Vibration monitoring as a method for assessing the pile driving-induced impact in restrained urban conditions

Abstract

Vibration can cause damage to the building structure, reducing its operational reliability: reducing stability, impairing the load-bearing capacity of slabs and also causing cracks. To prevent the above causes, the vibration loads acting both on the structure as a whole and on its parts should be monitored. This paper discusses the results of a measurement of vibration caused by pile driving in soil and an adjacent housing complex. The aim of the study was to determine the minimum permissible distance from the pile-driving site at which neighbouring buildings would remain unaffected. For the measurements, control points installed at unequal distances from the pile driving location and directly on the building were used to allow observation of the pattern of vibration changes. It is preferable to select vibration measuring points directly on the structure to assess the impact of vibration on the structure. It is recommended that the measurement points are on the side of the structure facing the source of vibration. The actual vibrations in terms of speed, amplitude, acceleration and frequency were recorded during the measurement process. On the basis of the resulting vibration characteristics, damping (absorption) coefficients were determined and the maximum permissible pile-driving distance was then calculated. Measurements of building vibration are carried out in order to compare the results obtained with the specified limit values.