Pile Testing Capability
Bachy Soletanche provides leading and innovative Quality Assurance through our broad range of pile testing capabilities that assess pile integrity and load bearing capacity.
Bachy Soletanche pile testing Engineers are accredited internationally and registered by the RMS (NSW) to undertake dynamic testing. Static pile testing equipment is also available for all types of static tests, including lateral, tension and compression.
Bachy Soletanche uses technology supplied by Pile Dynamics (USA) to carry out a complete range of pile testing including:
PDA—Dynamic (High Strain) Testing
Bachy Soletanche utilises Pile Dynamics- Pile Driving Analyser (PDA) method to evaluate capacity of bored, continuous flight auger and displacement piles.
PDA testing provides information on bearing capacity, shaft resistance and the integrity of the pile to ensure design requirements have been met. PDA testing is performed after placement of concrete at a time when the concrete has achieved adequate structural strength. Sensors are attached near the pile head and a weight is dropped on the pile top to measure the strain and acceleration from the impact.
PIT—Pile Integrity Testing (Low Strain)
Pile Integrity Testing is conducted under low strain conditions achieved through the use of a light hand held hammer and accelerometer to measure the reaction of the pile under loading. The force from the hammer produces a compression wave that travels along the shaft of the pile which is reflected when a change in the pile cross section is reached. This method can be used to detect:
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Pile Toe Level
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Shaft restraints
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Over break
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Cracks
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Reductions in section
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Zones of poor quality concrete
This is a non-destructive, fast and cost effective pile testing method.
Leading The Way In Its Use Of The Latest Piling And Foundation Technologies, Including CHS
CHS—Cross Hole Sonic
Cross Hole Sonic integrity testing is an accurate method of testing the structural soundness of concrete within foundations. Steel or PVC tubes that span the length of the pile are placed within the reinforcement cage prior to placement of concrete. Within 3-10 days after placement of concrete sound transmitters and receivers are placed within the tubes to measure concrete integrity across the cross section of the pile. The location of defects can be narrowed down to the specific quadrant and vertical position within the pile.
PDM—Pile Displacement Monitoring
Pile Displacement Monitoring is a recent technology developed in Australia used to monitor installation of driven piles. Bachy Soletanche can use PDM technology to remotely measure pile set, rebound and pile velocity for multiple piles across a job.
Static Testing
Static testing can be performed on all pile types and measures displacement of the pile under an axial or lateral load to determine pile capacity.
