State of Practice for quality assurance in drilled foundations-PPT Presentation

PPT Presentation

Pdf Summary

The presentation reviews current quality-control practices for drilled foundations, focusing on bore geometry, concrete integrity, and load testing.<br /><br />The SHAPE system measures a bored pile’s profile, radius, volume, and verticality. It operates without electronic cables, can connect to a Kelly bar or cable winch, and uses an internal gyroscope to compensate for rotation. Simultaneous scanning of eight channels at about one scan per second provides rapid measurements, helping inspections finish soon after drilling and allowing concrete placement to begin promptly.<br /><br />Thermal integrity testing, described under ASTM D7949, uses heat generated during concrete curing to assess concrete quality and pile geometry. Lower temperatures may signal necking, inclusions, or poor-quality concrete; higher temperatures may indicate bulges or increased cover. Differences between opposing sensor wires can reveal cage misalignment or uneven cover. The method evaluates the full cross-section, including concrete inside and outside the reinforcing cage. Testing begins immediately after casting and is generally completed within 24 hours.<br /><br />The TAG (Thermal Aggregator) system wirelessly collects data from TAP units and uploads it to a password-protected cloud platform. This enables remote data access, reduces field visits, and gives contractors greater flexibility in managing pile production schedules.<br /><br />The presentation also discusses static and bidirectional static load testing (BDSLT). A key advantage of BDSLT is that it can safely test large foundation elements at very high loads, as illustrated by projects in San Diego and Sunny Isles, Florida.

Keywords

drilled foundations

bore geometry

concrete integrity

load testing

SHAPE system

thermal integrity testing

ASTM D7949

TAG system

bidirectional static load testing

pile quality control