Engineering Assessment of Ground Vibrations Caused by Impact Pile Driving

Abstract

Ground vibrations are an important design consideration for piles driven by impact hammers. The first task is to determine allowable vibration levels; the second task is to predict the intensity of ground vibrations during driving and the attenuation of ground vibrations with increasing distance. The paper describes the Swedish vibration standard which is applicable for pile driving. Commonly used vibration parameters, associated with the evaluation of vibration measurements, are discussed. The importance of pile impedance for ground vibrations is highlighted. A simplified calculation method is proposed which can be used to estimate vertical ground vibration velocity as a function of distance from the driven pile. Two case histories have been evaluated and compared with theoretical predictions, using the proposed method of analysis.