In-situ test campaign of vibrodriven sheet piles.

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An experimental test campaign was recently performed in the facilities of the BBRI to compare the dynamic behavior and the performances of different vibrodriven sheet piles. Within the framework of this in-situ test campaign, three types of sheet pile were instrumented and vibrodriven in homogeneous soil strata involving refusal conditions at a reachable depth. A continuous monitoring was conducted during the vibrodriving of all the sheet piles. The present paper describes the geotechnical context of the site, the preparation of the sheet piles, transducers and acquisition material, the vibratory hammer, the installation of the sheet piles and a summary of the results obtained during the test campaign. As a result of the test campaign, no fundamental difference was observed between the three types of sheet piles in terms of cumulative driving time and driving velocity curves. Moreover, as observed during the vibrodriving, irregularities in the measurements (deformations and accelerations) can often be explained by the monitoring of the holding back force applied by the crane operator to the head of the sheet pile. The influence of this parameter should always be regarded when comparing different vibrodriven sheet piles.