Potential of Vibration Studies for Soil Characterization Around Proposed High-Speed Track Near Surat City

High-speed corridors are necessary for national growth and hence are inevitable for the economic development of the country. The level of train-induced ground vibrations depends on various factors including the wave propagation at a site based on type of soil. Due increase in population, industrialization, and lack of space in the urban areas, numerous buildings are constructed near the vicinity of the railway tracks. Thus, dynamic analysis of such structures to evaluate its response to dynamic stresses induced due to train is finding increased application in civil engineering practice. In this study, the ground vibrations and its attenuation during the operation of the train at various frequencies is considered. The finite element modeling for the dynamic analysis is tackled here using conventional modeling capabilities normally available in most of the finite element programs. In this study, the computer program SAP2000 (CSI, 2000) is used for modeling. The passage of train over the track structure considered is idealized as a sinusoidal harmonic load. As vertical amplitude attenuates less and continues to exist for large distances compared to the horizontal amplitudes, vertical components are selected for the study. The vibration through the soil is found to follow the Bornitz equation, and thus, the attenuation coefficient for material damping is determined.