Numerical Simulation of Train-Induced Structural Vibration

Train-induced structural vibration caused more and more attentions nowadays, and the present paper developed a numerical approach of train-induced structural vibration simulation with ANSYS software. The finite element model is composed by buildings, rail, sleepers, ballast and several layers of soil, and the moving load is represented by wheel-rail coupling forces, and both solid element, shell element and beam element are used in the finite element model. Acceleration time history and vibration levels of the key point on the buildings are given, and effect of different wheel-rail coupling forces and the dynamic response of the building are also numerically investigated. Comparisons of free boundary, symmetric boundary, fixed boundary and transmitting boundary conditions on the dynamic responses are also illustrated. Numerical results show that, both boundary condition and load type could affect the dynamic response of the structures near the train tracks, and validation test should be performed firstly to determine the proper boundary condition and load amplitude and frequency. The proposed numerical method provides a powerful technic tool for numerically predicting the dynamic response of train-induce structural vibration, and could also be employed to evaluate the vibration control results of different approaches.