Dynamic Pile testing with the

Pile Driving Analyzer®

© 1998 Goble Rausche Likins and Associates

and Dr. Julian Seidel
 Summary

• History of Dynamic Pile Testing

• Measuring stress waves
• Fundamentals of Wave Mechanics
• The Case Method (Pile Driving Analyzer)
• Capacity
• Stresses
• Integrity
• Hammer performance
 History of Dynamic
Pile Testing/Analysis
18th Century: Closed Form Solutions
Late 19th Century: Engineering News Formula
1920’s: First Strain Measurements
1950: Smith’s Wave Equation Program
1964: Case Project began under Dr. G.G. Goble
1968: Pile Driving Analyzer ® (PDA)
1970: CAPWAP ®
1972: Pile Dynamics, Inc. founded
1976: WEAP program
1977: Saximeter
1982: Hammer Performance Analyzer
1986: Hammer Performance Study
1989: Pile Integrity Testing (PIT)
1996: FHWA Manual
1998: Pile Installation Recorders (PIR)
1999: Remote PDA
 1-D Wave Theory

• Hammer causes a downward travelling

stress-wave to enter the pile
• Soil resistance causes stress-wave
reflections
• Stress in pile can be represented by
1-dimensional Wave Theory
• These stress-waves can be measured
and identified with measurement of force
and velocity near the pile top
 Newtonian Collision Analogy
v1

m1 m2

v1

W1 W2

Pile is a longitudinally-distributed mass

“Rigid body”Hammer
motion isassumption
a concentrated
is notmass
reasonable
“Rigid body”
Motion is dominated bymotion assumption
stress-wave effectsis reasonable
Impact on elastic rod
time = dt
dL

F Compressed Zone

Stress, s = F/A
Wavespeed, c = dL/dt

Cross-sectional area, A
Elastic modulus, E
Mass density, r
 Particle Velocity

dL

FF F

dx
Particle Speed

dx = F dL Wave Speed

EA v = dx = F dL = F c
dt EA dt EA
 Wavespeed

a = dv = d Fc F = ma
dt dt EA = dL Ar a
v=Fc
EA dL

c2 A
F1 = dL =Er F1c
c
dt rE A
Cross-sectional area, A
Mass density, r
SI US
 Force, velocity, stress and strain

Particle Speed
Wave Speed Pile Impedance

v = d x = F dL = Fc F = EAv
dt EA dt EA c
= Zv

F=s=vE s=e=v
A c E c
SI US
Force and Velocity Measurements

2W Accelerometer

Strain transducer
 Measuring stress waves

Strain transducer Accelerometer

 Strain Transducer

C
T F = sA = e EA

C
T C
T

C
T C
T Strain Transducer

Resistance strain gages connected

T in Wheatstone bridge configuration
C
 Accelerometers
Piezo-electric Piezo-resistive
Accelerometer Accelerometer
strain gage mass

spring

mass
cantilever

quartz
crystal

v =  a.dt
 Sign Conventions

Force:
•Compression - positive (+)
•Tension - negative (-)

Velocity:
•Downward - positive (+)
•Upward- negative (-)
 Infinite Pile
Compressive
stress-wave

x = constant
F(x,t)
v(x,t)
Motion down
Compression pile =+ c
Wavespeed,
= +ve

F = EAv
c
= Zv
Cross-sectional area, A
Elastic modulus, E
Time domain - infinite pile

Exponential
Decay

F = EAv
c
Finite pile with free end

incident force wave

+ +F

reflected in opp. sense -

-F

Free End : F = 0
 Direction of Motion

Downward Travelling (incident) Waves

TOP TOE

C V

Force + F= Zv Velocity +
V
T

Force - Velocity -
 Direction of Motion

Upward Travelling (reflected) Waves

TOP TOE

V C

Velocity - F=-Zv Force +

V
T

Velocity + Force -
 Finite pile with free end

x = constant
F-
F+,, v+ + +v
+v
incident wave pushes pile down
+
reflected tension wave pulls pile down

Free End : v doubled

 Time Domain - free pile

response timeresponse
= 2L/c time = 2L/c

Zv

Characteristic tension
response - velocity F
increases relative to force

SI US
Finite pile on rigid base

incident wave pushes pile down

+ +v

reflected wave pushes pile up -

GRANITE
-v

Fixed End : v = 0
 Finite pile on rigid base

x = constant
v-
v+,, F+ +C +F
+F
incident wave pushes pile down

+C
reflected wave pushes pile up

GRANITE
Fixed End : F doubled
 Time domain - pile on rigid base

response timeresponse
= 2L/c time = 2L/c

Characteristic compression Zv
response - force increases
relative to velocity

SI US
 Separation of Waves

Downward Waves Upward Waves

F=F½(F+Zv)
=Zv FF
=
=-Zv
½(F-Zv)


F = F+ F
E=mc2 SI US

v = v+ v
 Waves example (SI)

• At impact a 300mmx6mm wall Grade 250 steel pipe

pile achieves a peak velocity of 5.34 m/s, 10m above
ground level. At time 2L/c later, the force and
velocity are measured at 1620 kN and -2.67 m/s.
What are the upward and downward waves at
impact and 2L/c later?
Answer
• EA/c = 210,000x5542x10-3/5120= 227 kNs/m
• At impact Fd = 227x5.34 = 1214 kN; Fu = 0 kN
• At 2L/c Fd = ½(1620+227x-2.67) = 507 kN
• At 2L/c Fu = ½(1620-227x-2.67) = 1113 kN


 Waves - pile on rigid base

F,Zv F = ½(F - FZv)

F = ½(F + Zv)
Zv
 Time of reflection

Total travel distance = 2x Wavespeed = c

Reflection from resistance at x

arrives at pile-top at time 2x/c
SI US
 Typical pile response

toe response time = 2L/c start of toe response

timing and amount of separation

is a function of location and
extent of soil resistance

response from shaft only

response from pile base

 Typical pile response

F=½(F+Zv) F 
exponential decay

returning compressive
reflections lift pile-top
force….

...and slow the pile-top

down relative to the
“no resistance” pile

toe response time = 2L/c

 Typical pile response

F=½(F-Zv) F=½R
Rshaft @ 2F@ 2L/c

upward travelling wave

before 2L/c is related to
the cumulative shaft
resistance
toe response time = 2L/c
 Typical pile response

Upward wave - isolates

response from pile/soil

Q. Why may it be preferable to view data as F , F ?

Downward wave - isolates input

from driving system

SI US
 Shaft resistance (SI)
Problem: Make an approximate estimate of the
pile shaft resistance.

2340kN; 3.34 m/s

1420kN

-1.32m/s
• Answer:
• Z = 2340/3.34 = 700 kNs/m
• Rshaft @ 2 x Fé@ 2L/c
• Rshaft @ 2x ½(1420-700x-1.32) = 2344 kN

 Conclusion

• Pile driving events can be evaluated using 1-D Wave

Mechanics principles
• Stress-waves cause changes in force and particle
velocity
• Force and velocity are related by the pile impedance
• Waves travelling both up and down a pile can be
separated by F and V measurement
• Soil resistance causes reflections which can be
interpreted to determine extent and location of
resistance
 Case-Goble Capacity

A pile is struck at time t1.

The impact force generates a wave F(down,t1)
L
F(,t1)

F(,t2)

The impact wave returns to the pile top at time

t2 = t 1+ 2L/c together with all resistance waves
 The Case Method Equation

At time t2 = t1 + 2L/c the upward traveling waves arriving

at the pile top include the reflection of the initial impact
wave plus the sum of all resistances:

F(,t2) = - F(,t1) + R
Or, rearranging we solve for the resistance:

R = (F2 -v2Z)/2 + (F1 +v1Z)/2

where R is the total pile resistance,
mobilized at a time L/c after t1.
 The Case Method Equation

R = ½(F1 + Zv1 + F2 - Zv2)

F1 and v1 are pile top force and velocity at time 1
F2 and v2 are pile top force and velocity at time 2

Time 2 is 2L/c after Time 1: t2 = t1 + 2L/c

R is the total pile resistance

present at the time of the test,
and mobilized by the hammer impact.
 Case-Goble Static Resistance

Total Resistance = Static + Dynamic

Rstatic= R - Rdynamic

Need to estimate Rdynamic

(Estimate it from pile velocity)

Jc = ? SI US
 Case Damping Factor

• To calculate static from total resistance, a viscous

damping parameter, Jv , is introduced

Rd = Jv v
• Non-dimensionalization leads to the Case
Damping Factor, Jc:

J c = J v  Z  Rd = J c Z v

Jc = ?
 Case-Goble Static Resistance

Total Resistance = Static + Dynamic

Rstatic= R - Rdynamic

Rs = (1-Jc)[F1+ Zv1]/2 + (1+Jc)[F2 - Zv2]/2

Jc = ? SI US
 Case Damping Factor Values for
RMX

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

Gravel 0.3 0.4

Sand 0.4 0.5

Reducing Increasing
Grain Size Damping factor

Silt 0.5 0.7

Clay 0.7 1.0


 Restrike testing - fine grained soils

1 day
capacity

100 days
10 days

1000 days
Restrike testing generally under-
taken 1 to 10 days after installation

log time
 Mobilized Resistance

Ultimate Resistance
Resistance, R

Mobilized Resistance

Displacement for
full mobilization
Maximum test
displacement

Displacement, x
 Resistance:
Rules for good correlation

•Need to Mobilize Capacity

(sufficient set per blow)

• Account for time dependent strength changes

Setup - Capacity increase
Relaxation - Capacity decrease

Therefore, restrike test pile after sufficient wait using

a sufficiently large impact weight
 Capacity Results

• GRLWEAP
• by numerical analysis of assumed
pile/hammer/soil prior to installation

• Case Method
• measured by PDA during installation

• CAPWAP
• by numerical analysis of measured
PDA data after installation
The Pile Driving Analyzer
calculates ...
 … PDA Results

• Case Method Bearing Capacity

• Pile Stresses
• Compressive at Top
• Bending at Top
• Tension Below Top
• Compressive at Bottom
• Pile Integrity (Beta)
• Transferred Energy
 PDA RESULTS vs GRLWEAP

• CAPACITY
• PDA: from force and velocity records
• GRLWEAP: from analysis and blow count
• TOP STRESSES
• PDA: directly measured
• GRLWEAP: from analysis and blow count
• Note:
Max. Compressive Stress does NOT always occur at Pile Top