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Applications of stress-wave theory to piles, quality
assurance on land and offshore piling1
This book is sixth in the successful series of the Proceed-
ings of the International Conference on the Application of
Stress-Wave Theory to Piles held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in
September 2000. It covers ten main themes; each encom-
passes a number of topics related to the application of
stress-wave theory to pile analysis and design. Each of the
topics is introduced by way of a keynote lecture and a num-
ber of contributions tackling different aspects of the topic
using different methodologies. As was the case for the other
conferences in the series, the proceedings tend to focus on
the practitioners’ perspectives on the themes of the confer-
ence. However, it provides a wealth of experience valuable
for both practitioners and researchers alike.
Wave mechanics and its application to the analysis of the
pile response of dynamic load testing (DLT) events are ad-
dressed first. The wave equations in CAPWAP (case pile
wave analysis program) and WEAP (wave equation analysis
program) analyses are used to establish a pile acceptance
criterion, to determine the suitable cushion parameters, to
model the Statnamic loading event, and to evaluate the ca-
pacity of piles accounting for setup and the capacity of piles
socketed in rock.
The state-of-the-art of pile driving equipment and new
technologies for quality assurance of piles is covered in nine
contributions. Innovative technologies that are discussed in-
clude fiber optic sensors to measure the pile load transfer
and the driving-down-the-hole technique that is suitable for
thin-walled piles and also minimizes the noise level. The use
of neural networks to evaluate the pile capacity using the re-
sults of the DLT is also discussed.
Issues related to the integrity testing of drilled shafts are
discussed in thirteen contributions. Topics include the ef-
fects of basement excavation on sonic integrity testing (SIT),
the use of SIT to estimate pile stiffness, and the presentation
of the results in the time-frequency domain, which may en-
hance the user’s understanding of the pile-top response. A
new cross-hole sonic logging system for integrity testing of
drilled shafts is also examined.
The fourth theme focuses on the pile-soil interaction ef-
fects. Seven contributions report on topics varying from the
classic problem of identification of system parameters to us-
ing numerical techniques to evaluate the pile capacity from
the DLT test results and to modeling the pore pressure gen-
eration during a pile dynamic loading event.
Received January 10, 2001. Accepted May 24, 2001. Published on the NRC Research Press Web site at http://.nrc.ca on January
10, 2002.
1
Proceedings of the International Conference on the Application of Stress-Wave Theory to Piles, Sao Paulo, Brazil, September 2000.
Edited by Sassumu Niama and Jorge Beim. A.A. Balkema, P.O. Box 1675, 3000 BR, Rotterdam.
Can. Geotech. J. 38: 1367 (2001) DOI: 10.1139/cgj-38-6-1367
I:\cgj\Cgj38\Cgj06\T01-058.vp
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1367
The discussion of pile quality assurance issues and their im-
plementation in design codes is addressed in eight contribu-
tions. Topics include the performance of the dynamic testing
methods, the LRFD design codes, the ethical question in the
pile testing, and the standardization of the DLT and Statnamic
load tests for acceptance and design of driven piles in Japan.
The important subject of dynamic testing of driven and
cast-in-place large capacity piles is discussed in fifteen con-
tributions. Topics discussed include acceptance criteria for
large diameter piles; dynamic load testing of augered, com-
posite, screwed, rock socketed, and toe improved piles; and
piles with non-uniform cross-sections.
The application of stress-wave theory to the analysis of
SPT measurements is addressed next in four contributions.
This is followed by eight contributions related to vibratory
pile driving and vibrations during normal pile driving, includ-
ing several analysis methods and monitoring techniques. Vi-
bration problems due to sheet pile driving are also discussed.
The Statnamic load test and other similar techniques are the
focus of the ninth theme of the proceedings. The concept, de-
velopment, and state-of-the-art of the Statanamic test is pre-
sented in a keynote lecture followed by nine contributions
covering different topics related to this innovative load testing
technique. A number of case studies compare the results of
Statnamic load tests with those from static and dynamic load
tests. The lateral Statnamic load test is also addressed.
The tenth and final theme of the proceedings focuses on
lessons learned from case studies and prediction reliability of
test methods and the correlation between them. The case his-
tories presented cover a wide range of projects involving dif-
ferent types of piles and experiences from different parts of
the world. Comparisons are made between the pile capacity
predictions from static, dynamic, and Statnamic load tests.
Overall, this is a very useful resource that offers a wealth
of experiences, ideas, and tools to aid practitioners and re-
searchers dealing with problems involving the analysis and
design of piles. It is especially useful for engineers dealing
with the installation and construction issues of driven piles
and drilled shafts in the third millennium.
M.H. El Naggar
Geotechnical Research Centre,
Faculty of Engineering Science
The University of Western Ontario
London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada.
© 2001 NRC Canada