Predicting driving transferred energy without needing the hammer efficiency: three case studies

Abstract

This study presents case studies on the implementation of an innovative method of calculating effective driving energy with no need to account for hammer efficiency. The approach is based on measurements of set and elastic rebound, as well as a site-specific parameter (λ) calibration. The study applied this method to steel piles located in the cities of Santos (SP), Itaguaí (RJ), and Óbidos (PA), with the latter site being built in the Amazon region, near the Amazon River. Following coefficient calibration, the effective driving energy estimation technique exhibited a strong correlation with realistic and accurate energies directly obtained from dynamic loading tests. The method provides a highly accurate means of calculating effectively transferred energy to piles due to hammer blows, without relying on knowledge of the driving system performance. In that way, it can be applied to all the piles at the site (100% of them), including those that are not tested. This optimized and agile approach represents a significant breakthrough in foundation engineering and an enhance of pile foundation quality control.