ABSTRACT
In integrity testing of piles, soil within which the pile is embedded causes attenuation of the propagated stress wave. The low strain integrity test is used worldwide to assess piles integrity after pile construction. This test method is economic, fast, easy to apply and relatively reliable. The increase in soil resistance force results in a decrease in the measured pile top velocity. The velocity record can be used to assess pile quality assuming a proportional relation between force and velocity. Changes in pile cross sectional areas such as a reduction in size or material deficiencies such as a void and cracks in concrete produce wave reflections. Interpretation of pile integrity test was carried out by Rodriguez and Restrepo using an analytic solution of a modified wave equation, which includes soil friction and energy dissipation terms. The analytic solution was based on soil stiffness and impedance change effects on the propagated wave.
