Experimental study of near-shore pile-to-pile interaction

This paper presents the results of lateral impact load field tests carried out on a system of three steel pipe piles vibro-driven into soft clay in a near-shore marine environment, with the aim of evaluating the pile–soil–pile dynamic interaction. Piles are arranged in an “L” shaped horizontal layout and are instrumented with accelerometers at their free heads. The obtained results show the complex dynamic behaviour at very small strain of the vibrating soil–water–piles system. The role of different type of waves in the pile to pile interaction is investigated by analyzing the results in the time and frequency domains and by means of a time–frequency analysis. The effects of the pile spacing and input direction on these interaction mechanisms are also presented. Finally, important dynamic parameters of the soil, such as the velocities of the shear waves and surface waves (Scholte waves) of the upper soil are directly estimated from the time delays between signals recorded at the pile heads.

► Full-scale lateral impact load tests on near-shore steel pipe piles. ► Procedure to evaluate S-wave and surface wave velocities in surficial deposits. ► Dynamic pile-to-pile interaction at very low strains. ► Experimental response functions of near-shore piles. ► Time–frequency analyses to evaluate the dynamic response of piles.