Dynamic Testing of Piles

Dynamic testing is not expensive but problem foundations

are. All construction depends upon a firm foundation.
Deep foundation designers require either piles or drilled
shafts to support increasingly higher loads. With use of
deep foundations more thorough and reliable inspection
methods are essential. Traditional pile testing methods
have serious drawbacks; energy formulae are dangerously
unreliable, while static load tests are expensive, time
consuming and in many cases physically impossible to
conduct. Static load tests not run to failure provide only a
limited amount of information. The need for cost
effective quality assurance has been widely
acknowledged. Dynamic testing has satisfied this need as
evidenced by a rapidly growing number of specifications
and test standards, resulting in worldwide routine and
comprehensive dynamic testing programs.
Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA)
The PDA uses signals from reusable strain and
acceleration transducers (see Fig. 1) which are quickly
bolted or anchored to steel, concrete or timber piles, or to
drilled shafts. A PDA unit of the latest model (PAK) is
shown in Fig. 2.
PDA utilizes closed form solutions to wave propagation
theory to solve the following:
hammer performance to qualify pile driving
equipment
preliminary estimates of activated bearing capacity
(CASE Method Estimates) during driving, or later by
restrike to include time dependent soil strength
changes
driving stresses to investigate potentially damaging
situations, and assess effects of changes to the driving
system
structural integrity of pile shaft
Immediate display of these values is generated for each
impact from a hammer. This produces more information
than by conventional static loading test, at a fraction of
the cost and time.
CASE Method estimates suitable for the general pile-soil
combination are readily available on site. Detailed
modeling by CAPWAP analysis on selected records is
required to determine the most representative CASE
Method for the tested piles and to verify the activated
bearing capacity.
Using dynamic testing, the number of static load tests can
be reduced or even completely eliminated.
For small projects, large piles or locations over water, where
static testing is prohibitively expensive or physically
impossible, dynamic testing can be a low cost tool for
inspection and evaluation of the foundation piles.
For large projects, some static tests can be replaced by several
dynamic tests, increasing quality control and optimizing the
driving criteria with potentially substantial savings in time and
money.
For example, special test programs prior to or at the beginning
of production piling have often detected poor hammer
performance, dangerous driving stresses, inadequate driving
criteria or excessive pile lengths. Furthermore, occasional
monitoring for quality control often provides a basis for quick
remedial action and therefore reduced construction claims.

Fig. 1 Schematic of PDA testing system

Fig. 2 PDA unit (PAK Model) and gages
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Wave Equation Analysis of Pile Driving
(WEAP)

The Wave Equation Analysis of Pile driving (WEAP) is a
computer program that simulates motions and forces in a
foundation pile when struck by an impact pile driving
hammer. In a Bearing Graph Analysis (most commonly
used), a pile at the design embedment depth is modeled to
simulate its response to impact by the specified hammer
and driving system. Dynamic soil parameters used in the
modeling are based on available soil information. When
actual dynamic testing data is available, more
representative dynamic soil parameters determined by
CAPWAP analysis can be substituted to produce a
Site-Specific WEAP Analysis. Fig. 1 below shows
Bearing Graph results, done as a band with the upper and
lower boundaries (dashed lines) representing the ranges
for optimistic and pessimistic expected pile behavior.
A site-specific bearing graph produced following the
actual dynamic testing is also shown as a solid line plot.
In a Bearing Graph analysis the WEAP program
computes the following (see sample output in Fig. 2):






The blow count (number of hammer blows per unit
length of permanent set) of a pile under one or more
assumed ultimate resistance values and other dynamic
soil resistance parameters, given a hammer and driving
system (helmet, hammer cushion, pile cushion)
The axial stresses in a pile (tension and compression)
corresponding to the computed blow count
The energy transferred to a pile
Based on the results, the following can be indirectly
derived:
The piles bearing capacity at the time of driving or
restriking, given its penetration resistance (blow
count)
The stresses during the pile driving
The expected blow count if the actual static bearing
capacity of the pile is known in advance (i.e. from
static soil analysis)
WEAP Bearing Graph analysis is the best available tool
to produce criteria for pile driving termination.
Combined with Dynamic Testing and CAPWAP analysis,
a Site-specific Bearing Graph offers the most reliable
correlation between observed blow count and pile
capacity.
Another application of the WEAP program is the
Driveability Analysis. This analysis is performed to
simulate the actual driving of the pile and can be described as
a series of Bearing Graph analyses performed at different
depths of penetration (see sample output in Fig. 3). A
Driveability Analysis can simulate construction details such as
splicing, soil set-up during waiting time when driving is
interrupted, change in pile cushion stiffness during driving,
and other aspects. Sample driveability analysis results for
initial driving and restrike conditions are shown in Figs. 3
and 4, respectively.
Combined with a static analysis of pile capacity, WEAP
driveability analysis is a very useful tool for pile design,
driving system selection, and estimated driving time.
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Penetration resistance (Blows/m)
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
Site-specific Bearing Graph
Lower bound
(pessimistic behavior)
Upperr bound
(optimistic behavior)
Site-specific
Bearing Graph

Fig. 1 WEAP prediction and Site-specific
Bearing Graph

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Fig. 2 Sample WEAP Bearing Graph output



Fig. 3 Sample WEAP Driveability Analysis output Initial driving conditions

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Fig. 4 Sample WEAP Driveability Analysis output Restrike conditions




CASE Pile Wave Analysis Program
(CAPWAP)

Case Pile Wave Analysis Program (CAPWAP) combines
measured force and velocity data with wave equation
analysis to calculate the soil resistance forces acting on
the pile. Because force and velocity measurements are
the pile top input excitation, it is not necessary to model
the hammer and driving system as in a wave equation
analysis. CAPWAP models the pile as a series of
continuous and uniform segments. Each segment is of
uniform cross-section but segments may be different from
each other (for modeling non-uniform piles). A soil
model similar to Smiths wave equation model is
assumed, which includes the total resistance and its
distribution, damping constants, and quakes. Fig. 1 shows
a simplified illustration of the CAPWAP soil model for a
single segment along the pile shaft. A similar model is
used for the toe segment.
In summary, the CAPWAP results are based on best
possible match between a computed pile top variable
(i.e. the pile top force) and its measured equivalent.
When the match is unsatisfactory, the process of
iteratively changing the soil resistance parameters and
computing the pile top variable is repeated. The
potentially large number of unknowns in the soil model
could make signal matching a frustrating effort.
The PDA measurements need analysis and expertise to be
useful. After dynamically testing a pile with the Pile
Driving Analyzer (PDA), preliminary CASE Method
Estimates of capacity are reported. The accuracy and
reliability of a CASE method is dependant on many
variables such as: resistance distribution, soil damping,
pile penetration velocity, etc... To determine the
applicable Case Method Estimate, CAPWAP analysis
must be performed.

Fig. 1 CAPWAP soil model
The traces of force and velocity measured in the field will
be matched with force and velocity computed by
CAPWAP to provide the foundation engineer with the
following wave equation parameters:
Applicable Case Method Estimates of capacity
Shaft resistance, magnitude and distribution
Toe resistance
Shaft and toe damping
Shaft and toe quake
Simulated pile behavior under static analysis
Fig. 2 shows a sample distribution of computed shaft
resistance. A typical graphical output of CAPWAP
analysis is presented in Fig. 3
Fig. 2 Computed shaft resistance distribution

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Fig. 3 Sample graphical output of CAPWAP analysis results

Typical Dynamic Testing Program

Dynamic testing and monitoring is not an off-the-shelf
product bought at the lowest price possible, but a
professional service provided by highly trained engineers
and adapted to the project. The Pile Driving Analyzer is
not a black box with all the answers popping out when
gages are attached to the pile, but a tool to use with skill
and experience of the PDA and CAPWAP engineer. The
measurements need to be adapted to the project and
properly analyzed and reported. Using it simply as low
cost replacement for a static loading test and neglecting
all other information coming out of proper records and
analyses is wasteful. The designer should think through
the testing program and the specifications should spell out
the extent of the testing and reporting required for the
project.
CAPWAP Analysis: Activated bearing capacity is given
by CASE Method estimates which are dependant on
factors such as resistance distribution, soil damping, early
unloading, and other factors. This dependency may result
in a wide range of estimated capacity by the various
methods, many of which may not be applicable.
CAPWAP analyses of properly selected test records
would confirm the true activated capacity and would
narrow the range of CASE Methods representative of the
test piles and site conditions. The number of CAPWAP
analyses required is dependant on variations in soil
conditions, pile details, and pile behavior. When testing
at end of initial driving and at restrike, both tests should
be subject to CAPWAP analysis.
Site Specific WEAP Analysis: Dynamic soil parameters
determined by CAPWAP analysis should be used as input
to WEAP to determine a site specific bearing graph that
can guide the piling inspector during production piling.
Any production pile that is not within reasonable
agreement with the site specific bearing graph should be
subject to PDA monitoring for additional investigation.
Dynamic Testing Program
WEAP Analysis: Wave equation analysis will
marry the hammer to the pile and soil and to the
particular driveability conditions and desired capacity
to obtain values of energy, force, stresses, and blow
count. The result should be the Bearing Graph as a
band with the upper and lower boundaries
representing the ranges for optimistic and
pessimistic expected behavior. When hammer
selection and pile embedment are to be optimized, a
Driveability analysis may be an ideal tool.
Dynamic Testing Report: The representative CASE
Methods and CAPWAP results are reported along with
important PDA data such as:
Transferred energy: to verify hammer performance
Maximum compressive stress in the pile: important at
initial driving to investigate damage potential due to
prolonged hard driving
Dynamic testing and monitoring:
Testing program should be before or at the
beginning of piling activities
Maximum compressive stress at the toe: important
when driving to bedrock or if boulders are encountered
Test piles should be spread across the site to
represent the subsurface conditions of the site as
much as possible
Maximum tensile stress: crucial when driving concrete
piles
Number of test piles should be in proportion to
the area of the site as well as to the number of
production piles (i.e. 5 to 15 percent of
production piles or in case of a small bridge, at
least two test piles at each abutment and each
pier)
Observed penetration resistance: (blow count), to
correlate with measured activated capacity
Fig. 1 shows a typical presentation of PDA and CAPWAP
data.

PDA monitoring of test piles at end of initial
driving and later at restrike (wait time depending
on soil conditions) to determine time-dependent
soil strength changes (set-up/relaxation).
Monitoring during initial driving is particularly
important for developing driving and termination
guidelines, and when potential pile damage is
high.
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Fig. 1 Sample reporting of PDA and CAPWAP results