Piles are vertical or slightly inclined structural foundation members. They are used for transmitting load from superstructure to competent soil layers. Sometimes piles are only used for improving the bearing capacity or the stiffness of the soil without directly carrying the load of the structure.

Piling is used because

  • The structure is sensitive to differential settlement.
  • The structure moves large concrete loads to the soil which cannot be laid down horizontally.
  • A competent soil layer can only be found at depth.

AKM Geotechnical provides the following piling services

piling

Piling and water well construction

Pile and water well construction is carried out through either reverse rotary drill or auger and bucket rig. It requires boring of larger diameter holes as per the design requirements of piles or water wells. Click here to know more about piling and water well construction.

Foundation pile testing

Pile foundations are very deep foundations made from steel, reinforced concrete and at times timber as well. The bearing capacity of a pile is determined by the size, shape, and type of pile as well as the soil properties.

Foundation pile testing  is done through 3 different methods

Low Strain Integrity Tests

Low strain pile integrity test is a popular non-destructive test method to examine the piles for a uniform cross-section and/ or detect flaws like voids, cracks, length etc. The test involves generating stress waves at the pile head and recording the response of the reflected waves. Analysis of the recorded data can provide crucial information regarding the integrity of the existing pile. The test is done in accordance with the provisions laid out in ASTM D5882 & IS: 14893: 2001 guidelines.

High Strain Dynamic Pile Load Test

Dynamic load test is a quick method to evaluate the bearing capacity of a pile for loads similar to design loads. It can be used for pre-fabricated piles, cast-in-situ piles, steel piles or wooden piles. Conducting the tests involves dropping an impact ram/ drop hammer onto the specially designed pile head. The generated compression waves travel down the pile and reflected from the pile toe upwards. The response of the reflected waves is captured through the sensors placed at the pile head. The reflected waves contain information about shaft friction, toe resistance, and pile defects. The test is done in conformance with ASTM D4945-08 standard.

Cross-hole sonic logging of piles and diaphragm walls

The Cross-hole Sonic Logging (CSL) method is used to perform high-resolution quality control of deep foundations including piles and diaphragm walls. The system measures the FAT (First Arrival Time) and energy reduction of ultrasonic pulses sent from a transmitter to a receiver as they are simultaneously pulled up inside water-filled parallel access tubes that have been cast in concrete at the time of construction. The measured FAT and energy reduction are good measures of the concrete quality. Conforms ASTM D 6760-08.AKMG team of experts ensures that all our projects have a strong foundation by using top-notch quality piles and ensuring they do not exceed there bearing capacity.

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