FORENSIC EVALUATION OF BORED PILES FOR A FACTORY PROJECT AT JHAJJAR-Paper

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A forensic evaluation was conducted on 246 bored cast-in-situ piles at a factory project in Jhajjar, Haryana, after concerns arose about pile quality—particularly for piles installed using truck-mounted rigs. Although initial static load tests showed that the test piles could sustain loads above their design capacity, defects were later observed in exposed working piles.<br /><br />The investigation combined confirmatory boreholes, low-strain pile integrity tests (PIT) on all piles, concrete coring through selected piles, and probe holes beside selected piles. PIT results indicated that about 17 working piles likely had major defects, including possible changes in cross-section, concrete discontinuities, and insufficient pile length. Coring confirmed that several test piles were shorter than designed, with necking in one pile; concrete density and crushing strength were also generally low. Probe holes confirmed shallow bulging in one pile, while exposed piles showed bulging, poor concrete, exposed reinforcement, and inadequate cover.<br /><br />The study demonstrates that passing static load tests does not establish the acceptable quality of every pile. A combined forensic approach using PIT, coring, and probe holes can identify pile-length discrepancies and construction defects. The authors recommend a comprehensive quality-assurance program that evaluates all piles, with further testing of questionable piles and remedial measures—such as installing additional piles—where needed.

Keywords

forensic evaluation

bored cast-in-situ piles

pile quality

static load tests

low-strain pile integrity test

concrete coring

probe holes

pile defects

neighborhood construction

quality assurance