Attenuation of Railway Noise and Vibration in Two Concrete Frame Multi-storey Buildings

Current empirical approaches to predicting groundborne railway noise and vibration in buildings exhibit large uncertainties, and are inflexible to design changes which might be suggested by project engineers. For improving this approach, finite element (FE) modelling of buildings is considered for parametric study. FE models of two multi-storey concrete frame buildings have been developed, showing some agreement with measured vibration levels. Measured and predicted results for inter-storey level difference in both buildings differ from conventional guidance, showing that at frequencies below around 40 Hz amplification is observed with height up the building, with only limited attenuation at higher frequencies. Mid-span amplification of suspended floor slabs is roughly in line with the guidance, with the exception of some distinct peaks in the spectrum that exceed the suggested upper range values. The results support the application of the FE modelling technique in the proposed context, particularly when considering relative vibration levels. Further models for parametric study are to be developed.