Assessment of traffic-induced building vibrations using Transfer function method

Abstract

As a result of rapid development of cities and construction of high-speed rail/road infrastructure, vibration serviceability of buildings due to traffic-induced vibrations has become a growing issue that affects the comfort of living and health of building occupants. In this paper a numerical study in which the influence of soil stiffness on the traffic-induced vibrations of an eight-story residential building is investigated considering soil-structure interaction and applying the substructuring approach and transfer function method. The results are presented in terms of transfer functions for selected points of interests inside the building. The results show that the resonant response of the structure occurs at lower frequencies for soft soil and at higher frequencies for stiff soil, indicating that soil-structure interaction can significantly affect the vibration response of the building.