Vibrations Induced by a Low Dynamic Loading on a Driven Pile: Numerical Prediction and Experimental Validation

The present paper addresses the problem of generating and propagating vibrations induced by low-impact loading on a driven pile. In this context, an experimental test site was selected and characterized, where ground-borne vibrations induced by the application of a low dynamic loading on the pile head were measured using accelerometers placed at the ground surface. At the same time, a new numerical approach, based on a coupled FEM-PML (Finite Element Method-Perfectly Matched Layer) formulation, to model the pile–ground system was presented. A very satisfactory agreement was observed between the experimental data collected in these experiments and the prediction performed by the numerical model. The experimental data can be also used by other authors for the experimental validation of their or other prediction models.