Surface Wave Tests for Vibration Mitigation Studies

Wave barriers (open or in-filled trenches) are often used in engineering practice to reduce ground vibrations caused by industrial activities or transportation systems. Typically, most of the energy is transmitted in the form of Rayleigh waves so that information related to their propagation can be very useful in the design process. This technical note presents a case study in which both active and passive surface wave tests have been used in the design of a vibration mitigation barrier. It is shown that several pieces of information can be inferred from these tests for specific applications: source characterization in terms of dominant frequencies and direction of propagation; dominant wavelength for the preliminary design; and soil characterization for the construction of a numerical model aimed at analyzing the performance of the wave barrier.