Investigation in to the Effect of Trench Depth on Reducing Vibrations Caused by the Passage of Heavy Vehicles

Inevitably, vibrations induced by vehicles passing over bumps and surface irregularities affect adjacent buildings. High-amplitude vibrations can be damaging to monumental and historic buildings. The passage of heavy vehicles on irregular road pavement surfaces generates dynamic loads that are transmitted to the buildings through the surrounding soils and cause them to vibrate. To address the aforementioned challenge, herein, a 2.5-dimensional numerical model was developed to investigate the effect of open-trenches with different depths on the amplitude of vibrations. For this purpose, initially, the axial load caused by a truck hurtling over a speed bump was simulated in MATLAB program. Then, a finite element model of the road and its surroundings was developed to evaluate the vibrations. The model was then validated by the results from Lambert field measurements. To evaluate the effect of trench depth, the particle velocity and the frequency content of vibrations at different points were investigated. Numerical analysis indicates that greater trench depth leads to more reduction in the vibrations’ amplitude and a decline in the amplitude of the dominant vibration frequency.