PILE DRIVING INDICATOR PROGRAM RESULTS, PIER 400 CONTAINER WHARF, PORT OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

The largest single-user container terminal in North America was recently constructed on Pier 400 at the Port of Los Angeles. The terminal's 2,250-meter long wharf is supported by about 3,700 24-inch octagonal precast, prestressed concrete piles. The piles are about 35-meters long and were driven through between 3 and 16 meters of rock dike. A total of 55 piles were monitored during two indicator pile-driving programs to develop the appropriate pile driving criteria to obtain the required axial pile capacity. The pile driving indicator programs include: (1) data from two different size diesel hammers and one hydraulic hammer; (2) comparison of piles driven dry versus those driven with jetting; and (3) restrike data after several days, several weeks, and several months. The results of the indicator pile programs provide the opportunity to better appreciate: (1) the impacts on capacity and schedule, when the piles are jetted; (2) the validity of using short-term restrikes to evaluate the ultimate long-term capacity of the piles; and (3) the potential economic, schedule, and quality control advantages that can be obtained when a hydraulic hammer is used.