Railroad Induced Vibrations-1983

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RAILROAD INDUCED VIBnnxz�x.
NEW BERN, NORTH CAROLINA
August 10 & 11, 1983
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DCM COPY DCM COPY
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Division of Coastal Management
by
Stoll, Evans, Woods & Associates
Ann Arbor, Michigan
The preparation of this report was financed through a
Coastal Energy Impact Program grant provided by the North
Carolina Coastal Management Program, through funds pro-
vided by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as
amended, which is administered by the Office of Ocean and
Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration. This CEIP.grant was part of NOAA
grant NA-81-AA-D-CZ124.
March 1983
CEIP Report No. 24

Abstract
coal trains using the rail line along Hancock Street in New Bern
pass within one block of 17 buildings on the National Register of
Historic Sites. Local concerns about the effect of train -caused
vibrations led in 1982 to the measurement and analysis of such
vibrations and their effects on historic structures. 158 measurements
were made at three sites. No anomalous behavior due to soil types
or unusual geology was found. No signficant difference between empty
and full coal hopper cars was found. Maximum vibration amlitudes at:
all three sites were less than those required to be the proximate
cause of.damage to buildings. Vibrations were near the range that is
troublesome to people. There is potential for long-term secondary
fatigue damage to.structures if trains continue to use the route
along Hancock Street
0

Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
References . . . . . . . . . . 13'
List of Figures
Fig. 1 Site Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Fig. 2 - Site Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Fig. 3 - Site B, Architect's office, Hancock and
Pollock Streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Fig. 4 - Miller Residence, 213 Hancock Street. . . . . . . . . . 6
Fig. 5 - Instruments at Site C, Miller Residence . . . . . . . . 7
Fig. 6 - Allowable Vertical Vibration Amplitude
for a Particular Frequency of Vibration . . . . 9
Fig-7 - Allowable Resultant Motion versus Frequency . . . . . . . 10
Fig. 8 - Vibration Attenuation . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Introduction
On August 10 & 11, 1982 ground motion measurements were made
.-. by Professor R.D. Woods at three locations in new Bern,
North Carolina, while railroad trains traveled along Hancock Street.
.A general plan- of New Bern showing the railroad line along
Hancock Street and the three measurement sites isshown in Fig. 1,
while a :more .detailed plan identifying the three measurement sites .
,r A, B, and C is presented in Figure 2.
Location A was on private property in the southwest corner of
the, intersection of Hancock and Johnson Streets. At this location two
trains were observed, one northbound and one southbound. At this
site vibration measurements were made simultaneously by Woods and
personnel of the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the
Northbound train. However, the southbound train came earlier than
-' expected and only Woods was on site to record vibrations. For the
northbound train Woods' transducers were located 200 feet east of
the railroad and were oriented in the north -south (transverse) and
east -west (longitudinal) directions. For the southbound train one
vertical transducer was located 20 feet from the center of the track
�- and. a second at 200 feet east and as before oriented in the
longitudinal direction. The northbound train consisted of 34 cars
and traveled at about 5.4 miles per hour. The train. took three
minutes and 27 seconds to pass site A. No count on cars or timing
were made on the southbound train at location A.

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FIGURE 2 - Site Locations

-4-
Location B . was in a window well of a building at the
_ northwest corner of the intersection of Hancock and Pollock Streets.
The building houses the offices of Stephens and Cardelli, Architects.
Figure 3 is.'a photo of that building identifying the location of the
instruments which were 30 feet from the center of the railroad
tracks. At this location the vibrations of a northbound train were
recorded. That train consisted of 40 cars and was traveling at
about 4.9 miles per hour. The train took four minutes and 34
seconds to pass site B. NCDOT did not make measurements at this
site.
Location C was inside the residence of Charles. Miller,
213 Hancock Street, on the ground floor. A general view of this
` house is shown in Fig. 4 and -a view of the instruments during
measurements is shown in Fig. 5. The instruments were 37 feet from
the center of the railroad tracks. At this location the vibrations of
a southbound train were recorded. That train was 65 cars long,
traveled at about 5.3 miles per hour and took seven minutes and
two seconds to pass site C. Personnel of the NCDOT did not make
measurements at this . site.
While measurements were made by Woods at locations B and C,
NCDOT personnel measured vibrations of. the same trains at a
location in a vacant lot on the west side of Hancock Street directly
across the street from Miller's garage. This site being described in
NCDOT (1983) as the west side of an empty lot on }lancock Street,
100 feet north of the Hancock and Tryon Palace Drive intersection.

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F"IGURE 5 - Instruments at Site C, Miller Residence
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-8-
-- The vibration transducers used by Woods were velocity sensi-
tive geophones manufactured by Electro-Tech Division, Mandrel
Industries. The specific units were Model EV-17 for vertical measure-
ments and Model EV-17H for horizontal measurements. These instru-
ments have a natural frequency of about .1 14z and a calibration
factor of about 13 volts/(in/sec). Representative calibration sheets
are presented in the Appendix. The electrical output of the geo-
phones were recorded on a Hewlett-Packard Model 320, Hot Pen
Writing, Amplifier - Recorder (strip chart recorder).
Results
Seventy-nine segments of strip chart representing 158 vibration
transducer records were analyzed in detail. An appendix reproducing
all these data strips is available from the New Bern City Planner.
A table in the Appendix shows the data reduction calculations.
The maximum vibrations determined for several types of events
from the records are plotted on Figures 6 and 7. These figures
show the measured vibrations relative to generally accepted norms
and standards. The NCDOT present a similar figure in their report
of January, 1983.
Combining data from NCDOT and Woods at site A, an attenua-
tion curve has been developed as shown in Pia. 8. The data
indicates decay or attenuation which is in agreement with observa-
tions under similar conditions at other places. In other words,
there appears to be no anomolous behavior c''ue to soil types or
unusual geology.

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FIG. 6 - ALLG:-.?ABL VERTICAL
FRFQUB\7CY OF
Meister ster (1931) - (Steady State Vibrations)
- (Steady Statc Vibrations)
- (Due to Blasting)
1970)
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500 1000 2000. 5000 101000
Frequency (cycles / minute )
VIBRATION? AMPLITL'D FOR A PARTICULAR
VIBRATIONI.' (from Richart, Hall and Woods,

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Frequency, cps
Richort et of (1970)
FIG. 7- Allowable resultant motion versus frequency.
(from Richart., Hall and Woods, 1970)
I
Destruction
to Walls
Damage
to Walls
Rousch
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Troublesome
to Persons
Barely Noticeable (Reiher and Meister)
to Persons
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Frequency, cps
Richort et of (1970)
FIG. 7- Allowable resultant motion versus frequency.
(from Richart., Hall and Woods, 1970)
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Destruction
to Walls
Damage
to Walls
Rousch
OG
Troublesome
to Persons
Barely Noticeable (Reiher and Meister)
to Persons

STOLL, EVANS, WOODS & ASSOCIATES
soil mechanics and foundation consultants
JOB NAME: VIbv&+10Kr BY: , D• OA1E: -28-83 SHEET: 11
JOB LOCATION: Nf•w) 341K ) 1V.G. , SUBJECT_:
CLIENT:
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-12-
Both.. NCDOT and Woods' data show no significant difference
between empty and full coal hoppers.
Discussion
The . maximum vibration amplitudes measured at the three sites
were less than those required to be the proximate cause of damage.
The vibrations were, however, near the range that is troublesome to
people, particularly when they occur often and at times when the
environment would otherwise be still.
If the speed of the trains were increased within the speed
range feasible in the city, the vibration amplitude would also
increase in an approximately linear way, i.e., doubling the speed
would double the vibration amplitude. This would make the vibra-
tions', feel more acute. to people but still. would not make the
vibrations a proximate cause of damage.
Long-term fatigue damage may occur to structures subject to
^' millions of cycles of vibrations. If the frequency and length of the
trains along Hancock Street were to increase, the cumulative effect
may cause structural damage.
Inspection of some of the. buildings situated along Hancock
Street revealed no obvious damage from vibrations up to the date of
— the measurements.
Conclusions
Based on measurements . of vibrations at three locations along
Hancock Street in New Bern on August 10, & 11, 19,22, and an

-13-
inspection of .four buildings . in the same region, it is evident that
structural damage is not occurring . with a proximate cause being
vibration. And no clearly observed structural damage can related to
the railroad vibration.
Disturbance to people is clearly evident and there is potential
for long-term secondary fatigue damage . to structures .if trains
continue to use the route along Hancock Street.
References
NCDOT (1983) , "Train Induced Ground . Motion at New Bern,
North Carolina", Report 'Prepared- . by the State of
North Carolina, Department. of Transportation, Raleigh N.C.,
January 14;..1983.
Richart, F.E. jr., Hall, . J. R. jr., , and Woods, R.D. (1970) Vibra-
tions of Soils and Foundations, Prentice -Hall, EngeTwood
Cliffs, N.J., 412 pp.

CEIP Publication's`."
1 Hauser, E. W ,'P.-_D.::Cribbins, P. D.;;Tschetter,.and R. D. Latta.
Coastal Energy Transportation Needs to Support Major Energy Projects
in North Carolina. .Is`Coastal Zone: CEIP :Report #1. September-1981. $10.
_ 2. P. D. Cribbins. A Study of OCS;Onshore Support Bases and Coal Export
Terminals. CEIP_Report-#2. September 1981. $10.
3. Tschetter, P D.J.-M. Fisch, and R.-D. Latta, An Assessment of
Potential Impacts of Energy -Related Transportation Developments on
North Carolina's Coastal Zone. CEIP Report #3. July 1981 $10
4. Cribbins, P. S. An Analysis of.State and Federal Policies Affecting "
Major Energy Projects in North Carolina's•Coastal Zone. CEIP Report
#4. September 1981. $10.
5. Brower, David, W. D. McElyea,.D. R. Godschalk, and N. D. Lofaro.
Outer Continental Shelf Development and the North Carolina Coast:
A Guide for Local Planners. CEIP Report #5. August 1981. $10.
6. Rogers, Golden and Halpern,.Inc., and Engineers for Energy and the
Environment, Inc. Mitigating the Impacts of Energy Facilities:" A "
Local Air Quality Program for the Wilmington, N. C. Area. CEIP
Report #6. September 1981. $10.
7. . Richardson, C. J. (editor). Pocosin Wetlands: an Integrated Analysis
of Coastal Plain Freshwater Bogs in North Carolina. Stroudsburg (Pa):
Hutchinson Ross. ''364 pp. $25. 'Available from School of Forestry,
Duke University, Durham, N. C. 27709. (This proceedings volume is for
a conference partially funded by N. C. CEIP. It replaces the N. C.
Peat Sourcebook in this publication list.)
8. McDonald, C. B. and A. M. Ash. Natural Areas Inventory of Tyrrell
County, N. C. CEIP Report #8. October 1981. $10.
9. Fussell, J., and E. J. Wilson. Natural Areas Inventory of Carteret
County, N. C. CEIP Report #9. October 1981. $10.
10. Nyfong, T. D. Natural Areas Inventory of Brunswick County, N. C.
CEIP_Report #10. October 1981. $10.
11. Leonard, S. W., and R..J. Davis. Natural Areas Inventory for Pender
County, N. C. CEIP Report till. October 1981. $10.
12. Cribbins, Paul D., and Latta, R. Daniel. Coastal Energy Transporta-
tion Study: Alternative Technologies for Transporting and Handling
Export Coal. CEIP Report #12. January 1982. $10.
13. Creveling, Kenneth. Beach Communities and Oil Spills:. Environmental
and Economic Consequences for Brunswick County, N. C. CEIP Report
#13. May 1982. $10.
14. Rogers, Golden and Halpern, Inc., and Engineers for Energy and the
Environment. The Design of a Planning Program to Help Mitigate Energy
Facility -Related Air Quality Impacts in the Washington County, North
Carolina Area. CEIP Report #14. September 1982. $10.

CEIP Publications
15. McDonald, C. B., A. M. Ash, and John Fussell. Natural Areas
Inventory of Craven County, North Carolina. CEIP Report #15.
December 1981. $10.
16. Frost, Cecil C. Natural Areas Inventory of Gates County, North
Carolina. CEIP Report #16. April 1982. $10.
17. Stone, John R., Michael T. Stanley, and Paul T. Tschetter. Coastal
Energy Transportation Study, Phase III, Volume 3: Impacts of Increased
Rail Traffic on Communities in Eastern North Carolina. CEIP Report #17.
August 1982. $10.
19. Pate, Preston P., and Jones, Robert. Effects of Upland Drainage on
Estuarine Nursery Areas of Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. CEIP
Report #19. December 1981. $1.00.
24. 'Stoll, Evans, Woods & Associates. Railroad Induced Vibrations,
New Bern, North Carolina, August 10 & 110 1983. CEIP Report
#24. March 1983. $1.00.
25. Wang Engineering Co., Inc. Analysis of the Impact of Coal Trains Moving
Through Morehead City, North Carolina. CEIP*Report #25 October 1982.
$10.
26. Anderson & Associates, Inc. Coal Train Movements Through the City of
Wilmington, North Carolina. CEIP Report #26. October 1982. $10.
27. Peacock, S. Lance and J. Merrill Lynch. Natural Areas Inventory of
Mainland Dare County, North Carolina. CEIP Report #27. November 1982.
$10.
28. Lynch, J. Merrill and S. Lance Peacock. Natural Areas Inventory of
Hyde County, North Carolina. CEIP Report #28. October 1982. $10.
29. Peacock, S. Lance and J. Merrill Lynch. Natural Areas Inventory of
Pamlico County, North Carolina. CEIP Report #29. November 1982.. $10.
30. Lynch, J. Merrill and S. Lance Peacock. Natural Areas Inventory of
Washington County, North Carolina. CEIP Report #30. October 1982.
$10.
31. Muga, Bruce J. Review and Evaluation of Oil Spill Models for Applica-
tion to North Carolina Waters. CEIP Report #31. August 1982. $10.
33._ Sorrell, F. Yates and Richard R. Johnson. Oil and Gas Pipelines in
Coastal North Carolina: Impacts and Routing Considerations. CEIP
Report #33.. December 1982. $10.
34. Roberts and Eichler Associates, Inc. Area Development Plan for"Radio.
Island. CEIP Report #34. June 1982. $10.
35. Cribbins, Paul D. Coastal Energy Transportation Study, Phase III,
Volume 4: The Potential for Wide -Beam, Shallow -Draft Ships to Serve.
Coal and.Other Bulk Commodity Terminals along the Cape Fear River.
CEIP Report #35. August 1982. $10.
36. DNRCD Peat Mining Task Force. Peat Mining and Natural Resources.
CEIP Report #36. March 1983. $10.
37. Vandenberg, J. J., and K. R. Knoerr. The Deposit of Airborne
Materials in the Lake Phelps, N. C., Region. CEIP Report #37..
March 1983. $10.