Piletest Newsletter

How to set custom flaw classification with the CHUM CSL system
We were recently asked the following.
"I want the written methodology of the most unfavorable case (in energy) as shown in the attached graph in accordance with the attached standard PDF file of NFP 94-160-1 page 12 article 8 (Alpha = Aa/Amax), Alpha either greater than or equal to 0.2 or 20 log (alpha) or greater than or equal to 14 dB."
The default flaw classification for CHUM is based on the DFI recommendations, classified into three severity levels: Green (OK), Yellow (Conditional), and Red (Abnormal)

GPC and good practices for a DLT test
This month, we're diving into the critical world of Dynamic Load Testing (DLT). While DLT is an incredibly powerful tool for assessing deep foundations, it's not without its challenges. Our technical note this month addresses some of the most common issues that engineers and field teams face, ranging from sensor problems to accurately interpreting data. We'll explore how to get the best, most reliable results from your tests.

Our customers make good use of our Second Opinion Support (SOS) service. They want us to verify their pile integrity test analysis with the PET. We observed that, through our support, they gained valuable insights from our analysis process, method, and technique. To help you learn the same, we have made this PET 5.x Analysis webinar. Give yourself this 1-hour upgrade here.
https://piletest.com/so/17PYtOICh/c?w=5PV_wENYwQja35oPy7-XIvtLH44PHfHAyfCuKAPEq5Q.eyJ1IjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_dj1sWDBLd0JpeWI0USIsInIiOiJjMjA3YTJkMC05YTQ5LTRhOWYtYTcyZC1kMTk2Y2FiNTkyYjAiLCJtIjoibHAifQ

Why Aren't We Testing 100% of Piles on Construction Sites?
Let's Talk Foundation Integrity. It's a question that often crosses my mind in the construction industry: When the cost of testing a pile is a fraction of the pile's overall cost, and negligible compared to the potential damage and remediation expenses a foundation failure can incur, why do we so often settle for testing only a small percentage of the pile foundations on site?

PET - Pile Integrity Test
Decision-supporting Tools
While it is well known that the CSL test has DFI criteria (A, B, and C) and there is Tomography as a decision-supporting tool, the pile integrity test (PIT) is mostly about interpretation.
In this blog, we try to cover the decision-supporting tools available from Piletest PET. One is online and available for all - The PileWave simulator, and another is the signal match pile profile builder available with the PET. How do these help with your PIT analysis?

Want to have your piles on Google Maps?
Wow...Imagine your test site has many piles scattered all over the construction site, and you need to discuss issues about one of them. Now, instead of trying to place the site sketches on the site area, you can simply let Google Maps locate them for you on the site.
We're excited to announce a new PET feature, for pile integrity tests: integrated Google Maps location for your tested piles!.

Learn the basic methods to test a pile under an existing old building or bridge.
Testing piles supporting existing structures presents unique challenges, as discussed in this webinar from Piletest. It reviews techniques like Pulse-Echo, Cross-Hole Ultrasonic, and Parallel Seismic, noting that testing in these conditions is more difficult, costly, and less reliable than standard pile testing. However, it is still the only way to measure the pile length under the structure.

Why set the Planned length
When using a pile integrity tester, setting the planned length for every pile tested is important, as it can prevent multiple errors.
The planned length is critical for the pile analysis in several cases, as the waves keep bouncing inside the pile. Such is the case of the two piles in the attached image with the same reflectogram. In addition, planned length affects some software parameters that affect the measurement, like acquisition time.

We used Augmented Reality (AR) for borehole inclination measurement.
Following a special use case that required knowing the position of the borehole's direction in the construction site when using the BIT—Borehole Inclination Tester—to measure the borehole inclination percentage and direction.
We created this 3D visual to demonstrate this. When running the BIT App on your smartphone, you can point and see over the ground where the borehole is headed. The arrow points to the actual north to get the correct over-ground orientation.

Tech Note - No need for a CAPWAP wizard
The GPC - The PDA system from Piletest comes complementary with N_GAPA analysis software, which has been proven to have the same performance as CAPWAP and is much simpler to operate.
It is so simple that you do not need a CAPWAP* wizard to get a professional analysis of your pile drive measurements.
N_GAPA is also faster, so you can analyze it on-site in real time. It can even do that for nonuniform piles!

Tech Note
Large Pile, Fast Assessment. When you encounter a large deep pile foundation, testing it with the CSL method brings about lots of profiles to measure and validate - How tomography can help, and about the the CHUM 3D true Tomography

The Piletest Black November SALE
Tech Note - PET Bluetooth test results sharing feature

Tech Note on how to assess the quality of a pile with the PET reflectogram output?
New Share Zone - For Piletest users. We have created a SHARE zone on our website. You can share your on-site pictures, experience, and questions. You can add that in the GRUPS section.

A webinar on our latest PET 5.x software for pile integrity tests. That and our SOS - Second Opinion Support service to help you with your analysis - are part of the Piletest support service you get when purchasing our products. You can now request a demo of the GPC + N_GAPA, the PDA system from Piletest, offering a state-of-the-art alternative to current PDA vendors, or get a demo at DFI49.

NEW UI and Features of the PET 5.x software.
After a year in Beta, we are launching the new PET 5.x software, with an all-new UI and new features (based on customer feedback).

AGC - Automatic Gain Control is a unique capability of the Piletest CHUM - Crosshole Ultrasonic Monitor. It is another feature that helps you get better results with less effort, which makes testing with CHUM more efficient, enabling up to 4 Km of profile measurements a day!

GPC - The Piletest PDA system. This Dynamic Load Testing and Pile Driving Monitoring system is based on the High Strain Dynamic Load Tests method

The pile integrity test is a time/distance domain test, which we usually present in a reflectogram,
So why will the frequency domain help?

we will present at IFCEE in Dallas, Texas. Presenting at an international exhibit is exciting, and our long planning builds on the excitement. We hope to meet you there

Force VS Velocity for pile integrity testing
We are often asked why we do not support an instrumented hammer (Force) for our PET Velocity-based pile integrity tester.