ContractorInnovations

Pile integrity testing

Concrete Structure Investigations (CSI) says it is the only organisation getting reliable results from Pile Integrity Tests (PIT); establishing toe depth and identifying segregation, necking and pile breakages.

The company has done a lot of work recently in quality assurance on new piles. CSI says it is also able to obtain reliable results from existing bored piles, driven concrete and timber piles.

“CSI is developing new technology that will eliminate some of the limitations currently applied to the Pile Integrity Testing (PIT) method,” says the company.

“PIT uses single axis accelerometers to measure reflected impulses from a hammer strike at the top of the pile. When attempting to use PIT on the piles of an existing structure; attached beams, pile caps and columns will give additional reflections that must be isolated. Also, when striking a large ground beam over a small pile, the majority of the wave will continue to reflect inside the beam, with only a small amount of energy making it into the pile. By moving the accelerometer down to the side of the pile below these structures, the signal to noise ratio can be improved.

“However, while all movement at the top of the pile can be assumed to be upward propagating waves reflecting downwards, a side-mounted accelerometer will detect waves travelling in both directions.”

CSI offers a wide range of non-destructive testing methods and have been able to offer these to the civil industry; working on bridges, wharves, water treatment plants and all infrastructure with concrete and steel.

Plus a full range of concrete condition surveys; visual inspection, acoustic sounding, cover determination, carbonation, chloride testing and half-cell potential corrosion mapping.

CSI’s technology was a winner at 2016 the Emerging Gold Award (Services category) at the Wellington Gold Awards.

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