A Case Study of Wave Equation Drivability Analysis for Super-Large Diameter Steel Pipe Pile

The super-large diameter steel pipe piles have been used more and more in China in recent years. The driving possibility of pile has already become a major engineering problem for the designer and contractor. Due to the lack of realistic analysis method and construction experience, some piling engineering accidents often appeared, such as hammer refusal, pile damage, etc. A case study of wave equation drivability analysis for the super-large diameter steel pipe pile in a large-scale wind power plant project was performed in this paper. The performance of pile-soil-hammer system and the stress condition of pile movement during driving were described. The driving possibility, a suitable hammer and a rational installation criterion were obtained. The wave equation drivability analysis is to utilize the stress wave and its dynamic effect in the pile shaft generated by hammer impact vibration. This successful application has shown that the wave equation drivability analysis is a very practical tool for the super-large diameter steel pipe pile.