Installation of 48 Inch Diameter Test Piles at the Port of Alaska

摘要

The Port of Alaska is modernizing its facilities through the Port of Alaska Modernization Program (PAMP). An initial step in the program was implementation of a test pile project (TPP), which involved installation of ten 200-foot long by 48-inch diameter, 1-inch wall, steel pipe piles. The TPP replicated the concept pile design and marine permit conditions. The project included (1) monitoring response of each pile during initial installation and 13 to 38 days after initial pile installation with a pile driving analyzer (PDA) and (2) evaluating the performance of two types of underwater noise attenuation systems (NAS). Key observations from the TPP included doubling of pile capacity for the setup periods, the absence of soil-plug formation during initial driving and restrike, and appreciable decreases in underwater noise from the use of the NAS. This paper summarizes background for and results of the test pile project.