. The
half-sphere is a convex volume, well adapted to the
connection with infinite elements. A home-made tool
has been developed to place the infinite elements in
concordance with the mesh of the finite border. The
influence of the domain dimension was investigated in
order to consider a mesh adapted to the problem with-
out loss of accuracy and excessive number of elements.
It turns out that a time domain simulation is more
appropriate to simulate the soil dynamic behaviour.
It is also possible to make reasonable assessments of
ground-transmitted vibrations with a finite–infinite-
element analysis. A time domain analysis is moreover
useful to study non-linear effects in the case of the
wheel–rail interaction or in the soil, instead of the
frequency analysis.
The complete vehicle–track–soil model has then
been validated by means of an experimental campaign
with tramway vehicles passing on a stepwise disconti-
nuity. The validation has been done on both vehicle
and ground sides, on the basis of criteria such as
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
motor acceleration and ground velocities. The overall
good agreement (level and shapes) between the pre-
dicted quantities and the measurements shows that
the proposed model is acceptable to predict the vibra-
tion levels both in the vehicle and in the ground. It is
concluded that the present model can be applied to
study the phenomena related to the generation and
the propagation of traffic-induced vibrations and to
investigate the influence of several parameters related
to the vehicle, the track, and the soil. By using this
approach to model the soil responses generated by
passing trains, costly construction mistakes and field
experimentation can be avoided.
REFERENCES
1 Hall, L. Simulations and analyses of train-induced
ground vibrations in finite element models. Soil Dyn.
Earthq. Engng, 2003, 23, 403–413.
2 Sheng, X., Jones, C. J. C., and Thompson, D. J. Prediction
of ground vibration from trains using the wavenumber
finite and boundary element methods. J. Sound Vibr.,
2006, 293(3–5), 575–586.
3 Wang, J. and Zeng, X. Numerical simulations of vibration
attenuation of high-speed train foundations with varied
trackbed underlayment materials. J. Vibr. Control, 2004,
10, 1123–1136.
4 Auersch, L. Ground vibration due to railway traffic – the
calculation of the effects of moving static loads and their
experimental verification journal of sound and vibration.
J. Sound Vibr., 2006, 293(3–5), 599–610.
5 Grassie, S. L., Gregory, R. W., Harrison, D., and Johnson,
K. L. The dynamic response of railway track to high fre-
quency vertical excitation. J. Mech. Eng. Sci., 1982, 24(2),
77–90.
6 Popp, K., Kruse, H., and Kaiser, I. Vehicle-track dynam-
ics in the mid-frequency range. Veh. Dyn. Syst., 1999,
31(5–6), 423–464.
7 Metrikine, A.V. and Dieterman, H. A. Three-dimensional
vibrations of a beam on an elastic half-space: reso-
nance interaction of vertical–longitudinal and lateral
beam waves. J. Appl. Mech., 1997, 64(4), 951–956.
8 Metrikine, A. V. and Popp, K. Vibration of a periodically
supported beam on an elastic half-space. Eur. J. Mech. A
Solids, 1999, 18(4), 679–701.
9 Knothe, K. and Wu, Y. Receptance behaviour of rail-
way track and subgrade. Arch. Appl. Mech., 1998, 68,
457–470.
10 Zhai, W. and Sun, X. A detailled model for investigating
vertical interaction between railway vehicle and track.
Veh. Syst. Dyn., 1994, 23(supplement), 603–615.
11 Zhai, W. M. and True, H. Vehicle–track dynamics on a
ramp and on the bridge: simulation and measurements.
Veh. Syst. Dyn., 1999, 33(Supplement), 604–615.
12 Auersch, L. Dynamic axle loads on tracks with and with-
out ballast mats: numerical results of three-dimensional
vehicle-track-soil models. Proc. IMechE, Part F: J.
Rail and Rapid Transit, 2006, 220(F2), 169–183. DOI:
10.1243/09544097F00105.
13 Yerli, H. R., Kacin, S., and Kocak, S. A paral-
lel finite–infinite element model for two-dimensional
JRRT253 © IMechE 2009
 Ground propagation of vibrations from railway vehicles
soil-structure interaction problems. Soil Dyn. Earthq.
Engng, 2003, 23, 249–253.
14 Adam, M., Pflanz, G., and Schmid, G. Two-and three-
dimensional modelling of half-space and train-track
embankment under dynamic loading. Soil Dyn. Earthq.
Engng, 2000, 19(8), 559–573.
15 Arnst, M., Chebli, H., Othman, R., Clouteau, D., and
Degrande, G. Uncertainty quantification of a prediction
model for ground-borne vibrations in buildings. In Pro-
ceedings of the 11th International Congress on Sound
and Vibration, St. Petersburg, Russia, 2004.
16 Degrande, G. Wave propagation in the soil: theoretical
background and application to traffic induced vibra-
tions. In Proceedings of the 5th European Conference on
Structural dynamics: Eurodyn 2002, Munich, Germany,
2002.
17 Laghrouche, O. Simulation numérique de propagations
d’ondes dans les sols – Application à l’isolation vibra-
toire. PhD Thesis, Ecole Centrale de Nantes/Université
de Nantes, 1996.
18 Yang, Y. B., Hung, H. H., and Chang, D. W. Train-induced
wave propagation in layered soils using finite/infinite
element simulation. Soil Dyn. Earthq. Engng, 2003, 23,
263–278.
19 Al-Hunaidi, O., Rainer, J. H., and Tremblay, M. Control of
traffic-induced vibration in buildings using vehicle sus-
pension systems. Soil Dyn. Earthq. Engng, 1996, 15(4),
245–254.
20 Degrande, G., Chatterjee, P., Jacobs, S., Charlier, J.,
Bouvet, P., and Brassenx, D. Convurt project – exper-
imental results of free field and structural vibrations
due to underground railway traffic. In Proceedings of
the 6th World Congress on Railway research, Edinburgh,
Scotland, 2003.
21 Chatterjee, P., Degrande, G., Jacobs, S., Charlier, J., Bou-
vet, P., and Brassenx, D. Experimental results of free field
and structural vibrations due to underground railway
traffic. In Proceedings of the 10th International Congress
on Sound and vibration, Stockholm, Sweden, 2003.
JRRT253 © IMechE 2009
Downloaded from pif.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on April 11, 2015
413
22 Sarfeld, W., Savidis, S. A., Schuppe, R., and Klap-
perich, H. Three-dimensional dynamic interaction
of ties. In Proceedings of the 10th ICSMFE (Inter-
nationale Baugrundtagung), Stockholm, Sweden,
1981.
23 Rücker, W. Dynamic interaction of a railroad-bed with
the subsoil. In Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineer-
ing Conference, Southampton, England, 1982.
24 Lombaert, G. Development and experimental validation
of a numerical model for the free field vibrations induced
by road traffic. PhD Thesis, Katholieke Universiteit te
Leuven, 2001.
25 Knothe, K. and Grassie,S. L. Modelling of railway track
and vehicle/track interaction at high frequencies. Veh.
Syst. Dyn., 1993, 22, 209–262.
26 Verlinden, O., Kouroussis, G., and Conti, C. EasyDyn: a
framework based on free symbolic and numerical tools
for teaching multibody systems. In Multibody Dynamics
2005, ECCOMAS Thematic Conference, Madrid, Spain,
2005.
27 Verlinden, O., Dehombreux, P., and Conti, C. An opti-
mized residual formulation for multibody systems. In
Proceedings of the First Joint Conference of International
Simulation Societies, Zurich, 1994, pp. 307–311.
28 Gutowski, T. G. and Dym, C. L. Propagation of
ground vibrations: a review. J. Sound Vib., 1976, 49,
179–193.
29 Jones, D. V., Le Houédec, D., Peplow, A. T., and Pety, M.
Ground vibration in the vicinity of a moving harmonic
rectangular load on a half-space. Eur. J. Mech. A, Solids,
1998, 17(1), 153–166.
30 de Hoop, A. T. The moving-load problem in soil dyna-
mics – the vertical displacement approximation. Wave
Motion, 2002, 36, 335–346.
31 Bettess, P. Infinite elements, 1992 (Penshaw Press, Sun-
derland, UK).
32 Lysmer, J. and Kuhlemeyer, R. L. Finite dynamic model
for infinite media. J. Eng. Mech. Div., Proc. ASCE, 1969,
95(EM4), 859–877.
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit