James ReyffIllingworth & Rodkin, Inc

2006 Summer Meeting TRB ACD40

Williamsburg, VA

Compendium of Pile Driving Sound Data

Purpose for the Compendium

• Document Available Underwater Pile Driving Sound Levels

• Provide data for biological assessments

• Provide data for Construction/Design Decisions

What is the Compendium?

Provides Underwater Sound Data for– Different Types of Piles– Different Types of Installations– Different Conditions (unattenuated, attenuated, etc…)

Different Types of Piles

Different Types of Hammers3,000 lb Drop3,000 lb Drop

VibratoryVibratory

Different Types of Hammers

Diesel ImpactDiesel Impact Hydraulic Hydraulic ImpactImpact

Different Types of Hammers

Large Large HydraulicHydraulic

Different Types of Conditions

Unattenuated

Air Bubble Curtain

Different Types of Conditions

Air Bubble Curtain

Different Types of Conditions

Dewatered Casing

Different Types of Conditions

Dewatered Casing

Different Types of Conditions

Dewatered Cofferdam

Different Types of Conditions

Dewatered Cofferdam

Different Types of Conditions

On Land Near Water

Tabular Summary of Measured Sound Levels

Compendium Chapter Contents

Divided by Pile Type & Project– Pile Size– Hammer Type

Includes-Project Type/Location-Measured sound pressures at different distances-Measured drop-off rate-Effectiveness of attenuation systems-Signal analysis

Example Chapter – Benicia Bridge

Summary of Unattenuated Sound Pressure Over Distance

Table 3.2-1 Summary of Unattenuated Sound Pressures Measured for the Benicia-Martinez Bridge

Approximate Distance1

Sound Pressure

Peak RMS SEL

5 m 227 215 201

10 m 220 205 194

20 m 214 203 190

50 m 210 196 184

100 m 204 192 180

500 m 188 174 164

1,000 m 180 165 155

1 Measured from the pile at about mid depth (10-15-m deep water)

Graphical Representation of Sound Pressure with Distance

160

170

180

190

200

210

220

230

- 100 200 300 400 500

Range (meters)

So

un

d P

ressu

re (

dB

re 1

µP

a)

PeakPeak = 218-15Log(R/10)RMSRMS = 206-16Log(R/10)SELSEL = 195-17Log(R/10)

Peak = 218 – 15 log (R/10)

RMS = 206 – 16 log (R/10)

SEL = 195 – 17 log (R/10)

Attenuation Systems

95m West - Pile 4, Deep Depth

-4.00E+10

-3.00E+10

-2.00E+10

-1.00E+10

0.00E+00

1.00E+10

2.00E+10

3.00E+10

4.00E+10

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08

Time (sec)

So

un

d P

ress

ure

Am

pli

tud

e (µ

Pa)

ON 1st OFF ON 2nd

95m West, Pile 4, Deep

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000

Frequency (Hz)

Un

der

wat

er

So

un

d P

res

su

re L

ev

el (

dB

) ON 1st OFF ON 2nd

Acoustic Energy - 95m West - Pile 4, Deep

1.00E+10

1.00E+11

1.00E+12

1.00E+13

1.00E+14

1.00E+15

1.00E+16

1.00E+17

1.00E+18

1.00E+19

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08

Time (sec)

Cu

mu

lativ

e P

ressu

re E

nerg

y (

dB

re 1

uP

a2sec)

ON 1st OFF ON 2nd

150160170180190200210220230

- 100 200 300 400

Range (meters)

Sou

nd P

ress

ure

(dB

re

1 µ

Pa)

Unattenuated Peak Drop Off

Unattenuated RMS Drop Off

Peak

RMS

Example Chapter – 24in dia. Steel

Table 3.x-4 Summary of Sound Pressures Measured for the Driving of 24-inch Steel Pipe Piles –Rodeo Dock

Pile Conditions

Sound Pressure Levels

Peak RMS SEL

1 Unattenuated – Impact Hammer at 10 meters

202 188 177

2 Unattenuated – Impact Hammer at 10 meters

203 189 178

1 Unattenuated – Impact Hammer at 50 meters

191 178 167

2 Unattenuated – Impact Hammer at 50 meters

189 178 166

Representative Signal Analysis

Compendium - I&R Projects

• 8 Large dia. CISS Piles (Big Projects)

• 10+ small to medium dia. Steel Pipe

• 7-8 concrete piles

• ~5 Steel “H” piles

• 1 Steel sheet (vibratory and impact)

• 1 Timber pile (small drop hammer)

• ~5 Projects w/Vibratory hammers

Compendium - Other Projects

• NOAA Southwestern Division

• Washington DOT

• Other misc. projects

Sound Pressure Drop Off with DistanceSFOBB - Bubble Curtain

140

150

160

170

180

190

200

210

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Distance (m)

So

un

d P

res

su

re (

dB

re

1µ

Pa

)

Peak = 230 - 19.0 Log R

R 2 = 0.80

RMS = 217 - 18.2 Log R

R 2 = 0.77

Sound Pressure Drop Off with DistanceSFOBB - Dewatered Cofferdam

150

160

170

180

190

200

210

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Distance (m)

So

un

d P

res

su

re (

dB

re

1µ

Pa

)

That’s it….