Life cycle based considerations in design of driven piles in sand

Abstract

This study conducts a life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of driven shafts across twelve different siliceous sand sites, selected from a database of static load pile tests. Through parametric studies, this paper investigates the influence of soil properties, pile geometry, and on-site activities on environmental impacts. For a single pile, findings demonstrate that material production is the most impactful phase, contributing 88.4% of global warming potential (GWP) per unit capacity, while on-site operations contribute minimally at 1%. Sensitivity analyses show that variations in fuel consumption by ± 25% and linear interpolations of blow counts result in negligible difference in GWP (less than 0.1% and 1%, respectively). On average, the total GWP for steel and concrete piles is approximately 4.3 and 0.92 kg CO₂e per kN capacity, respectively. Although various factors influence pile design and installation, the results presented herein provide a foundational framework for geotechnical engineers to integrate environmental impacts into project planning, design, and construction considerations.