Field monitoring on train-induced vibration in the seasonally frozen region of Daqing in spring

The characteristics of train-induced vibration acceleration responses of rail, sleeper, and subgrade and their attenuation, in the seasonally frozen region of Daqing during spring thawing period, were investigated Based on the field monitoring on those responses, and the statistical analysis of the maximum and average absolute values of those, and in addition the time history curves of those. The results reveal that: the vertical vibrations are prominent in general; the effects of train speed, carrying load on the vibrations are notable; the vibrations of the subgrade in the lateral and vertical directions attenuate in a negative power function-like form, with increasing distance from the track, while those in the longitudinal direction increase slightly first and then decrease rapidly, which may be owing to stiffness difference of the subgrade soil layers and need to be further ascertained. The above results have great significance for understanding reasonably the characteristics of train-induced vibrations in seasonally frozen regions during spring thawing period, and providing the essential data of field monitoring for the further comparison analysis on the effects of seasonal freezing and thawing on train-induced vibrations and for gradually improving the criterion of railroading in seasonally frozen regions. Copyright ASCE 2009.