Prediction of ground-borne vibration induced by impact pile driving: numerical approach and experimental validation

Deep foundations are currently used in engineering practice to solve problems caused by weak geotechnical characteristics of the ground. Impact pile driving is an interesting and viable solution from economic and technical points of view. However, it is necessary to ensure that the environmental drawbacks, namely ground-borne vibration, are adequately met. For this purpose, the authors propose an axisymmetric finite element method-perfectly matched layer (FEM-PML) approach, where the nonlinear behavior of the soil is addressed through an equivalent linear methodology. Given the complexity of the problem, an experimental test site was developed and fully characterized. The experimental work comprised in-situ and laboratory soil characterization, as well as the measurement of vibrations induced during pile driving. The comparison between experimental and numerical results demonstrated a very good agreement, from which it can be concluded that the proposed numerical approach is suitable for the prediction of vibrations induced by impact pile driving. The experimental database is available as supplemental data and may be used by other researchers in the validation of their prediction models.