The underwater noise from impact pile driving is studied using a finite element model for the sound generation and parabolic equation model for propagation. Results are compared with measurements using a vertical line array deployed at a marine construction site in Puget Sound. It is shown that the dominant underwater noise from impact driving is from the Mach wave associated with the radial expansion of the pile that propagates down the pile after impact at supersonic speed. The predictions of vertical arrival angle associated with the Mach cone, peak pressure level as function of depth, and dominant features of the pressure timeseries compare well with corresponding field observations.
REFERENCES
1.
C. A. F.
de Jong
and M. A.
Ainslie
, “Underwater radiated noise due to the piling of the Q7 Offshore Wind Park
,” in Proceedings of the European Conference on Underwater Acoustic, Acoustics’08
, edited by M.
Zakharia
, Paris, France
(2008
), pp. 117
–122
.2.
S. P.
Robinson
, P. A.
Lepper
, and J.
Ablit
, “The measurement of the underwater radiated noise from marine piling including characterization of a ‘soft start’ period
,” in Proceedings IEEE Oceans 2007
, Aberdeen
, Scotland
(June 2007
).3.
P. T.
Madsen
, M.
Wahlbert
, J.
Tougaard
, K.
Lucke
, and P.
Tyack
, “Wind turbine underwater noise and marine mammals: Implications of current knowledge and data needs
,” Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.
309
, 279
–295
(2006
). 4.
B. H.
Fellenius
, “Reflections on pile dynamics
,” in 5th International Conference on the Application of Stress-Wave Theory to Piles
, Orlando, FL
(1996
) (keynote paper).5.
D. E.
Weston
, “Underwater explosions as acoustic sources
,” Proc. Phys. Soc.
76
, 233
249 (1960
). 6.
M. D.
Collins
, “A split-step Padé solution for the parabolic equation method
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
93
, 1736
–1742
(1993
). 7.
F. B.
Jensen
, W. A.
Kuperman
, M. B.
Porter
, and H.
Schmidt
, Computational Ocean Acoustics
(AIP
, New York
, 1994
).8.
K. L.
Williams
, D. R.
Jackson
, E. I.
Thorsos
, D.
Tang
, and S. G.
Schock
, “Comparison of sound speed and attenuation measured in a sandy sediment to predictions based on the Biot theory of porous media
,” IEEE J. Ocean. Eng.
27
, 413
–428
(2002
). 9.
J.
Zhou
, X.
Zhang
, and D. P.
Knobles
, “Low-frequency geoacoustic model for the effective properties of sandy bottoms
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
125
, 2847
–2866
(2009
). 10.
S. L.
Lee
, Y. K.
Chow
, G. P.
Karunaratne
, and K. Y.
Wong
, “Rational wave equation model for pile-driving analysis
,” J. Geotech. Eng.
114
(3
), 306
–325
(1988
). © 2011 Acoustical Society of America.
2011
Acoustical Society of America
You do not currently have access to this content.