COMPREHENSIVE VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF DRIVEN PILES AT AN INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT SITE IN KAZAKHSTAN: 9 IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION SAFETY AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES

Abstract

The installation of piles at construction sites produces vibrations that may extend for hundreds of meters from the location of the pile. Depending on their proximity to this activity, these vibrations can induce damage to nearby structures. The results of a vibration monitoring study that was performed at a water treatment plant in the Republic of Kazakhstan are presented. The goal of this study was to monitor these vibrations at different distances from the point of pile driving. Vibrations were measured at five locations during the driving of three 12 m long prefabricated concrete piles. Since the soils present at the site were problematic, and since vibration monitoring studies are site-specific, the present study fills a gap in vibromonitoring data for such sites. The largest vibration velocities were measured when the piles were driven to depths of approximately 5 to 6 m. The presence of other building foundations at the site affected the magnitude and distribution of the measured velocities. The highest vibration speeds and frequency of vibration did not exceed the requirements of DIN 4150-3. The massive foundation at Point 3 in this vibration study reduced the magnitudes of the vibration velocities and made the three orthogonal velocity components more nearly equal. This, in turn, reduced the effect of vibration on nearby buildings.