Two comparative field studies of the bearing capacity of vibratory and impact driven sheet piles

With the introduction of high frequency and variable eccentricity drivers, vibratory driving has become more popular because of its technical and economical performance and of considerable reduction of nuisance level. However, because of a lack of recognized method to predict the bearing capacity, vibratory driving is seldom accepted when sheet piles have to resist vertical loads. This paper presents the results of two comparative studies carried out on vibratory and impact driven sheet piles installed respectively in the very dense gravels of the Rhine river and in the marly soils with cobbles typical of the region of Paris. The instrumented sheet piles have been subjected to static loading test. By comparison with impact driven piles, the measured bearing capacity and the skin friction was 15 to https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> 35 % lower for the vibratory driven piles, whereas the penetration rate was up to 10 times faster.