On the Propagation and Prediction of Rail-Induced Ground-Borne Vibration Within Sandy Soils

The propagation and attenuation characteristics of railway generated ground-borne vibration within Perth, Western Australia is unique to other Australian states and territories given that predominant superficial ground conditions for the central metropolitan region are layered sandy soils. For reliable prediction of ground-borne vibration from proposed rail operations at grade or within underground tunnel structures in the Perth metropolitan area, it is therefore essential that these sandy soil characteristics are well understood. In this context, this study investigates the prediction methodologies for rail-induced ground-borne vibration within sandy soils, for both at grade and underground cases. The paper firstly presents the surface geology of the Perth metropolitan region, followed by a brief theoretical review on the propagation and attenuation of ground-borne vibration under various ground conditions. The paper then investigates the empirical methodologies for predicting the ground-borne vibration from surface rail operations based on vibration measurements for the at-grade passenger rail operations carried out at multiple sites within both the Perth and Sydney metropolitan region. A borehole vibration testing at two specific borehole locations east of Perth was carried out and the subsequent data analysis and results are presented. The implications of the testing results on implementing the empirical predictions for the ground-borne vibration propagation from underground rail system operations, particularly with the presence of distinctive ground layers, are also discussed.