PS wave based parallel seismic test for pile length assessment

Abstract

This paper presents an improved method for conducting parallel seismic tests to detect the unknown length and integrity of piles. The method involves the use of PS waves rather than the PP waves normally applied in conventional parallel seismic tests. Analytical solutions are derived for the t-d relationships of the first arrivals of the PS waves in homogeneous and layered soil conditions. Finite element models are also developed to simulate the waves generated by a vertical impact on the top of a pile under these two ground conditions for the purpose of validating the analytical solutions. The study indicates that the proposed method is viable and has several advantages over conventional parallel seismic tests.

Error Analysis and Numeric Simulation Research of Parallel Seismic Method

“…Subsequently, Du et al [9] further verified the reasonableness of the simplified model proposed by Chen and Zhao [8] through finite element simulation analysis. Based on the three-dimensional finite element model, Zhang et al [10][11][12] investigated the effect of different excitation methods on the test results of parallel seismic method; Du et al [13] proposed an improved parallel seismic test method to detect the unknown length and integrity of piles and derived an analytical solution of the t-d relationship for the initial arrival of PS waves under homogeneous and stratified soil conditions. Rashidyan et al [14,15] used the parallel seismic wave method to detect the depth of wooden bridge foundations and investigated the effect of striking method and foundation stiffness on the detection results.…”