Section Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Geotechnics

503
IN-SITU TESTING OF VIBRATION PROPAGATION WHILE DRIVING
THE PREFABRICATED PILES

PhD Stefan Pradelok
1
PhD Marian upieowiec
1
PhD Piotr Btkowski
1

MSc. Adam Rudzik
1


1
Silesian University of Technology, Poland

ABSTRACT
This paper presents results obtained with the use of accelerometers during in-situ
testing. Horizontal accelerations of propagating impacts caused by driving the
prefabricated piles were recorded. Range of the shocks as well as amplitudes of
longitudinal and transverse horizontal accelerations of propagating vibrations on the
terrain surface were determined. This paper presents only the field tests results of
vibration propagations caused by the shocks induced by pile driving near the road
bridge. The recorded results were used to calibrate the numerical model of the finite
element method. A good consistency of acceleration amplitudes in the direction of
vibration propagation was achieved and it depended on the distance from location of the
driven pile. The results of numerical analyses of wave propagation in the ground will be
presented in another paper at this conference.
Keywords: pile driving, technological shock, ground vibrations, field tests

INTRODUCTION
Currently, most of the ongoing works related to the ground strengthening, which also
include pile driving, are accompanied by destructive impacts affecting the surroundings.
These impacts may result in creating cracks or even destructing of structures located
nearby. As these technologies are very effective and usually provide the optimal
foundation of the structure, particularly important is the ability to estimate the extent of
shocks as well as amplitudes of propagating vibrations. The most important in
monitoring of the impact of the works are the field tests [12], [13], [14], [15]. They
enable the in-situ measurement of propagating shocks. On their basis, dynamic analysis
of the structure in relation to the sensitivity to scratching and failures resulting from this
will be possible [1], [5]. No less important is the possibility to predict the impacts on the
surroundings through the theoretical analysis of vibration propagation in the subsoil
based on the identified ground conditions and parameters of adopted technology of the
ground strengthening [2].
Due to a size limitations this paper presents only the results of field tests of vibration
propagation caused by the shocks caused by pile driving. However, the obtained results
from the field tests were used to calibrate the numerical model of the finite element
method, which is presented in the paper [8].
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SHOCKS ACCOMPANYING GEOENGINEERING WORKS
Vibration propagation in the vicinity of the geoengineering works with the use of
impacts can be divided into two groups. The first is the vibrations, which are caused by
soil compaction rollers, sheet piling, etc. These impacts are characterized by relatively
small amplitudes of accelerations and high vibration frequencies. However, the extent
of their impact is small (typically ranging from a few to several meters). The second
source of vibrations are the impacts caused by the dynamic consolidation, formation of
stone columns with the use of the dynamic exchange method as well as installation of
piles and sheet piles. Here, the vibrations are caused by the impacts of significant
energy, which directly generates vibrations harmful to the surroundings. Induced
accelerations amplitudes often exceed 1 m/s
2
and the area of the impact may range from
a few dozen to a few hundred meters [7].
Wave propagation in the substrate depends on the type of soil. The greater is the rigidity
of the ground the greater is the propagation extent. Frequency, at which the vibration
propagation occurs is also important. It usually ranges from a few to several Hertz. In
cases it may coincide with frequency of proper vibrations of the structures located
nearby. This may cause cracks on or even failure of a building.
Driven Pile foundation enables taking over significant loads, both compression and
tension. Benefits of this technology include a relatively homogeneous foundation of the
structure as well as not loosening of the soil around the pile, which is a disadvantage of
drilled piles. Furthermore, piles driving has an impact on additional soil compaction,
especially under the base of the pile. Not without significance is the fact that capacity of
each pile is automatically controlled during the process of driving.
In order to assess the potential risks associated with driving of prefabricated piles,
monitoring of vibrations of existing structures located in close proximity is conducted
[4], [9], [10], [11]. Accelerometers measuring the accelerations in particular directions
are used in monitoring. They are attached to the affected structure. Terrain vibrations
are often monitored at several points located on the section connecting the driven pile
with the nearest element of the existing structure. Measurement of horizontal
accelerations at these points enables the assessment of the wave propagation in the
subsoil and, as a result of this, risks to the monitored building [3].
FIELD TESTS
Test were performed next to the existing road bridge where a pedestrian bridge was
being constructed [6]. This pedestrian bridge was designed as a structure suspended to
one pylon. Pylon will be fixed in a closed box foundation. Box foundation was designed
as intermediate on driven prefabricated piles of cross-section of 40x40cm and length of
13.6m. 42 prefabricated piles will be anchored to the bottom flange of the box in 6 rows
and 7 piles in each row.
Installation of prefabricated piles was done with the use of piling machine equipped
with a hydraulic pile driver. JUNTTAN PM20 equipped with a 5 tonne hydraulic
hammer HHKA was used. Fig. 1 shows the location of the existing road bridge with
respect to the foundation of the pylon of the pedestrian bridge.
Section Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Geotechnics
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Fig. 1. View of the piling machine JUNTTAN PM20, installed prefabricated pile and
existing road bridge

Field tests were done on 12 and 13 June 2012 by the Field Testing Team of the Roads
and Bridges Department from the Silesian University of Technology. These tests
included the measurement of the horizontal vibrations at seven points on the terrain
located on the section connecting the driven pile and the nearest corner of the existing
road bridge [6].
The measurement set used in the testing was built in the Department of Roads and
Bridges of the Silesian University of Technology within the scientific and research
activities. It consists of:
laptop Acer TravelMate 4050;
16-bit PCMCIA card of type DAQCARD-AI-16XE-50;
aggregation card;
three acceleration sensors with the acceleration range 5 g and frequency range
140 Hz.
The used card is a universal tool and its programmatic adaptation to the needs of bridge
testing was necessary. For this purpose, special software for recording, monitoring and
data analysis from the recorded time courses was created. The graphical programming
language of the integrated system LabVIEW from National Instruments, which allows
the use of ready functions and procedures, prepared in the form of so-called virtual
instruments was used.
Horizontal vibrations of the ground were recorded on the surface. Accelerometers were
mounted to the steel angle section L40x40x4 with length of 0.71 m driven in the soil to
a depth of 0.57 m. Accelerations in two perpendicular horizontal directions were
recorded: in the longitudinal direction (connecting the center of the pile with the corner
of the bridge) and the transverse direction.
Ground vibrations were recorded on the second day of testing. The first row of piles was
already in place during the recording of results. The recorded results relate to the ground
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vibrations during driving of prefabricated piles in the second row. Extreme values of
horizontal accelerations (a
max
i a
min
) of the soil with their range (a=a
max
-a
min
) are
presented in Table. 1. The location of the measurement points T11T72 shown in
Fig. 2.
Table 1. Extreme values of recorded horizontal accelerations of the soil
Measurement
point
Distance
from
the pile
Horizontal accelerations of the soil
Longitudinal (T_1) Transverse (T_2)


a
max
a
min
a a
max
a
min
a
[m] [m/s
2
] [m/s
2
] [m/s
2
] [m/s
2
] [m/s
2
] [m/s
2
]
T1_ 18.80 0.363 -0.236 0.599 0.267 -0.309 0.576
T2_ 14.00 1.119 -0.812 1.931 0.940 -0.827 1.767
T3_ 11.00 0.669 -0.626 1.295 0.682 -0.912 1.594
T4_ 8.00 4.787 -2.892 7.679 3.395 -4.119 7.514
T5_ 6.00 11.832 -6.205 18.037 5.148 -7.553 12.701
T6_ 4.00 8.311 -12.032 20.343 8.460 -3.223 11.683
T7_ 1.50 8.380 -5.197 13.577 4.433 -5.574 10.007


Fig. 2. Locations of measurement points T11T72

The maximum range of these ground accelerations at the measurement point located at
the corner of the road bridge (measurement point T11, the distance from the driven pile
Section Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Geotechnics
507
18.8 m) is a=0.599 m/s
2
. As the distance from the measurement points to the driven
prefabricated pile decreases, the recorded values increase. The greatest range of
horizontal accelerations of the soil was recorded at the point T61 (distance from the
driven pile 4.00 m), where a=20.343 m/s
2
. A decrease in the recorded values at the
points located behind the existing retaining wall (points T31 and T32, distance from the
driven pile 11.00m) and behind the already driven first row of prefabricated piles
(points T71 and T72, distance from the driven pile 1.50m) can also be observed.
Compiled in Table. 1 acceleration ranges (a) are also shown on the diagram (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Relationship of accelerations and distance from the source of impulse

Examples of the horizontal accelerations recorded at the measurement point T61 shown
in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. Examples of horizontal accelerations recorded at the measurement point T6.
Vertical axis - acceleration [m/s
2
]. Horizontal axis - time [s]

However, it is difficult to analyse the recorded accelerations shown in Fig. 4 above.
Visible are only, from time to time, large acceleration amplitudes and the time when the
pile driving stopped. After taking out a 10-second fragment of the recorded signal and
stretching the graph along the time axis (horizontal axis), the impacts of the hammer
installing the pile can be clearly seen (Fig. 5).
A
c
c
e
l
e
r
a
t
i
o
n

r
a
n
g
e

a

[
m
/
s
2
]
Distance from the centre of the driven pile [m]
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Fig. 5. 10-second fragment of the horizontal acceleration recorded at the measurement
point T6. Vertical axis - acceleration [m/s
2
]. Horizontal axis - time [s]

Within 10 seconds the hammer hit 12 times. This gives the frequency of pile driving f =
12/10 = 1.20 Hz.
Analysis of a two-second fragment of the recorded signal (Fig. 6) shows the moments of
driving the pile with the use of hammer. The frequency of pile driving can also be
specified as approx. 1.20 Hz. However, significant damping of the ground appears.
With each hit, two significant acceleration amplitudes with opposite signs and then
a few more, quickly fading amplitudes of much smaller values were recorded.

Fig. 6. A two-second fragment of the signal recorded at the measurement point T6.
Vertical axis - acceleration [m/s
2
]. Horizontal axis - time [s]

CONCLUSIONS
Conducted field tests concerned the vibration propagation in the soil and the range of its
impact. The results obtained from the conducted field tests are the input to the analysis
of the behaviour of the building structures subjected to dynamic forces due to the shock
propagation.
Research on wave propagation in the soil resulting from the impulse (technological
shock) is particularly important in relation to the use of impact methods in
geotechnology. Increasingly, ground vibrations occur during the realization of the works
on previously built-up areas. Vibration propagation through the ground is harmful to the
already existing buildings. With the results from the field measurements, the numerical
model can be calibrated, which allows conduction of many analyses and an accurate
estimate of anticipated impacts on adjacent structures.
With the forces in the form of repetitive impulses, the adequate sampling rate is
important to find a proper character of the vibrations. A characteristic force pattern,
allowing determining the frequency range and the damping, may be very short, up to
several tenths of a second. During this time, there are several periods of vibrations,
which must be recorded with the adequate accuracy. If the analogue (continuous)
Section Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Geotechnics
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registration is not conducted, the digital registration should be conducted with the
sampling frequency of at least 100 Hz.
During the field measurements, in addition to identification of the ground conditions,
the existing surface elements, which may be the obstacles to the wave propagation (such
as sheet piling, palisades or even prefabricated piles), should be inventoried.

If the source of vibrations is located near the object, analysis of the induced frequency
range is necessary. Particularly important is the comparison with the proper frequencies
of this object located nearby. The appearance of common bands (resonance) required a
detailed analysis and preventive measures to avoid damage to the facility, especially
during long-term forces (a large number of driven piles).

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