Dealing with
Vibration Vibration Vibration Vibration Vibration and and and and Noise Noise
Noise
Noisefrom Pile Driving
Addressing and alleviating negative
public perceptions of pile driving
By W. Allen Marr, P.E., GEOCOMP Corporation
This article discusses the third issue.
The pile driving hammer produces vibrations and noise
with each blow delivered to the pile. The vibrations of consequence
are caused by waves of energy traveling away from
the pile. Each blow to the pile transfers energy from the pile
to the surrounding soil. As much as 70 per cent of the energy
transferred to the soil by pile driving travels away from the
pile in the form of surface waves (Woods, 1997). The particle
velocity of the ground surface caused by these traveling
waves of energy decreases with distance from the source due
to geometric effects, much like the height of a ripple created
by dropping a stone into a pond decreases with distance
away from the drop point.
The oscillating ground can induce stresses in a structure
that cause damage. Plaster and weak mortar are among the
first elements to experience damage. The repeated stressing
Pile driving produces vibrations and noise that may extend
thousands of feet away from the driving activity.
People have become increasingly intolerant of these
effects. They complain to government agencies and
oppose developments that use pile elements. Their opposition
is beginning to seriously affect the pile driving industry
in the developed countries. Governmental agencies and
owners are choosing alternatives to pile driving to avoid the
vibrations and noise. This is an unfortunate and uninformed
reaction for three reasons:
1. The alternatives may be considerably more expensive than
driving piles
2. The alternatives may produce comparable levels of noise
and vibrations
3. The perceptions of people about the possible damage
from vibrations and noise are generally wrong
42 Q4 2015 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
