The Influence of a Building on the Ground-Borne Vibration from Railways in Its Vicinity

A finite element numerical model and a semi-analytical model are used to analyse the influence of buildings on ground vibration from underground railways. The insertion loss of a building with four types of foundations is examined using a 3D finite element model. Additionally, a semi-analytical model is built to analyse the vibration of the ground with the influence of a building with a pile foundation. This model is divided into two parts: a finite element model that represents the building as a column-shell structure and a semi-analytical model that simulates the infinite free-field ground. The foundations can amplify or attenuate the ground vibration in different frequency regions. For an example case, both models give similar insertion loss results due to a building in the transmission path, although there are differences due to the modelling assumptions. The findings suggest that when predicting the ground surface response induced by an underground railway, the surrounding buildings should be included in the calculations to get more accurate results.