Pile Testing

Essay # 9755

Engineering > Civil and Environment

Pile Testing

A description of two major types of pile tests-- pile-load test and integrity test.

2,330 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2002 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces and discusses pile tests methods - pile-load tests and integrity tests. The integrity tests include the acoustic test and the seismic test method. For each test the procedure and interpretation are discussed. Real-world cases are investigated and pictures are presented. Advantages and disadvantages of each method are concluded in the end.

From the Paper:

"In carrying out a maintained load test to determine the load capacity of a pile, it is suggested that it is necessary first to estimate the load capacity so that a suitable loading and reaction system may be provided, and then to define some physical event by which "failure", and hence the ultimate capacity of the pile may be recognized. Among the commonly used definitions of the ultimate load capacity are: First--The load that causes a settlement equal to 10% of the pile diameter. Second The load at which the rate of settlement continues undiminished without further increment of load, unless this rate is so slow as to indicate that settlement may be a result of consideration of the soil. For example, Qu in Figure 2 could be taken as the ultimate load."