A Parametric Study on Factors Affecting Ground Vibrations during Pile Driving through Finite Element Simulations

Abstract

Driven pile has often been used to provide loading support for civil infrastructure, but the induced ground vibration can cause damage to adjacent structures. The vibration risk associated with pile driving is often managed via monitoring ground vibrations that is quantified by peak particle velocity (PPV). Therefore, a rational approach to predict PPV is desired because the commonly used scaled-distance equations consider only the distance from driven piles and the input energy but ignore other important factors. To fulfill this knowledge gap, a finite element method based parametric study was performed to examine the influence of soil damping ratio, Young's Modulus of soil, and the number of loading pulses on ground vibrations due to pile driving. The results obtained from this study will aid geotechnical engineers in better managing the risk of pile driving to surrounding building by designing and executing a proper ground vibration monitoring plan.