Groundborne vibration caused by mechanised construction works

The increasing size and power of construction plant and its potential to dissipate intrusive or possibly damaging levels of vibration into the environment, coupled with increasing attention being given to environmental aspects of road construction, have led to a need for improved methods of ground vibration prediction. While there is an increasing need to minimise the intrusive effects of construction works, over-conservative restrictions on vibration levels may lead to significant and unnecessary cost increases. This report provides data and advice against which objections to schemes may be judged and a means of assessing the environmental impact of vibration from road construction works. Predictors are proposed for vibratory compaction, vibratory piling and vibratory ground treatment, with three levels of the probability that the predictions will be exceeded. A predictor is also given for the likely upper bound vibration levels from impact piling in a range of ground types. Further predictors are given for vibration from dynamic compaction and tunnelling, and for groundborne noise from tunnelling. The appropriate British Standards for the assessment of the effects of the predicted vibration are reviewed and compared with other national standards. (A)