Dynamic FE analysis of ground vibrations and mitigation measures for stationary and non-stationary transient source

For building constructions located on soft soil conditions and near heavy traffic or industrial areas ground vibrations are becoming more and more a great concern. In this paper a three-dimensional (313) finite element (FE) model formulation and its application for simulating ground vibration and design of mitigation measures is presented. The effectiveness of wave barriers such as concrete walls and a row of concrete piles in reducing those vibrations is investigated. The analyses consider stationary and non-stationary dynamic, transient sources intending to simulate industrial foundation vibrations and traffic-induced vibrations respectively. For non-stationary source subsonic conditions are considered. The far field is simulated by absorbing boundaries constructed based on the radiation criterion and strength of materials theory and considered as doubly asymptotic approximations. Numerical examples are presented which highlight the efficiency of the method in deriving useful engineering solutions assessing that a concrete wall might give up to 70% vibration reduction and a row of concrete pile up to 50% reduction.