7/28/2019 What is Pile Integrity Test ?

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What is Pile Integrity Test ?

Posted on June 19, 2017

Concrete piles and drilled shafts are an important category of foundations. Despite their relatively
high cost, they become necessary when we want to transfer the loads of a a heavy superstructure
(bridge, high rise building, etc.) to the lower layers of soil. Quality control and quality assurance
has been a popular, yet challenging task for geotechnical engineers, inspectors, and piling
contractors, mainly because these elements are generally buried under ground, with only pile
head being accessible most of the time. Different intrusive and non-intrusive methods have been
developed over the past decades to help engineers with easy, reliable and cost-effective
evaluation of quality in these elements. Pile Integrity test is referred to a group of nondestructive
tests that aim to provide quantitative data on physical dimensions of pile elements, their
continuity, and last but not least, consistency of the pile material.

What is Pile Integrity Test?

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Pile integrity test (PIT), or as ASTM D5882 refers to it as "low strain impact integrity testing of
deep foundation is a widely used nondestructive test method for the evaluation of pile quality,
integrity and to help estimate the unknown length of existing piles and foundations. Pile integrity
test can be either used for for forensic evaluations on existing piles, or quality assurance in the
new construction. The integrity test is applicable to driven concrete piles and cast-in-place piles.
The following image provides a visual summary of major integrity issues in deep foundations.

Low strain impact integrity testing provides acceleration or velocity and force (optional) data on
slender structural elements (ASTM D5882). Sonic Echo (SE) and Impulse Response (IR) are
employed for the integrity test on deep foundation and piles. The test results can be used for
evaluation of the pile cross-sectional area and length, the pile integrity and continuity, as well as
consistency of the pile material; It is noted that this evaluation practice is approximate. The PIT
method works best for column type foundations, such as piles and drilled shafts. The method
provides a rapid and simple tool for evaluation of a number of piles in a single working day.

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Pile Integrity Testing

How to Perform PIT?

Surface preparation is the rst thing to do when performing a pile integrity test. Any type of
contamination should be removed (using a grinder) to reach to solid and sound concrete surface.
The pile head surface should be accessible, above water, and clean of loose concrete, soil or other
foreign materials resulting from construction. This step is so vital, because then connection
between the sensor and concrete should be solid ( rm contact). The acceleration sensor should be
placed on concrete rmly. To do so, a couplant material should be used to attach the acceleration
sensor the pile head.  An impactor (usually a hand-held hammer) is used for impacting pile head;
the impact should be applied axially with the pile. Motion transducer should be capable of
detecting and recording the re ected echos over the pile top. Acceleration, velocity, or
displacement transducers can be used for this purpose. At the minimum, acceleration transducer
should have an Analog to Digital Converter with 12 bit resolution; and a Sample Frequency of at
least 25 KHz. The location of the sensor should be selected away from the edges of the pile. The
integrity testing should be performed no sooner than 7 days after casting or after concrete
strength achieves at least 3/4 of its design strength, whichever occurs earlier.

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The distance between the impact location and the sensor should be no larger than 300
mm. Several impacts are applied to the top of the pile. The re ected echos are then recorded for
each individual impact. As an alternative, the average can be determined and used. As mentioned
earlier, acceleration transducer can be used for the purpose of this test. In this case, the apparatus
shall provide signal conditioning and integrate acceleration to obtain velocity. The apparatus shall
balance the velocity signal to zero between impact events.

What Information Does Pile Integrity Test

Provide?

The Pile Integrity Test (PIT) provides information about:

+ Evaluate integrity and consistency of pile material (concrete, timber);

Continuity of pile

Defects such as cracks

Necking

Soil inclusion

+ Evaluate unknown length of piles, or shafts;

+ Evaluate pile cross-sectional area and length;

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Limitations of Pile Integrity Test

The PIT provide an indication of soundness of concrete; however, the test has certain limitations:

+ PIT can not be used over pile caps.

+ It does not provide information regarding the pile bearing capacity.
+ Test should be undertaken by persons experienced in the method and capable of interpreting
the results with speci c regard to piling.
+ This test is not effective in piles with highly variable cross sections
+ It is not effective in evaluating sections of piles below cracks that crosses the entire cross
sectional area of the pile.

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This entry was posted in Construction, NDT, Piles and Foundations, Ultrasonic Testing and tagged Concrete
Pile, Piles. Bookmark the permalink.

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13 thoughts on “What is Pile Integrity Test ?”

Stephen Flux says: Reply

June 25, 2017 at 2:56 pm

Can you provide a quote for purchase of the equipment

FOLA ADENIYI says: Reply

June 29, 2017 at 7:45 pm

Hi.
Your comment on pile integrity test appreciated. We shall be glad to acquire the equipment
capable to generate image of the pile in the ground. In addition to the length and diameter along
with other information that dictate the integrity of the pile. Kindly furnish us the cost of various
brand of pile integrity test equipment available in your company.

Luis Eduardo Galavis says: Reply

July 6, 2017 at 10:00 am

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As a Geotechnical engineer consultant I would probably purchase the equipment. Could you
please informe me it`s cost.
Luis : Galavis M. MSCE

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Ali Talafha says: Reply

December 21, 2017 at 6:28 am

what is the maximum pile depth can be handled with this test?

Tiffany Locke says: Reply

December 27, 2017 at 8:45 pm

Thanks for explaining how the pile integrity test sends a shock wave that travels the length and will
set up secondary re ections to be sent with the return signal if there are any defects or
discontinuities. Properly inspecting the piles and other parts of your project would probably be
important to ensure that they’re stable and in good condition. In order to get the most accurate
results and ensure you understand what they mean, it would probably be important to hire a
professional company for installation and the other services you require so you can avoid
problems.

NC Pandey says: Reply

March 30, 2018 at 6:35 am

How much it cost to undertake test for a pile of 750 mm dia and 40 meter length

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SATISH C DHUPELIA says: Reply

April 10, 2019 at 3:43 am

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” PIT “, has been recommended by me for Pile Integrity Tests for most of the Pile Installations, with
my recommendations on ALL the Projects as executed, as also those ongoing, with myself being
Consulting Structural Engineer.

I would like to know, whether this system, can be deployed, indirectly, for veri cation of continuity
of Concrete Mass, in RCC Columns, post their construction ?

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