Niyama S., Beim J. (Eds.) Application of Stress-Wave Theory to Piles: Quality Assurance on Land and Offshore Piling

A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2000, 772 pages, ISBN: 9061917093This work collates the topics discussed in the sixth International Conference on land and offshore piling. It covers topics such as: wave mechanics and its application to pile mechanics; driving equipment and developments; and pile integrity and low strain dynamic testing.The application of dynamic testing based on the wave equation theory was first introduced in Brazil
in 198
1. Differently from other countries, its first application was on offshore piling. At that time, a
great number of jacket type platforms began to be installed in the country by the Brazilian Oil
Company, in waters with depths varying from 50 to 250 meters. The use of this technique also on
land job sites experimented a continuous growth since then. In 1989, low strain integrity testing was introduced. In 1994, a code on the dynamic load testing of piles was issued by the Brazilian
Technical Standards Association - ABNT A couple of years later, in 1996, the same ABNT edited a
revision of the Standard for Design and Execution of Foundations, which now accepts the use of
dynamic load testing as one of the alternatives for bearing capacity evaluation. In the case of driven
piles, it also allows for a reduction of the safety factor, from the usual value of 2 down to 1.6,
provided that dynamic testing is performed on at least 3% of the piles on the job site, and that it is
applied since the beginning of the piling.The present event in the Southern Hemisphere, and particularly in South America, certainly will
contribute to increase the utilization of this technique, thus helping improve the quality of pile
installation in this region.