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Pilling Engineering Consultants
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A Brief On
SONIC lNTEGRITY TESTING
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SONIC INTEGRITY TESTING

Introduction

In sonic integrity testing (SIT), the pile head is struck with a small hand held hammer
while the pile head movement is recorded with an accelerometer. (The impact blow
can also be recorded using an instrumented hammer.)

The SIT test

As a first line quality assurance on any job site, sonic integrity testing is a simple
means to help detect major discontinuities or defaults within a pile. Sonic integrity
testing identifies piles requiring further examination and is particularly useful in
detecting early integrity problems. Sonic integrity testing should not, however, be
used to estimate bearing capacity.

SIT provides quick and inexpensive results compared to core drilling, inspection by
excavation, and load tests, which are time-consuming and costly. Pile response is
displayed immediately on screen and can be printed or stored on hard disk for
further analysis.

Since 1968, millions of piles have been tested worldwide using SIT, revealing defects
in numerous piles. Where pile defects have been shown in the top few meters, piles
have been excavated for further inspection In other cases, core drilling has been

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used. In each case, the excavation has shown the usefulness of SIT. (Cementation
Piling and Foundations Ltd. (U.K.) have published valuable statistics on pile defects.)

For the best results, the pile head should be clean, accessible, sound, and free from
standing water. Cast-in-situ piles should be at least 5 days old and made of known
materials. SIT is generally not suitable for pre-cast segmental pile or piles with
discontinuous permanent casings.

Originally, SIT was used to find cracks in pre-fabricated piles caused by driving,
though as the use of cast-in-situ piles increase, SIT has been effectively used to help
find major faults.

In 1973, research was done by TNO to determine the shape and length of cast-in-situ
piles for the Depa1tment of Public Works. The first results were very promising. The
measured response of the pile top was displayed on an oscilloscope and recorded on
Polaroid film, results which are available today by request. By the end of the 70s, the
FPDS-0 system for Sonic Integrity Testing (SIT) was developed and made
commercially available. Cementation Piing and Foundations of England was one of
the first commercial users. The FPDS-0 system is composed of a signal processor and
an oscilloscope Ni.th storage capabilities. The analogue acceleration signal is
amplified, integrated, and filtered. Hard copy is by Polaroid camera. The
accelerometer was from Bruel & Kjaer with a frequency range of 2-9000 Hz.

Main Advantages

The main advantages of SIT are:

• First line quality assurance against major faults.

• Hundreds of piles can be tested in a single day.

• Testing on any accessible pile.

• Defects discovered at an early stage.
• Quick and economical compared to other methods.

• Equipment is portable and easy to operate.

Limitations

The limitations of SIT include:

• Can not estimate bearing capacity.

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• Minor defects are not easily seen (local loss of cover to steel or small
inclusions).

• Length is difficult to determine for very long piles wit h very high shaft
friction.

• The thickness of a debris layer at the pile toe can not be determined.

SIT Input and Output

In a SIT test, the pile is struck with a small hand-held hammer while an
accelerometer is pressed onto the pile top. The acceleration signal is integrated to a
velocity signal. SIT requires input data for estimated pile length and stress wave
velocity. An output graph of velocity versus time shows the incident hammer blow
and the resulting reflections.

In, SIT Testing Piles, the input data and the output data for a SIT test is described
below:

Input Data

• Estimated pile lengt h

• Stress wave velocity
• SIT hammer blow

Output Data

• Velocity of the pile top as a function of time (or pile length)

• Force (instrumented hammer) at the pile top as a function of time (or pile
length)

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Testing and Interpretation Procedure

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SIT testing and interpretation procedure

Pile Acceptance Procedure

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Pile acceptance procedure

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Pile Discontinuities Test Results

The hammer blow generates a compression wave travelling down the pile and
reflects from the pile toe and irregularities in the pile shaft. Defects such as an
inclusion, hole, or crack are reflected in the same direction as the hammer blow. A
bulge or increase in cross section is reflected in the opposite direction Phenomena
that can and can not be detected by integrity testing include:

Detectable Not detectable

Inclusion Grad ually increasing diameter
Crack Grad ually decreasing diameter
Joint Curved form
Increase in cross section Small inclusion
Decrease in cross section Local loss of cover
Material changes Debris
Soil layer changes

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Cius Section t:ross SEcnon changes Changes

Phenomena that can be detected by integrity testing

Gradually Small
Gradually Lrn.:·1.t lo D-0b1·is
Tndusim1s
Increasing Decreasing of 1cove-r
diameter Diameter

Phenomena that can not be detected by integrity testing

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Soil Effects

Changes in soil stiffness or impedance also produce reflections, though generally

more gradually t han pile defects. Shaft friction varies in magnitude along the pile
length, depending on the soil strata. If the soil changes from stiff to soft (a decrease in
shaft frict ion), the cross section appears to decrease. If the soil changes from soft to
stiff (an increase in shaft friction), the cross section appears to increase.

Soil stiffness can also influence the shape of cast-in-place piles. Some cast-in-place
piles tend to show a slow increase in diameter with depth, particularly in soft upper
ground. When the soil changes from soft to stiff, a sudden change from "inve1ted
taper" to a cylindrical shape of nominal diameter often occurs and is usually seen as a
relatively large reflection similar to that obtained from a decrease in cross section. To
facilitate interpreting such results, the influence of soil on the signal and on the pile
shape must be understood. Comparing piles of the same dimension on the same site
will help to evaluate the importance of soil effects.

Pile Construction

SIT testing may be conducted on any continuously constructed steel or concrete pile.

In general, avoid testing mechanically-joined piles. Full information can not usually
be obtained through joints .

Testing timber piles can be difficult. Timber piles show a low stiffness comparable to
the stiff ness of the surrounding soil, causing the compression wave to spread out into
the soil long before the toe is reached. Although it is sometimes possible to test piles
which have already been cast into caps or which have structures resting on them, the
structure connected to the pile will produce its own reflections and may obscure the
real pile behaviour.

Reinforced Piles

Piles with heavy reinforcement, such as tension piles, show apparent cross section
increases where bars overlap. If a crack forms through swell of the upper ground
(excavated basement conditions in stiff clay soils), the length of reinforcement is
useful since the crack will often be found where the reinforced length was
discontinued. The same may occur when the upper soil is soft and heavy machinery
is transported across the site next to the piles, resulting in horizontal soil movement
and a bending moment in the piles.

Pile Construction History

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The construction history at any site should be studied to help find possible
anomalies. For example, the construction log and other site data may show useful
information on the following:

• consumption of concrete, time taken to construct a pile, and records of

difficulties in installation

• sequence and technique of pile installation

• method used to form the pile

• piles constructed by the same machinery and personnel

• record of untoward events during construction (e.g. concrete in cast-in-situ

pile lifting when temporary casing is extracted)

• experience in similar ground conditions with the same construction

method

• results of other pile tests in the same area

• results of excavations around piles, load testing, or borehole inspections

made by coring tools

Excavating Pile Defects

If possible, it is wise to excavate pile defects. Excavation provides greater confidence

and increases interpretation experience by comparing pile defects with the signals.

Reliable Piles

The requirements for reliable cast-in-situ piles include:

• high quality soil investigation

• well designed

• experienced piling contractor

• good piling equipment

• experienced equipment operator

• high quality concrete

• supervision during construction

• reliable test ing method

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