Pile driving vibrations at Ladenburg side canal
Heidelberg Waterways and Shipping Office is currently rehabilitating Ladenburg side canal between kilometres 8.90 and 12.36. The banks no longer showed sufficient long-term stability due to bow thruster, screw race and wave impacts.
The canal is being expanded as a rectangular profile on both sides using sheet piling. The banks of the reach under construction are characterized by industrial facilities and approx. 150 residential buildings. In preparation for the land use planning procedure, the Soil Dynamics Section (BD) has drawn up a vibrations report to forecast the impacts of pile driving vibrations on adjoining buildings and their residents as well as on the industrial facilities, and issued recommendations for the preservation of evidence. Forecasting vibrations related to construction work is based on years of collecting the measuring results of soil and structure vibrations for all construction methods that involve intensive vibrations, together with corresponding statistical analysis. Differences in soil characteristics were taken into account by correlating the vibration variables with sounding results obtained for the soils. In view of the construction work to build new industrial facilities in the immediate vicinity of the embankment edge, initially pile driving trials were carried out at the start of construction work, accompanied by extensive vibration measurements at the nearest buildings and technical facilities and at ground measurement points, carried out by BD. The measurement results put the vibration forecast into more precise terms, particularly in terms of converting the applied pile driving energy into vibrations, the propagation of vibrations in the ground and the way in which ground vibrations are passed on to structures and industrial facilities. The results of the pile driving trials provided the basis for expanding the area of preserving evidence and made it possible to recommend a certain safety clearance for vibratory pile driving in the area of the industrial facilities. BD continues to provide support for the on-going pile driving work. The vibration measurements have been commissioned to a consultant.
