An efficient model for underwater noise prediction during pile driving

Area of Science:

• Environmental Acoustics
• Marine Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering

Background:

• Underwater noise pollution from pile driving is a growing environmental concern.
• Existing models for predicting underwater noise are computationally expensive, time-consuming, and require separate analyses for near-field and far-field predictions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient and unified semi-analytical model for predicting underwater noise during pile installation.
• To overcome the limitations of current models in terms of computational cost and the need for separate near-field and far-field predictions.

Main Methods:

• Extension of the Baranov-Novak thin-layer model to incorporate pile-fluid-soil interaction for underwater noise prediction.
• Application of the Laplace transform and variable separation method to derive the semi-analytical solutions.

Main Results:

• The proposed model provides accurate predictions for both near-field and far-field underwater noise.
• The computational efficiency of the new model is orders of magnitude higher than finite element models.
• Validation against five reported research cases demonstrates that prediction errors are within acceptable limits.

Conclusions:

• The developed semi-analytical model offers an efficient and accurate solution for predicting underwater noise from pile driving.
• This unified approach simplifies the prediction process and reduces computational burden, making it a valuable tool for environmental impact assessments.