Cast-in-Place Foundation

Testing Methods
Major pile defects cause
foundation failures
 Anomaly Location (anomaly is not always a defect)
Percentage of Shafts with Anomalies

Middle Mid 1/3

10% 11%

37% Top 1/3

44% 38%
Bottom 2D Top 2D Bottom 1/3
32% 58% 45%

Jones & Wu, Geotechnology, Inc.

Billy Camp, S&ME Inc.
Southeast USA
“Crosshole Sonic Logging of South
Carolina Drilled Shafts: A Ten Year
Summary” - Presentation to ADSC Expo
2012, San Antonio March 2012
Missouri and Kansas
“Experiences with Cross-hole Sonic
Logging and Concrete Coring for
Verification of Drilled Shaft Integrity”,
ADSC GEO3 Construction Quality
Assurance/Quality Control Technical
Conference, Dallas Nov 2005
QA/QC Method Selection for Drilled Shafts
During Excavation

Drill Hole Drill Hole Base

Verticality Radius / Volume Cleanliness

Mechanical Ultrasonic Mechanical Ultrasonic Concrete Weighted Mini Ding Shaft

Calipers Calipers Calipers Calipers Volume-Depth Tape Shaft Inspection Quantitative
Plot Inspection Device Inspection
Device (DID) Device
(Mini-SID) (SQUID)

Sonic Shaft Area Sonic Shaft Area

Caliper Profile Caliper Profile
Evaluator Evaluator
(SHAPE) (SHAPE)
Shaft Area Profile Evaluator
(SHAPE)
 SHAPE
• Multi Channel Ultra sonic device to scan the
sidewall condition in wet pour drilled shafts
• Determines shaft profile, radius, volume, and
verticality
• Measures 660 mm high and 254 mm dia.
• Weighs approximately 30 Kg
• Quick connects to the Kelly bar or winch
• Built in calibration pulse to adjust for
variations in wave speed
• Data acquired at approximately 1 scan per
second
• All 8 channels scanned simultaneously
• Drilling stem advances at approximately 1 ft. /sec.
(300 mm/sec.)
• System is wireless, so no electronic cables
required while deploying in the shaft
 SHAPE
Removable Battery
Pressure Sensor

Calibration Sensors

Electronics Unit

Transmitter
Pressure Sensor Receiver
 SHAPE
• Measure Wave Travelling
Speed (WS) from Downward
at 1 Ft Per
calibration sensors Second
• Measure time from
transmit time until
reflection pulse
from sidewall
received (t)

• Radius = WS * t
SHAPE Sensor Data – Good Slurry
SHAPE Output – Good Signals
Slurry within Spec
SHAPE Sensor Data – Too Much Sand in Slurry
Kenya Test
Kenya Test – Shaft within Verticality Spec
Kenya Test – Shaft Outside Verticality Spec
Waterfall Diagram on a Belled Shaft
Belled Shaft
SHAPE Adjustments for Diaphragm Walls
 SHAPE
• Used to determine the shaft profile,
radius, volume, and verticality

• Fully autonomous with no electronic

cables required
• Wired version available

• Quick connects to the Kelly bar or used

with a cable winch
• Internal gyro adjusts for any rotations,
allowing the SHAPE to be deployed from
a single rope – simpler deployment
system
QA/QC Method Selection for Drilled Shafts
During Excavation

Drill Hole Drill Hole Base

Verticality Radius / Volume Cleanliness

Mechanical Ultrasonic Mechanical Ultrasonic Concrete Weighted Mini Ding Shaft

Calipers Calipers Calipers Calipers Volume-Depth Tape Shaft Inspection Quantitative
Plot Inspection Device Inspection
Device (DID) Device
(Mini-SID) (SQUID)

Sonic Shaft Area Sonic Shaft Area

Caliper Profile Caliper Profile
Evaluator Evaluator
(SHAPE) (SHAPE)
 Shaft
Quantitative
Inspection
Device
(SQUID)
 SQUID
• Measures the cleanliness of the Drilled Shaft/Bored
Pile bottom

• Quick connect to Kelly bar or drill stem for fast

simple operation

• Quantifies the extent of bottom sediment/debris at

base of drilled shafts
• Measure force versus displacement as penetrometers
are pushed into the shaft bottom
• 3 cone penetrometers with individual displacement
measurements
• Determines the thickness of the soft soil layer and the
load vs. displacement for the bearing layer
SQUID Body
SQUID Operation
 SQUID Screen Shot

Value
Cone Zero
LOG Scale
Cone Zero line
Field Examples
Bluefield, WV

Very soft, but muck bucket is empty – socket open for 5 days!

• Shale Bedrock
• Muck bucket used for
cleaning
• <0.5” over 75% of section
• <1.5” everywhere
Bluefield, WV

After drilling slightly deeper

West Virginia
 SQUID
• SQUID measures
– thickness of debris layer
– cone tip resistance to penetration
• Three cone penetrometers with
separate depth measurements
• Standard 60o - 10 cm2 cones
• Quick deployment accelerates
inspection and minimizes debris settling
from slurry
• Can be operated remotely with SiteLink
Technology
• Safer - No need to approach the open
hole
QA/QC Method Selection for Drilled Shafts
Post Concreting

Concrete Concrete Axial

Integrity Cover Capacity

Pile Crosshole Thermal Thermal Gamma Static Bi-Direction Dynamic Rapid

Integrity Sonic Integrity Integrity Gamma Load Static Load Load
Testing Logging Profiling Profiling Logging Test Load Test Test Test
(PIT) (CSL) (TIP) (TIP) (GGL) (SLT) (BDSLT) (DLT) (RLT)
D5882 D6760 D7949 D7949 --- D1143 D8169 D4945 D7383
Low Strain Pile Integrity Testing
Which pile do we test?
Which pile can we test?

Any of these piles could have a defect

PIT Motivation and Advantages

• prime function is to locate major defects

(to evaluate questionable shafts)
• easily test many piles
(good for quality assurance)

• no advance selection required

(good for forensic purposes)
 Pile Integrity Testing…...looks for major defects
Accelerometer measures response
Small hand-held
hammer applies impact
 Pulse Echo Method Results
5: # 9 40 FT GOOD
in/s
0.20 1.55 LB

9/1/2000 10:56:12 AM
Hi 100.0 f t 63.0 Hz
2W 2.50 f t 2520 Hz
0.10

Pile Properties
D = 11.28 in.
0.00
L=40 ft.
WS = 12600
-0.10
L/D=43 (D=11.28 in)
V 0.174 in/s (0.186)
ft./sec.
40.00 f t (12600 f t/s)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 f t

Plot of filtered, un-amplified test record

 Pile Integrity Testing…...looks for major defects
Accelerometer measures response
Small hand-held
hammer applies impact

(defect)
Pulse Echo Method Results

Shaft Properties
D = 60 in.
L= 69.5 ft.
WS = 13300 ft./sec

Plot of filtered, amplified test record

Major Defect at 35 Feet on 5 Foot Diameter Shaft

PIT Catalog - Basic Interpretations

Local Defect: small medium large

Local Bulge: small medium large

 Normal test Drilled Shafts Tests
(pile top “free”)
Good
Pile

Bad
Pile

L = 82 ft., D = 31.5 in. (2.62 ft.)

(L/D = 31)
 Preparing the Pile Top
• Remove loose
contaminated or
fractured concrete
from core
• Cut rebar to min
lengths
• Grind flat spots for
hammer impact
and to attach
accelerometer
Selecting
1 lb hammer (92 ft,Proper
72” shaft) Hammer
18 lb hammer Size

center

north

Larger hammers sometimes makes

inspection ofwest
large shafts easier.
Try different hammers on same pile.
east

south
 PIT indicated a defect at 13.5 ft. (4.1 m)
depth
Defect

Defect confirmed by coring

Failed static load test often prompts testing

Reaction pile OK

Test pile defective

14 inch augercast piles with 15 foot rebars

Instrumented hammer
(PIT-FV)

Velocity above and/or wider Also required for Mobility and

than force means defect near Dynamic Stiffness
top determination (Frequency
Domain Analysis)
Detected
defect in 0.09
in /s 6: # 19 MA: 10.00

Franki pile MD :
LE:
5.25
26.08

(Brazil)
0.05 W S: 13123
LO : 6.56
H I: 328.08

• Excavated 0.00 PV:

T1:
1
32
pile shaft - -0 . 0 4

due to -0 . 0 9
T1 To e
Vel
lateral soil 0 5 10 15 20 25 f t
F /Z

displaceme
nt from
later piles
Testing Foundations
In Service

Tests show pile lengths of 54 ft (16.5 m)

Profile Analysis –  & Profile
40 FT BAD
5: # 13 1.55 LB
0.08
in/s

Low Pass: 2.00 ft 3175 Hz

0.04

0.00

-0.04
40.00 ft (12700 ft/s) V 0.076 in/s (0.080)
x1
Magn
0.75
29.4 ft 0.33
42.9 ft
1
Beta
0
0.97 0.85
12.1 ft 30.8 ft

Relative Vol.: 0.98

Construct. Vol. 1.00
Max Profile: 1.17 at 25.72 ft
Min Profile 0.85 at 30.81 ft

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 diam

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 ft
 Two velocity plot

Pile: bad - 3: # 2

300 mm square precast

0 0

12.5’
3.8m
concrete pile with 5
5

manufactured 20%
27’
8.2m reduction 10

10

15

40’ 15

Note that the pulse width

12.1m

20

effects the resolution of the 20

20% 5’
max reduction. 25

reduction 1.5m
25

30

0.80
105.26 ft

30

35

35
40 35.4
ft diam
Conclusions - Pile Integrity Testing
• Fast, Inexpensive
• Mobile equipment, minimum site support
• Test many or even all piles on site
• No advance planning required
• Minimal pile surface preparation
• Finds major defects
• Cannot locate defect in cross section
• Can be difficult to locate defects in the upper
portion
• Potential length limitation (L/D > 30)
• Non-uniform pile difficult to interpret
• Cracks or joints block waves
Parallel Seismic Testing—PIT extension
• Used for unknown
foundation length
• Existing buildings
• Bridges
• Foundation reuse
• Instrumented hammer
• Hydrophone in PVC lined
borehole monitors wave
transmission
Parallel Seismic Test
Cross Hole Sonic Logging
ASTM D6760
 Pull

Put probes in
Probes
From Cross Hole Test
bottom of Bottom
tubes. To Top Repeat test
Top view of pile with 4
for each access tubes
tube pair

Fill Tubes
with water Stress Waves, emitted
in one tube are received
in another one if concrete
quality is satisfactory
Transmit Receive
Cross Hole Sonic Logging
Velocity = distance/time
• Distance is spacing measured
between tubes
• Time is measured transit time
for pulse
Cross-hole Sonic Logging

Shaft

Reinforcement Cage

Anomaly in CSL Logging Tubes

direct
transmission
path easily
detected with
CSL
Cross-hole Sonic Logging

Shaft

Anomaly Reinforcement Cage

Anomaly outside CSL Logging Tubes

the direct
transmission
path will NOT be
detected with
CSL
 100%
90%
80%
70%
Testing Coverage

CSL
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Shaft Diam. (ft)
GGL Shaft Tested GGL Cover Tested CSL Shaft Tested CSL Cover Tested 60
Potential issue with concrete flow
Upcoming problem with CSL
PDI Probes
All Probes both Transmit
and Receive
CSL Test Setup
 How to find defects ?

Good

Defect
Reduced signal strength
Delayed arrival time
(slow wave speed)
65
Signal amplitude provides additional information

Signal

Defects

Arrival
First Arrival Time
“FAT” Defect

“Energy” is integration of Energy

signal amplitude
Defect
Could evaluate either
energy or signal amplitude
Relative Energy Reduction Rating Guide

12dB
9dB
A B C

0
0 15% 30%
First Arrival Time Delay
 Proposed guidance
Category B:
1. Rule out de-bonding (flood pile top)
2. Retest after longer wait time
3. Tomography
4. Consider depth location and # of affected profiles
Category C:
1. Rule out debonding (flood pile top)
2. Retest after longer wait time
3. Tomography
4. Consider depth location and # of affected profiles
5. excavation if near ground surface
6. core drilling if deep location (pressure grout, etc)
7. other test (low strain, high strain)
8. repair or replacement
 PDI shaft – when to test?
ASTM D6760 suggests test after 3 days
(French norm requires test after 7 days)

day 1 day 2 day 3 day 4

 “De-bonding”
 Weakening of bond between tube and concrete
 Almost always relatively near top
 Lateral impact on tube
 Coefficient of Thermal Expansion difference
•Concrete & steel – 12 x10-6/oC;
•PVC 50 x10-6/oC
 To minimize:
 Use steel access tubes
 fill tubes with water ASAP
 To mitigate: flood shaft top with water
70
 Initial test 30 min later

Test after
Initial Test flooding top
and Test of shaft
Repeated 30
minutes later
after flooding
top of shaft

71
71
Tomography
• Used for evaluation of
“local defect”
• Defect in some scans
but not all scans.
• If defect in all scans it is a
full layer defect. No need to
pay for the Tomography
analysis
Tomography: “PDI-Tomo”
Runs on Windows 7 or higher
Requires minimal user input
Improved analysis techniques
Case Studies
 Top Anomaly

Shaft was
rejected

Concrete placed through water for top 10 ft

because of a tremie problem.
Bottom Anomaly

Minimal or No Recovery
Cross-hole Sonic Logging
Advantages
• Not limited by L/D ratio
• Check concrete inside cage by depth & quadrant
• Installed tubes inspire better construction
• Tomography available
Limitations / Disadvantages
• Wait 3 to 7 days prior to test
• Access tubes required (steel preferred)
• Cannot see outside cage; limited x-section tested
• Small defect near tube can appear large
• Debonding, bleeding are issues
• leads to delays and unnecessary coring
Thermal Integrity Profiling
• ASTM D7949
 Thermal Integrity Profiling
• Measures the elevated temperatures during the hydration process to
determine pile integrity
• Temperature during curing is directly related to concrete quality,
volume, and radius (cover)
• Reductions in temperature indicate necking, inclusions, or poor quality concrete
• Increases in temperature indicate bulges or increased concrete cover
• Variance in temperature between diametrically opposite wires
indicates cage alignment/cover issues
• Acquiring Volume data allows temperature to be converted to
radius
• Thermal Integrity Profiler evaluates concrete both inside and
outside the cage
• Assessing both cover and alignment
• 100% of cross section evaluated
• Evaluates shaft during curing (as early as 12 hrs. depending upon
mix design and pile diameter)
Thermal Profile from Uniform Shaft
 Defect

Thermal Profile with Local Defect

Thermal Profile with Cage Shift
Recommended BOS Hyperbolic Adjustment Parameters
Avg BOS: Average temperature above roll-off region.
Generally equal to the temperature observed one diameter
up from the base of the shaft (up to 6 feet).
 Toe Adjustment Toe Adjustment
Temperature (F) Temperature (F)
70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140
80 80

avg avg
85 85
toe
toe
tanh
90 tanh
90
corrected
Depth (ft)

Depth (ft)
95 95

100 100

105 105

110 110
Toe Adjustment Example
 TIP Testing Equipment
• Thermal Wire® cable
- Embedded in grout or concrete
- Digital sensors sample temperature
data

• TAP Edge and TAG data

loggers
- Data collection with TAP Edge & TAG
- Data collection and transmission to
cloud
- Data can also be downloaded locally to
a TIP main unit onsite

• TIP Main Unit

- Project set up
- Download data from TAP box
- View field results
 Thermal Integrity Profiling

Secure Thermal Wire® Cables to reinforcing cage

with vinyl tie wraps
 Cable Splicing

Quick Connect
 TAG – Thermal AGgregator

• Wireless Cloud Based System

that aggregates information
from TAP boxes
TAG
• Data retrieved in office (user
TAP TAP TAP password protected internet
site)

• TAG doubles as TAP box

 Thermal Integrity Profiling

1 hour 4.5 hours 8 hours 18 hours

 Thermal Integrity Profiling

2 hours 4.5 hours 8 hours 18 hours

Thermal Integrity Profiling
Prior to pour completion Peak Temperature
Recommended TIP Criteria
Satisfactory (S)
< 6% Radius Reduction and
Cover Criteria Met
Anomaly requiring further Evaluation (E)
Radius Reduction > 6% or
Cover Criteria Not Met
(a uniform 6% reduced radius is a 12% area
reduction)
minimum cover – 4 inch - AASHTO
minimum cover – 3 inch - ACI
Need larger design cover to allow for cage
eccentricity so net cover is sufficient
 Temperature to Radius Conversion
• Acquire volume placed in the shaft
• Knowing the length of the shaft and the volume, we can calculate the
average radius ~ Volume = Area * Length
• Area = Volume/Length ~ Average Radius =
∗

• We then get an average temperature along the shaft

• Ignoring the top and bottom roll-off zones
_
• Local Radius =
_
Field Examples
I-5 Bridge over Puyallup River
Tacoma, Washington
 Tacoma Washington
• Wet cast Shaft in Washington State
• 118” diameter
• 10 TIP wires installed
• Cage Diameter 102”
• 126’ shaft length
• TIP testing begins immediately after casting
• Data recorded during pour as well as cure
• Data recorded for approximately 90 hours after casting
• Shaft peak temperature occurs approximately 40 hours after casting
• Shaft analysis done at time of one half peak temperature (20 hours)
TIP Data at Peak Temperature
 TIP Data at time of one half Peak
Temperature

Temperature drop is
approximately 42 °F between
average shaft temperature
and local temperature near
wires 7, 8, and 9
TIP Data at one half Peak Temperature
 6
5 7

4 8
Coring Locations

3
9

2 10
1
Coring Results at approximately 90’ depth
• Coring result
close to wires 7
and 8, where
largest reduction
occurred
• Coring confirms
TIP test results
• Zone was hydro-
blasted and
pressure
grouting was
performed
 Drilled Shaft with Soft Bottom
• Drilled Shaft
• Length: 24.55 ft.
• Shaft Diameter: 42 in (0-20.6 ft.)
• Socket Diameter: 38 in (20.6-24.55 ft.)
• Cage Diameter: 30 in
• Volume: 9.07 yd3 installed (107% of theoretical)
• Temporary casing installed to top of rock
Initial TIP results
Conversion to Radius
Coring results
Transmission Line Project
Late on a Friday we received a call from an Engineer stating “ We
pulled the forms off two foundations, and we think we have an
issue…”
 Project Details

• 8 -13 ft. Diameter Drilled Shafts for

monopole transmission line towers
• ~ 60 shafts constructed
• ~ 200 Shafts Remaining
Pit Testing for Existing Shafts
• Pit Tested first 60 shafts over the next week.
• Some with towers already in place
 PIT Testing
• PIT finds major defect in upper portion of the shaft
• Contractor excavates ~6 ft. around west side of shaft

• Void on west side of

shaft.
• Tower already up…
– Would have been loaded
with electric lines on this
side
– and 3 lane highway is ~30
ft further to the west.
 TIP Testing on New Shafts
• Shafts are wet cast with tremie pour
• New shafts tested using TIP
• No cage stickup above the top of concrete
• Place TAP-EDGE and TAGs on the anchor cage.
 Typical TIP Profile
• Typical Shaft
• 18” above ground reveal,10 ft. casing near top, drilled uncased below.

Temp vs Depth Radius vs Depth Soil Profile

Transmission Line Project - TIP Results
• Reduction in concrete quality in middle of shaft – “ One Bad Truck”

Temp vs Depth Radius vs Depth Soil Profile

Los Angeles – 18 inch augercast pile – July 2017
Pile Diameter in inches
0 10 20 30
0

10

20

Depth in Feet
30

40
measure
d
50

60

70
TIP provided area versus depth to properly convert
embedded strain sensor data to force for a static load test
 TIP on Micro Piles

• 10.75 inch
diameter
micropile
• 64 feet depth
PIT on Micro Piles
TIP and PIT on Micro Piles
 Thermal Integrity Profiling
Advantages
 Uses temperature vs. depth vs. quadrant
 Test early after casting (speeds construction)
 6 to 48 hours (depends on diameter)
 Evaluates concrete quality, cover & alignment
 Evaluates shape (look at peak temperature time)
 Finds significant defects (look at “half peak time”)
 Inspires quality construction
 Avoids CSL issues of debonding, bleeding
Limitations / Disadvantages
 Relies on fairly accurate volume measurements
 Preplan thermal wire cables
 Can test only during early curing
 Thank You!!
Questions???