Optimum Control of Vibratory Piling Process

A difficult task in densely constructed urban areas is to proceed to new extensions or to unavoidable repairs without creating damages to existing buildings. The method so far is to isolate the worked zone by sheet piles to maintain constant earth pressure conditions against existing foundations. But even if they are much less harmful than classical hammering methods, the vibratory methods in use to drive the sheet piles into the ground are still producing oscillations which propagate into the ground and may endanger the neighbouring buildings especially if a resonance phenomenon do occur. A control method is analysed in the following to keep the vibration amplitude below a fixed safety level while the sheet itself is piled in minimum time into its pre-assigned position.