The integrity of pile foundations is verifiable. Deviations are identified through acoustic testing. Using computer programs, and based on cone penetration tests and soil profiles, it can be calculated whether potential deviations negatively affect the load-bearing capacity. Vroom Funderingstechnieken undertakes to ultrasonically test all piles, ensuring the integrity of each pile can be reported.
Operating Principle
In acoustic testing, a strike with a plastic hammer on the pile head generates a sound wave in the pile. An accelerometer captures the reflections from the pile shaft and sends this to a processing unit, where the signal is filtered and amplified. The shock wave travels through the pile longitudinally to the pile tip and back to the pile head. The speed of this process depends on the modulus of elasticity and the density of the pile material (concrete). The travel speed of the induced shock wave ranges from 3700 to 4000 m/sec for piles formed in the ground and from 4000 to 4400 m/sec for precast concrete piles.
