Vibration reduction methods for building foundation

[geomtl]

Hello,

I have a client that is proposing to build a hotel (7 stories, concrete construction, basement level at 2.5m). The hotel will be adjacent to a railway mainline, with the tracks approximately at the same level as the finished ground level of our building. The edge of the building will be approximately 5 m from the edge of the tracks. The water table is at approximately 3m. The soils consist of a dense to very dense glacial till (silty clay matrix).

The client is worried about vibration of his building when the trains are passing, which is at regular intervals. I know that we can isolate the columns etc with various structural products, however the expense is prohibitive. He has asked me if there is a backfill or something that we can use to lower the transmission of the vibrations.

I know that in the past we have recommended well drained material where street vibration may pose a problem, but this situation is a little more touchy. If any of you out there have had this problem, I would be interested in what kind of solutions did and did not work.

Obviously no method will be 100% effective, at this point I am just trying to get some ideas.

Thanks in advance, geo in mtl.

ck

 

[jike]

We built a musuem years ago next to busy railroad tracks. The geotech engineer recommended cutoff trenches outside the building. We installed extruded insulation in the trenches. This changed the wave propagation from the railroad vibration and dampened it.

 

[Ron]

I agree with jike...a cutoff trench.

Get some vibration monitoring done so you can quantify the vibrations with depth. Probably don't need more than 4 or 5 feet down.

Trench would be built like a french drain, wrapped in filter fabric and backfilled with No. 57 or larger stone, preferably with a 3 to 6 inch thick extruded polystyrene layer in the middle between gravel. Cover with filter fabric and backfill the last 8 to 12 inches with clean sand.

 

[geomtl]

thanks for your input, fortunately we have a vibration control division, and they will be doing some monitoring in the near future, will keep you posted,

cheers,