Attenuation of ground vibrations using in-filled wave barriers

Ground vibrations generated by construction activities can adversely affect the structural health of adjacent buildings and foundations supporting them. Therefore propagation and rate of attenuation of construction induced ground vibrations is important during construction activities, particularly in urban areas where constructions are carried out in the vicinity of existing structures. In practice wave barriers are installed in the ground to mitigate the ground vibration propagation and hence to minimise the effect of ground vibrations on surrounding structures. Different types of fill materials such as bentonite, EPS geofoam and concrete are used in constructing wave barriers. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model is developed to study the efficiency of different fill materials in attenuating ground vibrations. The model is first verified using data from full scale field experiments, where EPS geofoam has been used as a fill material in wave barriers. Then the same model has been used to evaluate the efficiency of open trenches, water filled wave barriers and EPS geofoam filled wave barriers on attenuation of ground vibrations. EPS geofoam is found to be the most efficient fill material, providing attenuation efficiency closer to open trenches. The efficiency of EPS geofoam and water filled wave barriers can be significantly increased by increasing the depth of the wave barrier.