Why Should Vibration be Assessed at an Early Stage?

Construction activities, blasting, rail traffic and road traffic can generate mechanical waves that travel through the ground. The resulting vibration may affect nearby buildings, infrastructure and sensitive equipment. It may also cause disturbance to residents and building users.

Particular attention may be required where vibration could interfere with technical processes or critical infrastructure, including energy and water supply systems, medical facilities, or data centres.

How Do Monitoring and Prediction Support a Project?

Vibration predictions provide an early indication of the potential effects associated with planned activities. Vibration monitoring captures data on the levels that occur during the works. Together, these services provide a sound basis for identifying risks, assessing actual conditions and informing decisions throughout the project.

CDM Smith supports construction and demolition projects with consultancy and engineering services relating to vibration. Together, we develop measures to protect buildings and infrastructure while safeguarding the well-being of local residents.

Our Services at a Glance

With our extensive experience in vibration measurements and predictions, we offer a broad range of services, including:

• Structural condition surveys for damage prevention
• Analysis of machine-induced vibrations
• Investigation of wave propagation behaviour in soil
• Immission monitoring of:
  • Above and below ground structures
  • IT systems (e.g. servers and hard drives)
  • Medical facilities and analytical devices

Additional Measurement and Testing Services

In addition to vibration monitoring, we provide sound level measurements to assess noise impacts and pile integrity testing to verify the quality and integrity of foundation elements.
 

Areas of Expertise

Our expertise covers a wide range of areas where vibration monitoring is essential, including:

• Construction activities
  • Drilling operations (e.g. bored piles)
  • Piling works (e.g. driven piles, sheet piles, peiner piles)
  • Compaction works (e.g. vibratory plate and roller compaction, intensive compaction with falling masses)
• Rail and road traffic
• Blasting vibrations (e.g. demolition blasting, extraction blasting, excavation blasting}

Our customised solutions help prevent damage to structures and critical infrastructure, ensuring the safe execution of your projects.