An innovative vibration barrier by intermittent geofoam – A numerical study

A new technique is proposed to obtain more effective screening efficiency against the ground vibration using intermittent geofoam (<i>IF</i>) in-filled trench. The numerical analysis is performed by employing two-dimensional finite element method under dynamic condition. Vertically oscillated strip foundation is considered as the vibration source. In presence of the ground vibration, the vertical displacements at different locations (pick-up points) along the ground surface are captured to determine the amplitude reduction factor (<i>ARF</i>), which helps to assess the efficiency of the vibration screening technique. The efficiency of <i>IF</i> over continuous geofoam (<i>CF</i>) in-filled vibration barriers is assessed by varying the geofoam density, the location of trench and the frequency of excitation. The results from this study indicate that a significant reduction in <i>ARF</i> can be achieved by using intermittent geofoam as compared to continuous geofoam. Further, it is noticed that the efficiency of <i>IF</i> increases with an increase in the frequency of the vibrating source. These encouraging results put forward the potential of utilising intermittent geofoam as a vibration screening material.