Événement

ASCE Seattle Section Ports and Harbors Committee Monthly Dinner

Speaker:
Tim Dardis, M.S., Marine Construction Technologies co-founder, University of Washington Ph.D. candidate

Tim is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington (UW). His dissertation is on underwater noise control of impact pile driving processes. He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from UW and has completed extensive coursework in Arctic Engineering at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Tim most recently worked as a Loads and Dynamics Engineer at Boeing Research & Technology (formerly known as Phantom Works) before pursuing his PhD.

Topic:
Pile driving can and should be quiet(er)

Marine pile driving is highly regulated because of growing environmental concerns and the intense noise associated with marine construction. Several local, regional and national agencies are involved in the sometimes lengthy permitting process as well as overseeing the construction itself. This increases costs, lengthens project time lines, and still there are negative impacts to the environment.

The University of Washington and the Washington State Department of Transportation have partnered to address the underwater noise caused by impact pile driving. The result of this partnership was an advancement in impact pile driving that provides over a 20 dB reduction in acoustic emissions. The technology utilizes existing construction methods to maximize ease of implementation and promises to minimize costs and schedule risks around projects.

Tim's presentation will explain the construction changes, underlying physics, and mechanics making this noise reduction possible. Results from full scale testing will be highlighted and future efforts in noise reduction discussed.

Please join us for a look into what can be done to improve construction techniques and significantly reduce the environmental impact of marine pile driving.