Application of low strain impact testing to spliced driven piles quality control

The object of research is an application of low strain impact testing methods to spliced driven piles quality control. The widespread opinion about the impossibility of using the method for examining composite driven piles is refuted by the results obtained in practice and requires clarification. Method. The techniques used to compensate for the limitations of the standard low strain testing methods when examining complex pile structures are enlisted. Information on the main design features of spliced driven piles is provided. Results. Models of the acoustic response behavior of different types of splices of composite piles are proposed. The features of using the low strain testing on structures of this type are highlighted. Examples of inspection of composite piles with splices of various types from the field practice of AIGEOS LLC (Moscow, Russia) and OZIS-Venture LLC (Saint-Petersburg, Russia) are given.