Field trials on soft grouting barriers to mitigate vibrations effects.

The use of soft buried barriers to mitigate the effects of vibrations has been deeply analysed in literature, showing that their effectiveness depends on dynamic impedance ratio and on the barriers’ geometry. However, most times the problem of the physical and mechanical properties to be given to the barrier is by-passed. This paper proposes to deal with barriers made of an innovative material, a special kind of Super Absorbing Polymer (SAP), easy and cheap to find and environmentally friendly. In particular, a field trial test has been carried out, in which an inverted pyramid barrier and a linear barrier have been created with a 100% SAP filling. The site was fully instrumented and carefully investigated, and vibration tests were carried out. It was shown that the barriers were able to largely attenuate the vibrations, thanks to their mechanical and physical properties.