June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics

Vol. 2, No. 2 (2002) 227–240
c World Scientific Publishing Company

VIBRATION EFFECTS OF LIGHT-RAIL TRAIN-VIADUCT

SYSTEM ON SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT

XIA HE, CAO YANMEI, ZHANG NAN and QU JINGJIAN

Int. J. Str. Stab. Dyn. 2002.02:227-240. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

School of Civil Engineering & Architecture,

Northern Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

hxia@center.njtu.edu.cn

Received 8 January 2002

Accepted 17 March 2002

The objective of this paper is to study the dynamic impacts of moving light-rail trains
on viaduct bridges and the vibrations induced on the surrounding ground. The study is
based on theoretical analysis and field experiment. The theoretical study is performed
in two stages using a 2D interaction model of “train-bridge” system for obtaining the
dynamic loads of moving trains on the bridge piers, and a 2D dynamic model of “pier-
foundation-ground” system for analyzing the vibration responses of the surrounding
ground. In the field experiment, the dynamic responses of bridge piers and the ground
accelerations are measured at different distances under different train speeds.

Keywords: Vibration; environment; light-rail; viaduct; experiment.

1. Introduction
With the rapid development of modern industry, vibration effects on residents’
living and working environment in big cities have become more and more serious.
The traffic-induced vibrations that seemed to have been tolerated in the past are
nowadays increasingly being considered as a nuisance. The vibration source, trans-
mission path and control methods are all under study, among which the influences of
light-rail-train borne vibrations on the surrounding environment have also brought
to the attention of engineers and researchers in China and abroad. The generation
mechanism of the vibrations, their propagation properties in the ground, pollution
to the environments, harms to residents and their control measures have been the
focus of recent studies.
Japan is one of the countries where the environmental vibration is serious. In its
“Law of Limiting Vibration”, the traffic induced vibration is specially mentioned,
for which measures should be taken to protect the environments and people’s
health. Fujikake1 proposed a predicting method for the vibration levels of the sur-
rounding environment. Yoshioka2 predicted the environmental vibration induced by
Shinkansen (high speed railways). The Federal Railway of Switzerland (FRS) and
the Experiment Research Institute (ORE) of the International Railway Union (UIC)
jointly performed a project, proposing a way for improving the track structures such
227
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

228 H. Xia et al.

that the influence of the metro trains on the surrounding ground and underground
structures can be reduced.3,4 In Spain,5 Belgium,6 Czech7 and some other coun-
tries, efforts have also been bestowed on this field. The propagating and attenuating
properties of the traffic induced ground vibrations are systemically studied by the
statistics methods using the measured results of different ground soils. Furthermore,
vibration reduction measures are provided by decreasing the vehicle speeds, reduc-
ing vehicle loads and improving the smoothness of road surfaces. Recently, Yang and
Huang studied the elastic waves in visco-elastic half-space generated by various vehi-
cle loads using the finite/infinite element modeling approaches.8,9 Xia et al. studied
the characteristics of traffic induced vibrations and their effects on the environment
Int. J. Str. Stab. Dyn. 2002.02:227-240. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

by theoretical analyses, numerical calculations and field experiments.10,11

by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

Today, light-rail traffic systems are under planning in several big cities in China,
owing to its advantages of fast speed, high safety, on schedule in operation and large
transporting capacity. This paper attempts to study the properties of the ground
vibrations induced by light-rail trains via viaduct system using theoretical analysis
and field measurement.

2. Theoretical Study
In this paper, the theoretical study is performed in two stages using two dynamic
models: a 2-dimensional “train-bridge” system model for obtaining the dynamic
loads on piers and a “pier-foundation-ground” system model for analyzing the vi-
bration responses of the surrounding ground.

2.1. Train-bridge system model

The analysis model for train-bridge interaction is a dynamic system composed of
the bridge model and the vehicle model that are linked by an assumed wheel-track
relation. As shown in Fig. 1, the viaduct bridge system consists of multi-plan simply-
supported prestressed concrete (PC) beams, column piers and rubber bearings. The
main properties of the viaduct bridge spans, piers and the foundation piles are given
in Table 1. The free vibration analysis is first performed to obtain the vibration
frequencies and modes. By use of the orthogonality of the vibration modes, the
coupled FEM equations of the bridge model can be expressed as the superposition
of independent modal equations. Owing to the fact that the dynamic response of a

2*22m

Fig. 1. Dynamic model of train-bridge system.

 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

Vibration Effects of Light-Rail Train-Viaduct System on Environment 229

Table 1. Properties of the viaduct bridge.

Parameter Girder (full section) Pier Pile (each)

Area A(m2 ) 3.42 3.14 1.13
Inertia moment Ix−x (m4 ) 0.648 0.786 0.102
Yang’s Modulus E(Mpa) 3.25 × 104 2.74 × 104 2.55 × 104
Density ρ(t/m3 ) 4.37 2.5 2.5

structure is dominantly influenced by the several lowest modes, this approach has
the advantage that an adequate estimation of the dynamic response can be obtained
by considering only a few modes of vibration, thereby reducing the computational
Int. J. Str. Stab. Dyn. 2002.02:227-240. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

efforts required.
by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

Referring to the principle of modal superposition, the deflection of any section

of the beam Zb (x) can be expressed by:
X
N
Zb (x) = qn φn (x) (1)
n=1
where φn is the function of the nth bridge mode and qn the modal amplitude.
When the vibration modes are normalized with respect to the mass matrix such
that φTn mφn = 1, the nth modal equation becomes:
q̈ + 2ωξ q̇ + ω 2 q = Fn (2)
in which Fn is the generalized force of the nth mode.
The vehicle model is a light-rail train consisting of several 8-axle hinged vehicles
(see Fig. 1). The following assumptions are adopted for the vehicle model:
• The vehicle car body consists of two rigid parts hinged together.
• The elastic deformations of the car bodies and wheel sets are neglected.
• The suspension system of the vehicle is assumed to be of single level. The spring
stiffness and damping coefficient of a bogie are treated as the composition each
from those of the associated wheel sets.
The idealization of the 8-axle hinged vehicle model is shown in Fig. 2. For such
a model, the configuration of each car body is specified by 4◦ of freedom (floating
Z1i , Z2i and nodding ϕ1i , ϕ2i ), and that of each wheel set by 1◦ of freedom (floating
Zwij ). Since the two parts of the vehicle are hinged, these independent degrees of
freedom for each car body, namely, the nodding degree ϕ2 can be expressed by the
other 3◦ of freedom as ϕ2 = Z2 /L − Z1 /L − ϕ1 . Therefore the total number of
degrees of freedom is 3 + 8 = 11 for an 8-axle hinged vehicle. The main equivalent
parameters of the vehicle are given in Table 2.
The dynamic equilibrium equations of a vehicle are
[M ]{v̈} + [C]{v̇} + [K]{v} = {F } (3)
where [M ], [K] and [C] are respectively the mass, stiffness and damping matrices of
the vehicle, {v} is the displacement vector and {F } the force vector. The wheel-set
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

230 H. Xia et al.

ϕ1i ϕ2i

Z1i Z2i

bogie Zs
cj
 

kj

Zwij 
beam

lj


1.9m 6.7m 1.8m 2.85m 

Int. J. Str. Stab. Dyn. 2002.02:227-240. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

L=29.7m
by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

Fig. 2. Dynamic model of vehicle.

Table 2. Equivalent parameters of the vehicle.

Parameter Mass Stiffness Damping

Floating movement M = 62.4 × 103 (kg) Kz = 3.48 × 106 (N/m) Cz = 9.64 × 105 (N/ms−1 )
Nodding movement 0.648 0.786 0.102

movements Zwij and the beam displacements Zb (xij ) satisfy the relation:
X
N
Zwij = Zb (xij ) + Zs (x) = qn φnij + Zs (x) (4)
n=1
where Zs is the vertical displacements of the wheel relative to the rails, represent-
ing the vertical rail irregularities of the track on the bridge. The wheel movements
can then be expressed by the linear composition of the bridge modal coordinates
qn (n = 1, 2, . . . , Nq ).
The dynamic equilibrium equations of the vehicle-bridge system can be obtained
by the composition of the vehicle equations and the bridge equations:
 J2 J2 J2 
Mi + −  
 L2 L2 L  Z̈1i 
 
 

 J2 J J  
 − Mi + 12 − 2  Z̈2i
 L2  
 L L  
 
 

J2 J ϕ̈1i
− 2 J1 + J2
L L
 ! 
X
4 X 8
lj2 X8
lj lj2 X4 X 8
lj2
 cj + cj − η + 2 cj − ηlj cj + cj 
 L2 L L L  
 j=1 j=5 j=5 j=1 j=5  Ż1i 
 ! 8  2 8    
 X 8
lj2 X X   
− lj lj
η−
lj 
+ η + 2 cj 1+η cj cj  Ż2i
 L L L L  
 j=5 j=5 j=5 
 


    ϕ̇1i
 X 4 X 8
l 2 X8
l X 8 
− ηlj cj +
j
c η−
j
cj 2
lj cj 
L j L
j=1 j=5 j=5 j=1
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

Vibration Effects of Light-Rail Train-Viaduct System on Environment 231

 ! 
X
4 X8
lj2 X8
lj lj2 X4 X 8
lj2
 kj + kj − η + 2 kj − ηlj kj + k 
 L2 L L L j  
 j=1 j=5 j=5 j=1 j=5  Z1i 
 ! 8  2 8    
 X 8
l 2 X X   
− lj j lj
η−
lj 
+ η + 2 kj 1+η kj kj  Z2i
 L L L L  
 j=5   
 ϕ1i 
j=5 j=5
  
 X 4 X lj
8 2 X8
lj X 8 
− ηlj cj + kj η− kj lj2 kj 
L L
j=1 j=5 j=5 j=1
 4 
 X n X8
lj n 

 φij (kj qn + cj q̇n ) − η φij (kj qn + cj q̇n ) 


 


 L 

 
Int. J. Str. Stab. Dyn. 2002.02:227-240. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

j=1 j=5

 


N X   

X 8
lj
by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

n
= 1−η φij (kj qn + cj q̇n )
 L 
n=1 

 j=5 



 


 X
8 


 n 


 − ηl φ (k
j ij j n q + c q̇
j n ) 

j=1
 

 X4 X 8
lj 


 [kj Zs (xij ) + cj Żs (xij )] − η [kj Zs (xij ) + cj Żs (xij )] 


 


 L 



j=1 j=5 


X 8   

lj
+ 1−η [kj Zs (xij ) + cj Żs (xij )]

 L 


 j=5 


 


 X
8 


 − 



ηl [k
j j Z s (x ij ) + cj Żs (x ij )] 

j=1

(
2
X
Nv X
8 X
N
q̈n +2ξn ωn q̇n +ωn qn = φn
ij − φm
ij [mij q̈m +ci q̇m +ki qm ]
i=1 j=1 m=1

X
4 X
8
lj
+ (kj Z1i +cj Ż1i )− η (kj Z1i +cj Ż1i )
L
j=1 j=5

8 
X 
lj
+ 1+η (kj Z2i +cj Ż2i )
L
j=5

X
8 X
8
− ηlj (kj ϕ1i +cj ϕ̇1i )− [mij Z̈s (xij )+cj Żs (xij )]+kj Zs (xij )]
j=1 j=1
)
1
+ g(Mi +mij ) (i = 1, 2, . . . , Nv , n = 1, 2, . . . , Nq ) . (5)
8

Since the coefficients “φ” are changing continuously when the train moves over
the bridge, the dynamic equations of the vehicle-bridge system should be recog-
nized as a set of 2-order linear simultaneous differential equations with time-varying
coefficients. The equations are solved by the Newmark β step by step integration
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

232 H. Xia et al.

algorithm with β = 1/4. When the generalized coordinates qn (t) is obtained, the
reaction Rr (t) of support r can be determined by

X
N
Rr (t) = qn (t)φnr · 4Sr · Er /Hr (6)
n=1

where φnr is the value of the nth modal function of the beam at support r, and Sr ,
Er and Hr are cross area, elastic modulus and thickness of the rubber bearings.
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2.2. Dynamic loads of trains on bridge piers

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By the vehicle-bridge system model, the whole histories of a train running over the
bridge is simulated by computer. Two spans are taken as the calculation part, in
which six modes are considered for each span. The train speed is 70 km/h; the
integration time interval is 0.005 second.
Figure 3 shows that the calculated time history of the dynamic reaction force
acting on a pier, from which the dynamic behaviour of the acting force induced by
the passing train can be appreciated.
The principal frequency of the force wave is approximately 2.6 Hz. It is just the
loading frequency f = V /La = 19.44/7.425 ≈ 2.6 Hz of the train (with the average
interval of bogies La = 7.425 m and the train speed V = 70/3.6 = 19.44 m/s),
which indicates that the loading frequency of the train plays an important role on
the forces.
Table 3 lists the comparison of the static and dynamic reactions and their dy-
namic factors. Since the two support reactions on a pier are in different phases
(with the interval 1.10 m between the two supports on one pier, the average bogie
distance 7.425 m, the phase difference between the two support reactions is about
170◦ when V = 70 km/h, approximately in inverse phases), the dynamic loading
(resultant reaction 1 + 2) of the train on the pier is much smaller than the algebraic
sum of the two individual supports.

F(kN)
600

400

200

t(sec)
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Fig. 3. Load history on pier induced by moving train.

 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

Vibration Effects of Light-Rail Train-Viaduct System on Environment 233

Table 3. Reaction of beam supports and their dynamic factors.

Reactions Support 1 Support 2 Resultant Reaction (1 + 2)

Static (kN) 363.9 363.9 591.5
Dynamic (kN) 435.0 435.0 705.0
Dynamic Factor 1.195 1.195 1.192

2.3. Dynamic model of pier-foundation-ground system

When the dynamic forces acting on piers are obtained, the ground vibrations can
be further studied by the pier-foundation-ground system model. The model is also
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2-dimensional, established on the basis of the following assumptions:

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• The foundation and the surrounding soils are in close contact during the whole
course of response.
• Since the train induced vibrations of the system are very small, the system is
assumed to be elastic.

As is shown in Fig. 4, the ground range under study is L × H = 104 m × 18 m,

with the FEM mesh size of 2 m in horizontal and 1 m in vertical. The piers and
the foundations are modelled as beam elements, while the surrounding ground as
quadrilateral elements. The main calculation parameters of the soils are given in
Table 4. The train is assumed to consist of four vehicles, for the damping of ground
is high and longer excitation has to be provided. The train and the beams of the
bridge are treated as a concentrated mass on the top of the pier.

Dynamic loading

Mass of beam and train



Pier

Foundation J51 Ground surface

Mild clay


Medium
sand

Piles

H grit

L

Fig. 4. The 2-dimensional pier-foundation-ground system model.

 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

234 H. Xia et al.

Table 4. Calculation parameters of the soils.

Material Mild Clay Medium Sand Grit

Yang’s Modulus E (Mpa) 24.5 29.4 50.8
Density ρ (kg/m3 ) 1.9 2.0 2.1
Poisson Ratio µ 0.42 0.30 0.41

2.4. Vibration of ground

Figure 5 shows the typical dynamic responses of vertical acceleration, velocity and
displacement of the ground surface at joint J51 near the pier on shallow foundation.
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The time histories of responses at other points are almost the same, the only dif-
ference is the magnitudes. Figure 6 shows the maximum acceleration and velocity
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responses of the ground surface versus the distance to the pier on shallow founda-
tion and pile foundation. As can be seen, the simulation range of the FEM model
should be large enough to reduce the boundary damping and reflection effects.
The FEM network for pile foundation is the same as that for shallow foundation.
The pile length is 13 m. The shapes of the vibration curves are almost the same as
those for shallow foundation. One can see from these figures that the ground vibra-
tions are much smaller for pile foundation than for shallow foundation. Compared
with the results of shallow foundation, the calculated acceleration and velocity are
only 2.51/4.02 = 1/1.6 and 0.24/1.13 = 1/4.7, respectively.

Acceleration (mm/s/s)
10
t(sec)


0
1 2 3 7 8 9


4 5 6


-10 

(a)


Velocity (mm/s)


3.0




1.5 

t(sec)
0.0
1 2 8 9

3 7


4 5 6
-1.5
-3.0



(b)

Displacement (mm)
4.0 




3.0
2.0 

1.0
t(sec)
0.0 

0 1 2 3 7 8 9


4 5 6

(c)

Fig. 5. Vibration curves of ground induced by train.

 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

Vibration Effects of Light-Rail Train-Viaduct System on Environment 235

4.5 1.2
4.0 Shallow 72dB Shallow
1.0
Ground acceleration (gal)
3.5 Pile Pile

Ground velocity (cm/s)

3.0 70dB 0.8
2.5
0.6
2.0 66dB

1.5 0.4
1.0 60dB
0.2
0.5 54dB
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0.0 0.0
0 4 8 12 16 20 0 4 8 12 16 20
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Distance (m) Distance (m)

Fig. 6. Distribution of maximum response versus distance to the pier.

3. Experimental Study
The experiment was carried out at the Daqinghe Bridge site. The purpose of this
experiment was to study the vibration level and the distribution characteristics
of the train induced ground vibration at different distances under different train
speeds.

3.1. Introduction to the experiment

The Daqinghe Bridge is located on the railway line connecting Harbin and Shenyang
in Northeast China (Fig. 7). It has a full length of 750 m, composed of 22 spans and
21 piers. Each span consists of two pieces of I-steel-plate-beams of 33.6 m in length
and 2.61 m in height. The cross center-to-center distance between the two beams
is 2.0 metre. The web thickness of the I-beam is 12 mm. Its top and bottom flange
thickness varies from 15 mm to 45 mm. The bracing system connecting the two
I-beams is composed of angle and slot steel members. The heights of the concrete
bridge piers are from 6 m to 10 m. The ground soil of the site is fine sand and clay.
In the experiment, the accelerations of the pier top and the surrounding ground
at some points were measured by accelerometers when the test train ran over the
bridge. The measuring stations set on the pier top and the ground at the perpen-
dicular distances to the bridge of 0 m (foot of the pier), 20 m, 40 m and 60 m are
outlined in Fig. 8.
The dynamic loads of the experiment were generated by the specially marshaled
test train, which was composed of one locomotive and seven freight cars. The ve-
hicle axle-weight was 230 kN for the 6-axle locomotive and 200 kN for the 4-axle
freight cars. The train speeds considered in the experiment were in the range of
60–80 km/h.
Totally, 28 groups of experiments were carried out during the experiment. The
maximum and the average vibration levels of the bridge pier and the ground at
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

236 H. Xia et al.

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Fig. 7. Experiment site at Daqinghe Bridge.

  
 

^ _ a b c e g i j l m n o p q

         

   ! " # % ' (

H I K L

) * + , - . / 0 1

M N P R S U V X Y Z [ \ ]

2 3 4 6 8 9 ; < = > ? A B C D E F G

r s t u w x z { | } ~  €  ƒ „

Fig. 8. Allocation of ground and pier-top measuring station.

different distances under different train speeds were obtained from the measure-
ment, as listed in Table 5.
The vibration levels are calculated on the basis of G = 20 lg(a) + 60, where G
is the vibration level, in dB; a is the measured acceleration, in cm/s2 .

3.2. Vibration of Bridge Pier

From Table 5, one can see that the measured maximum vibration level of the pier is
91.6 dB. Two of the typical measured acceleration histories at the pier-top under the
train speeds of 60 km/h and 80 km/h are shown in Figs. 9 (a) and (b), respectively.
It is clear that with the increase of the train speed, the acceleration of the pier-top
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

Vibration Effects of Light-Rail Train-Viaduct System on Environment 237

Table 5. Measured pier and ground acceleration levels (dB).

Ground at distances to the bridge pier-foot center (m)

Train Pier top
speed 0 20 40 60
(km/h)
Max Ave Max Ave Max Ave Max Ave Max Ave
60 84.8 83.9 80.5 78.9 67.6 65.6 58.2 54.6 43.3 41.4
65 86.5 86.1 89.2 87.3 79.0 77.3 67.8 63.4 51.9 50.2
70 88.0 87.2 91.9 89.5 82.9 79.8 67.1 63.4 53.0 50.9
75 90.0 89.5 94.3 91.5 87.4 85.1 70.2 67.6 54.2 51.7
80 91.6 91.3 100.5 96.1 89.2 86.9 68.3 65.0 57.7 52.7
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by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

 

 

9:

 

6 78

3 4

 

/01

 

, -.

% & ( )

  



      ! # $

(a)
 

 

78

 

4 56

 

1 2

-./

# $ & '

* +,

  



       ! "

(b)

Fig. 9. Measured acceleration waves at pier top.

becomes greater. There are 7–8 dB difference between the maximum and average
vibration levels of the pier under the train speed difference of 20 km/h.

3.3. Vibration of ground

Some typical measured acceleration histories of the ground at the foot of the pier
(0 m) and 40 m to the bridge under the train speed of 50 km/h are shown in Fig. 10.
The distribution of the maximum ground vibration levels induced by the passing
trains at different speeds versus the distance to the bridge is shown in Fig. 11.
The main trend is that the vibration level attenuates with the increase of the
distance to the pier (point vibration source). The highest maximum vibration level
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

238 H. Xia et al.

 

67

 

3 54

0 1

-./

+ ,

  
! # $

& '(



         

(a)
  
Int. J. Str. Stab. Dyn. 2002.02:227-240. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

56
by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

2 34

  

/ 0

 
,-.

* +

  

! " # $

% &'

 

        

(b)

Fig. 10. Measured ground acceleration histories.

110

100 V=80
Ground vibration level (dB)

V=75


V=70
90
V=65


80 V=60

70

60


50

D(m)
40
-10


0



10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Fig. 11. Ground vibration versus distance to bridge pier.

is 100.5 dB, occurring at the foot of the pier (0 m). The measured data show 37–
43 dB decrease for the vibration levels in the distances from 0 to 60 m at different
test train speeds. The distribution of the average vibration levels at different train
speeds versus the distance D to the vibration source shows the same trend as the
maximum ones, with a maximum average value of 96.1 dB.
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

Vibration Effects of Light-Rail Train-Viaduct System on Environment 239

110

100 D=0m

Ground vibration level (dB)



90 D=20m


80

70 D=40m

60
D=60m

50
Int. J. Str. Stab. Dyn. 2002.02:227-240. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

V(km/h)
40
by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

 

55 60 65 70 75 80 85

Fig. 12. Ground vibration versus train speed.

The distribution of the maximum ground vibration levels at different distances

to the bridge pier versus the train speed is shown in Fig. 12. Within the train speed
ranging from 60 km/h to 80 km/h, the ground vibrations at different distances
show a trend of increase with the train speed.
When the train speed is higher than 65 km/h, the vibration level of the point
less than 20 m to the pier is greater than 80 dB. The results show 10 dB to 20 dB in-
creases for the ground vibration levels when the train speed increases from 60 km/h
to 80 km/h. The nearer is the distance, the greater is the difference. The distri-
bution of the average vibration levels of the ground at different distances to the
vibration source versus the train speed V shows the same trend as the maximum
ones, but with smaller differences than those for the maximum ones.

4. Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn from the theoretical study and field exper-
iment of the example considered in this paper:
• The train induced ground responses obtained from the theoretical analysis show
the same trends as those from the field measurement, which partly proved the
reliability of the analytical model and the computer simulation method.
• The ground vibration induced by light railway trains, as well as by ordinary
trains, attenuates with the distance to the bridge pier (point vibration source).
• The ground vibration induced by running trains at places near a bridge increases
with the train speed. When the speed of the test train changes from 60 km/h
to 80 km/h, the maximum vibration level of the ground near the pier foot is
80.5 dB–100.5 dB.
• The type of bridge foundations of light rail systems has important influence on
the ground vibration. Using pile foundations can greatly reduce the responses
induced by moving train loads.
 June 26, 2002 13:22 WSPC/165-IJSSD 00048

240 H. Xia et al.

• For the light rail system where rubber bearings are adopted as in the example
considered, the maximum velocities at ground surface 5.2 m from the pier are
0.63 cm/s and 0.129 cm/s for shallow foundation and pile foundation, respec-
tively, see Fig. 6.
• The ground vibration around the light-rail bridge system is mainly induced by
the dynamic impacts of trains as moving loads. In the design of bridge system,
special attention should be paid to avoid resonance.
• The ground vibration induced by light rail trains and viaduct system is much
smaller than that induced by trains (with heavier loads) in ordinary railways,
compare the results of Fig. 6 and Fig. 11.
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• In practice, ground conditions are usually complicated, assuming soils as elastic

by UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND on 03/13/15. For personal use only.

materials often leads to safer results. The example and the corresponding results,
therefore, can only be regarded as a case study. Further study should be carried
out for different types of field conditions.

Acknowledgments
This study is supported by the Doctoral Research Foundation of the Education
Ministry of China (Number 2000000407).

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