Impact Pile Driving Noise Propagation

Noise due to impact pile driving is facing increasing scrutiny from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on federally overseen construction projects. Although there are no consistent regulatory criteria for pile driving noise, stringent limits may be imposed by the agency. Test piles for construction of a proposed LNG facility were studied. Pile driving noise from two different impact rigs, one diesel and one hydraulic, were measured. The sound level contribution of pile driving noise at several neighborhoods near the proposed construction site were estimated using a variety of different potential meteorological conditions. Differences in sound propagation between impact noise and steady-state noise described in the ISO 9613-2 standard were also explored.