Application of non-destructive methods for bored concrete piles installed 34 years ago

Abstract

Non-destructive test methods are usually used for up to 2 months old bored concrete piles. It helps to determine the concrete properties of newly installed pile foundations. This research work represents a unique investigation of 80 bored concrete piles that are tested with different non-destructive methods 34 years from installation. Therefore, the main objective of this article is to provide an analysis of different non-destructive testing (pile integrity test (PIT); P-wave test; ultrasound test (UPV)) results for old concrete piles and to provide suggestions for the prediction of experimental results. Furthermore, the experimental results of different methods are compared with each other. Based on the results of this research and found in the literature, a theoretical method is proposed to predict the relationship between wave velocity and concrete strength for a wider range of concrete strength (5–115 MPa). Furthermore, coefficients are proposed for the prediction of the relationship between the dynamic modulus of elasticity and the strength of the concrete and give significantly higher precision compared to the ones proposed in the literature.

Keywords

• Bored piles
• Pile integrity test
• P-wave test
• Ultrasound test
• Concrete compression