State of the Practice in Florida on Vibrations and Movements due to Deep Foundation Installations

Construction of buildings, roads, and traffic activities generate ground vibrations that can structurally damage nearby urban infrastructure. The vibrations produced by construction activities can potentially trigger ground deformations in the granular soil conditions and possibly damage the nearby infrastructure. The soil conditions in Florida consist mainly of sandy soil deposits near-surface, and this makes driven piles a commonly used method. In the design of deep foundations, it is important to consider vibrations in the surrounding soils, their effects on nearby soils and structures, and the potential construction issues such as infrastructural and structural damage related to the driving process. This paper presents the state of the practice regarding the effects of pile driving on surrounding soils and structures. A web-based survey was conducted among practitioners in Florida. The perception of several practitioners in the state of Florida about ground deformations and damages to adjacent structures induced by deep foundation installations was investigated. The practitioners who have experienced ground vibrations and deformations were asked to define the susceptible soil conditions and main triggering factors of large ground deformations induced by pile driving. The majority of the respondents found sandy soils with loose to medium relative densities to be the most susceptible soil condition to generate ground deformations, and they observed settlements less than 25 mm up to a distance of 15 m away from the source. Conclusions are drawn regarding the importance of routinely considering ground vibration monitoring during the design phase of deep foundations.