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Vibrations induced by the new underground railway line in Palermo, Italy

Experimental measurements and FE modeling

Article · January 2011

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 Vibrations induced by the new underground railway line in Palermo, Italy
Experimental measurements and FE modeling
M. Breccolotti, A.L Materazzi, D. Salciarini, C. Tamagnini, F. Ubertini
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti, 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy
email: breccolotti@strutture.unipg.it, materazzi@unipg.it, diana@unipg.it, tamag@unipg.it, filippo.ubertini@strutture.unipg.it

ABSTRACT: Vibrations induced by the circulation of trains in urban surface and underground rail transportation systems may
give rise to annoyance to people living and working inside existing buildings and to structural damage.
The aim of this work is to illustrate a methodology for the prediction of the vibration levels produced by the railway traffic
based on experimental measurements and FE modeling capable of taking into account complex soil conditions and time-varying
excitation source. The proposed approach has been applied for the evaluation of the vibrations induced by a new railway line in
the city of Palermo, in southern Italy and for the design of suitable countermeasures for the reduction of vibration effects to
tolerable levels.

KEY WORDS: Railway; Vibrations; Mitigation; Archeological site.

1 INTRODUCTION determine the discomfort that is currently being produced

The circulation of trains in urban underground railway lines
produces vibrations which, propagating through the
surrounding soil mass as deformation waves, reach the ground
surface and may give rise to annoyance to people living and
working inside existing buildings and, possibly, to significant
structural damage.
The difficulties associated to the quantitative evaluation of
the effects induced by the vibrations caused by underground
railway traffic are mainly due to the multidisciplinary
character of the problem, which involves different skills from
mechanical, geotechnical and structural engineering.
Several empirical and closed-form solutions have been
developed in recent years [1, 2].
Nevertheless, some hypotheses could not always be met in
general situations, especially for the geometrical configuration
of the layered soil. In this cases finite elements (FE) and
boundary elements (BE) formulations, such as those proposed
by Gupta et al. [3] can be more efficiently used.
In this work a methodology, based on a FE model tuned by
means of experimental measures, capable of taking into
account the effective situation of soil, load and structural
configuration is illustrated. The proposed approach has been
adopted for the comparisons of the vibration levels of two
different design solutions for the construction of a new
railway line in the city of Palermo, in southern Italy, in the
proximity of existing underground caverns hosting the
Catacombs of Porta d’Ossuna, an archeological site of
relevant interest. The analysis also allowed the design of
suitable countermeasures for the reduction of vibration effects
to tolerable levels.
2 OVERVIEW OF THE METHODOLOGY
The methodology is made up of two parts, an experimental
one and a numerical one. The experimental part consists of
recording on site and analyzing acceleration measurements to
form a set of data for the calibration of a FE model but also to
inside the Catacombs by the vibrations caused by
underground existing railway traffic. In the second part of the
methodology the tuned FE model has been used to predict and
compare the vibrations that could arise from the traffic in the
new railway line.
The approach adopted in this work is thus composed of the
following main phases:
 design and implementation of an experimental campaign
for the measurement of ambient vibrations in the area
interested by the new underground line;
 setup and calibration of a 2D FE model for the analysis of
the wave propagation processes induced by the train
circulation in the surrounding soil mass based on the
result obtained in the previous step;
 assessment of the expected annoyance levels and
structural damage associated with the vibration levels
predicted for the new underground line;
 judgment on the need of possible countermeasures for the
reduction of the vibration intensity to tolerable levels and
evaluation of their effectiveness.
A deeper description of this approach is reported in the
following, while its application to a real case study is
presented.
3 APPLICATION TO THE CASE STUDY
The proposed methodology has been applied to a real case
study. The occasion has been found in the works for the
doubling of the railway line in Palermo, Italy. During the
execution of the works the possibility of change the original
path of the new line to avoid major discomfort to the city
inhabitants and possible damage to the existing buildings has
been investigated. Nevertheless the new path will pass close
to an existing archeological site of relevant interest - the
Catacombs of Porta d’Ossuna. The investigation was aimed at
comparing the vibration levels inside the archeological site
achievable with the two different design proposals and to
individuate, if necessary, possible countermeasures to reduce
the vibration levels to acceptable values.

4 EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS
4.1 Description of the site
The site under investigation is represented by the ancient
Catacombs of Porta d’Ossuna in the heart of Palermo, Italy
(see Figure 1). The Catacombs, built between the 4th and the
5th century A.D., are composed by a complex system of
burrows and tunnels that are located approximately 6 m below
the street plane (see Figure 2).
The site under investigation is currently interested by the
vibrations induced by the underground railway traffic along
the line from the station “Palermo Centrale” to Brancaccio -
Figure 1. General plan of the area with existing line, originally
Carini. This line runs inside a tunnel which is located at a
designed new line and proposed new line.
depth of about 5 m below the street of Via Imera at a distance
of approximately 100 m from the Catacombs.
The construction of a second tunnel closer to the
Catacombs, which will host the doubling of the railway line,
is currently under development. According to the originally
approved design, the second tunnel would have passed at a
distance of approximately 40 m from the Catacombs.
During the drafting of the final design an alternative path
for the new line has been proposed to avoid the excavation of
the tunnel underneath many existing buildings and the passage
of this latter close to a hospital clinic with surgery rooms. In
this alternative the future tunnel will pass below the
Catacombs themselves at a depth of approximately 7 m thus
Figure 2. Vertical section of the area with existing line,
moving the problems due to the vibration from the existing
originally designed new line and proposed new line.
buildings to the archeological site. Nevertheless this
alternative has been considered feasible and preferred to the
original one since it concentrates the shortcomings due to the
vibration induced by the railways traffic in a single small site.
The layouts of the existing railway line and of the doubling
lines, in both original and variant projects, are shown in
Figure 1 (plan view) and in Figure 2 (cross section).
4.2 Field measurements
The vibration monitoring system adopted for this study
consisted of nine PCB 393C seismic accelerometers. These
sensors were connected to a ROGADAQ-16 analog / digital
converter, also serving as power supply, with a resolution of
16 bits. The converter was driven by a dedicated electronic
computer, which also serves as memory storage. Figure 3. Sensors configuration in the Via Imera site.
The accelerometers have been arranged in tri-axial
configurations for each monitored point and have been
connected, using magnets, to heavy steel bases. A single tri-
axial base thus allowed to measure the vertical acceleration
component and two mutually orthogonal horizontal
components.
The field measurements have been continuously recorded
for the duration of about 1 hour which has been chosen in
order to record the passage of several trains. The sampling
frequency for all acquisition channels has been set to 1250 Hz,
which is sufficiently large to account for the Nyquist sampling
theorem and for the maximum frequency of interest for the
evaluation of the discomfort to people (80 Hz).

Figure 4. Sensors configuration in the Catacomb site.

4.3 Site of Via Imera
Two measurement sites have been considered in this study.
The first measurement site, here called “Via Imera”, is
located along a nameless street which begins from the
catacombs and orthogonally crosses the adjacent Via Imera.
This latter is a major street which runs parallel and above the
existing railway line. The measurement site of Via Imera has
been selected as it permits to measure the surface vibrations
currently produced by underground railway traffic and to
evaluate how these vibrations propagate along the line of
minimal distance with the Catacombs.
Three tri-axial accelerometric bases have been installed
along a line orthogonal to Via Imera, as shown in the outline
of Figure 3. The nearest point to Via Imera has been denoted
as 1, whilst the remaining points have been denoted as 2
(intermediate point) and 3 (farthermost point from via Imera).
The three channels associated to the three accelerometers
placed in point 1 have been numbered in the following order: Figure 5. Picture of the “Catacomebe di Porta d’Ossuna”.
0 (vertical component, z), 1 (horizontal component x, directed
as the measurement line), 2 (horizontal component y,
orthogonal to the measurement line). In the same order
channels 3, 4, 5 (point 2) and 6, 7, 8 (point 3), have also been
numbered.
The data recorded from the Imera site were essentially used,
together with those recorded inside the Catacombs, to verify
the FE modelling shown in the next paragraph.
4.4 Site of Porta d’Ossuna
Figure 6. Assumed soil profile in the section considered.
The second site is located inside the Catacombs of Porta
d’Ossuna themselves (Figure 5). In this location records of the
vibrations currently produced inside the Catacombs by the
railway traffic in the existing tunnel have been taken.
Three tri-axial accelerometric bases have been installed in
three points dislocated along a line inside the Catacombs,
which is approximately orthogonal to the future railway line,
as shown in the outline of Figure 4. The closest point to the
existing railway line has been indicated by 1, while the
a)
remaining two points have been indicated by 2 (intermediate
point) and 3 (farthermost point from the railway line). Point
number 2, in particular, was referred as the one in which the
most significant vibrations are currently felt. Such a point is
also very close to the axis of the future railway line, as
evidenced in Figure 4. The three channels associated to the
three accelerometers located at point 1 have been numbered as
already done for the experimental measurements taken at the
site of Via Imera: 0 (vertical component, z), 1 (horizontal b)
component x, directed as the measurement line), 2 (horizontal
component y, orthogonal to the measurement line). In the
same order channels 3, 4, 5 (point 2) and 6, 7, 8 (point 3),
have also been numbered.

5 FE MODELLING
5.1 Characteristics of the FE models
A series of FE analyses, performed with the FE code Plaxis
v.8.2, has been carried out to assess the possible effects of
vibrations associated with train circulation in the planned
underground railway lines. To keep the model as simple as
possible, also considering the complexity of the stratigraphy
in the area under examination, the simulations have been
performed assuming plane strain conditions.
c)
Figure 7. FE models of the soil condition: a) FE-n1 actual
condition with a single tunnel; b) FE-n2 model of the project
hypothesis n. 1, with a planned circular tunnel, on the left side
of the Catacombs area; c) FE-n3 model of the project
hypothesis n. 2, with a planned polycentric tunnel, located
under the Catacombs area.
 The assumed soil profile is shown in Figure 6. The different Table 1. Physical and mechanical characteristics of the soil
soil layers, identified from top to bottom with the labels T1- types.
T6, have been modeled as isotropic, linear elastic materials.
This is considered to be appropriate due to the very low strain  E’ ’ K0 R
Soil type
levels induced in the soil by the train circulation. The values (kN/m3) (kPa) (-) (-) (-)
of the material constants assigned to each soil layer are T1 – cover 18 1.50e4 0.3 0.69 11.42
summarized in Table 1. T2 – limestone 1 24 4.75e5 0.2 0.38 5.71
In the dynamic stages of the simulations, the response of T3 – limestone 2 19 1.05e5 0.2 0.47 5.71
fine-grained soil T6 has been analyzed under the hypothesis of T4 – limestone 3 24 4.75e5 0.2 0.38 5.71
undrained conditions, assuming an appropriate value of the T5 – limestone 4 19 1.05e5 0.2 0.47 5.71
bulk modulus of the pore water ( K w / n = 2.5e6 kPa). T6 – clay 20 6.00e4 0.2 0.61 11.42
In the numerical simulations, three different FE
discretizations have been used, as shown in Figure 7. The
bottom layer (T6) has been extended up to an average depth of Table 2. Physical and mechanical characteristics of the tunnel
about 50 m from ground level, which has been considered a lining.
reasonable estimate of the extent of the significant soil volume A J EA EJ w
in the vertical direction. FE model
(m2/m) (m4/m) (kN/m) (kNm2/m) (kN/m/m)
Given the small size of the cavities of the catacombs, and FE-n1 0.80 4.27e-2 2.40e7 1.28e6 20.0
considering that their axes are parallel to the plane of the
section, they weren’t included directly in any of the three FE-n2 0.41 5.74e-3 1.23e7 1.72e5 10.0
models. FE-n3 0.60 1.80e-2 1.80e7 5.40e5 15.0
The first FE model (FE-n1, Figure 7a) refers to the current
situation, in which only a single tunnel is present. The second For the integration of the semi-discrete equations of motion
model refers to the design hypothesis n. 1 (original design), in the dynamic phase (stage 4) the Newmark algorithm has
with a shallow circular tunnel to be driven on the left side of been used, with α = 0.3025 and β = 0.60. To take into account
the catacombs area (FE-n2, Figure 7b). The third model refers the dissipative characteristics of the materials, a Rayleigh
to the design hypothesis n. 2 (proposed modified design), with damping matrix has been introduced, proportional to the mass
a deeper polycentric gallery to be driven under the catacombs matrix (βR = 0). The αR values used for each material are
area (FE-n3, Figure 7c). shown in Table 1. With such values, the damping coefficient
For all the spatial discretizations, 6-nodes plane strain is less than 2% for harmonics with frequency higher than 20
elements with quadratic interpolation for displacements have Hz for layers T2-T5, and less than 5% for harmonics with
been used. To model the tunnel lining, 3-nodes beam elements frequency higher than 20 Hz for layers T1 and T6.
with quadratic interpolation for displacements have been
adopted. The physical and mechanical properties of the lining 5.2 Two-dimensional simulation of train circulation
elements are shown in Table 2. To simulate the effects of the trains travelling within one of
To avoid spurious reflections of the elastic waves produced the tunnels, the procedure developed by Risitano et al. [5],
by the dynamic loads simulating the circulation of the trains based on the approach originally proposed by Balli et al. [6]
inside the tunnels, special adsorbing elements [4] have been has been adopted.
applied at the lateral boundaries of the three FE models.
According to this procedure, the load Pk acting on the
The initial pore pressure regime has been derived from
available piezometric measurements. In the FE-n3 model, the generic k -axis of the train, which moves along the track with
boundary of the deep polycentric tunnel has been considered the train velocity VT , transmits to each track a load Fk equal
as a drainage boundary, and the initial pore pressure to:
distribution has been derived from the solution of the
corresponding seepage problem. The geostatic stress state has 1 Pk
been determined by solving equilibrium equations under Fk (t ) = y(t ) (1)
2 2l
drained conditions, starting from an initial guess obtained by
means of the K0 coefficients given in Table 1, derived from where:
the Jaky’s empirical relation. 1
The numerical simulations have been conducted in the ì 4(EJ )b
ï ü4
ï
following four stages: l=ï
í ï
ý (2)
ï
ï KB
î ï
ï
þ
1. evaluation of the initial pore pressure regime;
2. evaluation the geostatic stress state; is the characteristic length of the track, considered as a beam
3. excavation of the tunnels in drained conditions, and on a Winkler foundation with stiffness K ; (EJ )b is the
activation of the lining elements; bending stiffness of the track; B is the width of the train
4. simulation of train circulation within one of the tunnels, sleepers; and the function y(t ) is given by:
assuming undrained conditions in the fine-grained layer
T6.
 æ |r | ö÷ é ær ö æ| r | ÷öù
y { rk (t ) } = exp ççç - k ÷÷ ê cos çç k ÷÷÷ + sin çç k ÷÷ ú (3)
èç l ê
ø÷ ë ç
èç l ø÷ ç
èç l ø÷ úû

rk (t ) = -(d0 + Lk ) + VT t (4)

being Lk is the distance of a generic k -axis from the first

axis of the convoy and d 0 is the distance of the first axis from
the considered section at t = 0. Based on the available
information, in all the simulations, we assumed (EJ )b =
12.76e3 kNm2; K = 250.0e3 kN/m3; B = 2.5 m; d0 = 30.0 m.
To take account of the vibrations produced by spurious
phenomena such as: (i) surface irregularities of the wheels; (ii)
surface irregularities of the track; (iii) winding, and (iv)
environmental noise, a white noise modulated in time
according to a Gaussian curve, centered at the position of the
generic k -axis, has been added to the Fk load for each axis.
Figure 9. Variation of the force Ftot (t ) versus time t .
This signal has been obtained by the superimposition of
harmonics with frequencies distributed between 2 and 100 Hz
in regular steps of 0.01 Hz and random phases uniformly
distributed between 0 and 2π. Table 3. Data on axis loads and on their locations Lk.
In particular, for the generic k -axis, we assumed: Pk (kN) 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80
1 Pk m Lk (m) 0.0 2.4 14.5 17.2 28.15 30.85 42.8 45.2
DFk (t ) = åG(rk ) sin(2p fj + jj )
2 2l j =1
(5)

Table 4. Limiting values of vibration levels (from UNI 9614).

ìï rk2 üï
G (rk ) = exp ïí - 2 ïý (6) Z axis (dB) Other axis (dB)
ïï 2 ïï
î þ Critical areas 74 71
Houses (night) 77 74
rk (t ) = -(d0 + Lk ) + VT t (7) Houses (day) 80 77
Offices 86 83
where  is a characteristic length that defines the extent of the
Facilities 92 89
influence zone for spurious vibrations with respect to the
current position of the axis, set equal to 15.0 m, and the
In the FE analyses, the load expressed by eq. (8) has been
quantities j j are randomly generated phase angles. applied, in the vertical downward direction, at the nodes
Superimposing all the contributions arising from eqs. (1)-(7) located on the tracks. In all the simulations, a specific train
for all the convoy axes, the load-time history representing the composition (the so-called “Minuetto” train produced by
applied load on each track is obtained: Alstom), running at a speed VT = 50 km/h, has been
n considered. This unusual low speed of the convoy is required
Ftot (t ) = å { F (t ) + DF (t )} =
k k
by the local railways authorities that imposed a speed limit for
k =1 the train circulation to take into account the presence of close
stations and the tortuous path. While the low speed of the
1 Pk n ï ì m ü
ï
ï G { rk (t ) } sin(2p f j + jj )ï convoy reduces the energy content at higher frequency, it
= å í
2 2l k =1 ï
y(t ) + å ý
ï
(8)
produces sensible discomfort in the lower frequency range
ï
î j =1 ï
þ
where the human body is more sensible.

Figure 8. Minuetto - Alstom’s Coradia convoy.

 Table 5. Weighted-in-frequency vibration levels after the
calibration.
Lwz (dB) Lwxy (dB)
Recorded 71.02 59.03
Predicted 73.27 63.50
Data on the axis loads and on their locations Lk for the
Minuetto train are summarized in Table 3. A sample of the
time-history of the track force Ftot (t ) obtained from these
data is shown in Figure 9.
6 CALIBRATION OF THE FE MODEL
The calibration of the FE model has been carried out taking
as reference the values of the weighted-in-frequency vibration
levels Lwz ,exp and Lwxy,exp recorded in the point 2 inside the
Catacombs in the horizontal direction (Ch. 4). The mechanical
properties E’ and the damping parameters αR of each soil layer
considered in the numerical model have been adjusted to
make estimates of the levels Lwz and Lwxy supplied by the FE
analysis as close as possible to the measured values. The
comparison between the recorded and the predicted vibration
levels after the calibration of the FE model is reported in the
Table 5. Predicted values higher than those recorded have
been accepted to take into account that the actual mass of the
real convoy is lower than that of the fully loaded Minuetto
train considered in the analysis.
This standard provides indication for the measurements and
annoyance evaluation of vibration in buildings. The choice of
using as reference criteria the annoyance on the inhabitants
rather than the damage to the buildings, as done for instance
by UNI 9916 [8], is due to the fact that, generally, the
requirements for the fulfillment of the criteria on inhabitants’
discomfort are more severe than those related to the damage
of buildings. Following the UNI 9614 the measured signals as
well as those generated by means of the FE model were
submitted to frequency analysis carried out by digital filtering
with a bank of third-octave band filters. The frequency range
considered, as usually done in this analysis, was between 1
and 80 Hz.
The RMS acceleration within each frequency band was
computed using a time integration length of 1 second zero-
padding the acceleration signal to obtain the required
resolution [9], [10].
The intensity of the acceleration within each band is
expressed by the following level L , expressed in decibel:
L = 10 log ( a a 0 )
2
(9)
being a 0 = 10-6 m/s2.
The sensitivity of human beings to ambient vibration has
been properly taken into account in each frequency band. The
attenuations suggested by the UNI 9614 have been applied to
each calculated acceleration level Li . The overall level of the
frequency-weighted acceleration ( Lw ) was evaluated as:

Lw = 10 log å 10
0.1Lw , i
(10)
7 ASSESSMENT OF ANNOYANCE i

7.1 Reference standards where Lw ,i are the equivalent levels of the 1/3 octave bands
Vibration levels have been evaluated applying the Italian after having been weighted in frequency.
Code UNI 9614 [7].
Table 6. Comparison between the acceleration levels obtained Table 7. Comparison between the acceleration levels obtained
from the numerical simulations FE-n1 and FE-n3. from the numerical simulations FE-n2 and FE-n3.
Lw (dB) Lwz (dB) Lw (dB) Lwz (dB)
FE-n3 FE-n1  FE-n3 FE-n1  FE-n3 FE-n2  FE-n3 FE-n2 
Ch 00 104.7 82.2 22.5 92.4 75.5 17.0 Ch 00 104.7 94.3 10.4 92.4 82.4 10.0
Ch 01 102.1 83.3 18.8 88.0 73.4 14.6 Ch 01 102.1 96.1 6.0 88.0 83.5 4.5
Ch 03 105.9 83.1 22.8 92.7 77.1 15.6 Ch 03 105.9 100.3 5.7 92.7 88.0 4.7
Ch 04 102.5 82.2 20.3 88.7 73.3 15.5 Ch 04 102.5 97.9 4.7 88.7 84.1 4.6
Ch 06 106.3 85.1 21.2 91.3 75.1 16.2 Ch 06 106.3 99.1 7.2 91.3 90.7 0.6
Ch 07 105.4 84.9 20.5 89.2 75.1 14.1 Ch 07 105.4 99.0 6.3 89.2 86.4 2.8

Lwxy (dB) Lwnn (dB) Lwxy (dB) Lwnn (dB)

FE-n3 FE-n1  FE-n3 FE-n1  FE-n3 FE-n2  FE-n3 FE-n2 
Ch 00 82.4 67.9 14.5 89.8 73.4 16.3 Ch 00 82.4 72.2 10.1 89.8 79.7 10.0
Ch 01 76.0 63.3 12.7 85.0 70.8 14.2 Ch 01 76.0 71.8 4.2 85.0 80.6 4.4
Ch 03 82.6 68.8 13.9 90.0 74.9 15.1 Ch 03 82.6 78.3 4.4 90.0 85.5 4.6
Ch 04 76.7 63.5 13.2 85.7 70.7 15.0 Ch 04 76.7 72.3 4.4 85.7 81.2 4.6
Ch 06 81.2 65.8 15.5 88.6 72.6 16.0 Ch 06 81.2 82.1 -0.8 88.6 88.5 0.2
Ch 07 77.2 65.5 11.7 86.2 72.6 13.6 Ch 07 77.2 75.1 2.1 86.2 83.5 2.7
 Table 8. Comparison of the vibration level in the new design
proposal with and without FST.
Lw (dB) Lwz (dB)
without with  without with 
Ch 00 66.1 49.9 16.3 48.3 49.8 -1.5
Acceleration (m/s2)

Ch 01 81.4 51.4 30.0 63.4 51.0 12.4

Ch 03 68.3 46.6 21.8 49.1 46.5 2.7
Ch 04 89.3 49.3 40.0 71.0 43.5 27.6
Ch 06 60.5 47.5 13.0 43.7 47.4 -3.7
Ch 07 62.4 44.9 17.5 45.0 44.8 0.2

Lwxy (dB) Lwnn (dB)

without with  without with 
Time (s) Ch 00      
Ch 01      
a)
Ch 03      
Ch 04      
Un-weighted acceleration levels (dB), ref. 1 micro m/s2

Ch 06      

Ch 07      

Since both vertical and horizontal vibrations can affect the

1/3 octave band central frequency (Hz) (s)
b)
Un-weighted acceleration levels (dB), ref. 1 micro m/s2
investigated site and since is not known the posture of the
human body, reference to the filtering values for unknown
direction has been made.
The limiting values of the vibration levels suggested by the
UNI 9614 (see Table 4) has been taken as reference.
7.2 Results of the FE simulations
The results of the FE simulations have been analyzed and
compared in terms of total levels of frequency-weighted
acceleration for the three different conditions considered,
namely FE-n1, FE-n2, and FE-n3. All the acceleration data
are relative to a point inside the Catacombs at the floor level
placed on the vertical axis of the tunnel of the design

hypothesis n. 2.
Table 6 shows the comparison of the acceleration levels
predicted with the FE-n3 model (new polycentric tunnel) and
with the FE-n1 model (existing tunnel). Table 7 shows the
comparison of the acceleration levels predicted with the FE-
n3 model (new polycentric tunnel) and with the FE-n2 model
(new circular tunnel).
From the results obtained, it can be observed that:
1. the comparison between the current situation (FE-n1) and
the design hypothesis n. 2 (FE-n3) shows that the passage
of a train in the new polycentric tunnel would produce an
increase in the frequency-weighted acceleration level
within the Catacombs of 17.0 dB;
1/3 octave band central frequency (Hz) (s) 2. the comparison between the design hypothesis n.1 (FE-
n2) and the design hypothesis n. 2 (FE-n3) indicates that
c) the passage of a train in the polycentric tunnel located
under the Catacombs would produce an increase in the
Figure 10. Acceleration time history recorded inside the
frequency-weighted acceleration level within the
Catacombs, channel 4, during the passage of the Minuetto
Catacombs of 10.1 dB.
convoy (a), 1/3 octave band filters frequency analysis of the
3. the aforementioned results indicate that, as expected, the
recorded signal before (b) and after (c) the application of the
design hypothesis n. 2 is worse than the design hypothesis
FST attenuation.
n. 1 in terms of vibration impact on ground surface. Thus
 some additional countermeasures are required to insulate
the tracks from the tunnel lining, in order to reduce the
magnitude of the vibrations transmitted to the soil.
8 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MITIGATION
SYSTEM
Several technical alternatives are available to reduce the
annoyance and damage caused by railways vibration. There
exist technical solutions that mitigate the vibrations level at
the point where it is generated, such as rail pads or base plate
pads made of resilient materials [11]. More efficient solutions
can be achieved through the use of ballast mats [12] placed
between the base concrete slab and the ballast. For critical
areas more sophisticated techniques, based on the uncoupling
of the motion of the track slab from the underneath soil, are
available. These techniques foresee the use of floating slab
tracks (FST) [13] that can be realized by means of steel
springs or resilient elements. Other strategies can be followed
to modify the propagation of the mechanical waves in the soil,
such as open or filled trenches [14] and soil replacement [15].
For this specific case the use of floating slab tracks has been
considered as the only feasible way to properly reduce the
level of the vibration inside the Catacombs produced by the
railway traffic in the new tunnel.
A FST with natural frequency f0 equal to 6 Hz and relative
damping x of 0.02 has been assumed in the following. The
low value of the frequency has been obtained increasing the
mass of the concrete slab and inserting a ballast layer above
the slab. The transmissibility of the FST can be expressed as
[16]:
1 + ( 2x f f0 )
2
T (f ) = (11)
(1 - ( f )
2
f0 ) + ( 2x f f0 )
2 2
The attenuations of the vibration levels achievable with the
FST for each central frequency of the filters are evident from
the comparison between Figure 10(c) and Figure 10(b).
The original design already foresaw a mitigation system
similar to a floating slab track called “Sistema massivo”,
produced by Coopsette, composed by concrete slabs and
continuous strips made of resilient elements placed below the
concrete slab. The dynamical behavior of this system is
characterized by an eigenfrequency in the range 18-20 Hz.
This figure has been considered inadequate to reduce in a
significant way the low frequency vibrations produced by the
passage of the Minuetto convoy at the velocity of 50 km/h.
9 CONCLUSION
In the present paper a methodology based on experimental
measurements and FE modeling to foreseen the vibration
levels caused by railway tracks has been proposed. The
combination of these two aspects, along with a calibration
procedure of the FE model, allows to take into account
complex underground stratigraphies and short-duration
vibration effects.
The proposed methodology has been applied to the case
study of the Catacombs of Porta d’Ossuna, in Palermo (Italy),
where a new underground line of the railways network is
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under construction. In the study two design solutions, which
differ in terms of path and tunnel lining, have been compared.
Finally, a proposal for a mitigation system has been
formulated in order to suitably reduce the vibration levels
inside the Catacombs.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the
consulting firm SINTAGMA Srl of Perugia, Italy, and of the
General contractor NdP “Nodo di Palermo” ScpA.
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