Bored-piling induced vibration in rocks and sediments of the Maltese Islands

Abstract

This dissertation aims to collect data related to vibration induced during the process of boring the shaft of reinforced-concrete foundation piles. Currently there is not much data related to vibration in this field of study. The main objective of this dissertation is to create a model that can be used to predict vibration velocities induced by boring the shaft of reinforced-concrete foundation piles. The main factors considered were, distance from source, duration of the recordings, background vibrations and ground conditions. The process involved collecting and analysing data. Three sites were chosen for this study, each site with different ground properties. The data was collected over a span of two months using a triaxial vibration monitor device called the VM40B. This study concludes with a hypothetical model that can be used to obtain a rough estimate of the vibration that will be created when drilling the shafts of reinforced concrete bored piles in different ground conditions in the Maltese Islands. The model was compared with two different vibration related problems. One compares the vibration velocities induced by the piling machine with limits of different building types, provided in DIN 4150-3:2016 while in the other case, the model was compared with guidance of people’s tolerance to vibration levels provided in BS 5228-2:2009. This study concludes that vibration induced by bored-piling has more effect to people’s lives than causing damage to their properties. Several assumptions were made in formulating the hypothetical model. This implies that further research needs to be conducted in order for the model to increase its reliability.