A new application of radar in improving the pile dynamic formulae used in quality control of pile foundation

Installing piles into the ground is a very complex if not uncertain activity. This is particularly true from the point of view of proofing piled foundations. One of the methods currently available is the Dynamic or Energy Formulae that are the oldest and frequently used formulae in determining the bearing capacity of piles. The more recent methods are based on the Wave Equation Analysis and different formulations such as Case Method, TNOWave, CAPWAP® and TEPW AP were developed for pre-driving analysis and post-driving measurement applications. The energy or dynamic formulae, which were developed based on the Newtonian Impact theory, have been regarded as being unreliable and less accurate than the more analytical Wave Equation Analysis methods. The two main reasons for the poor performance of the dynamic formulae are that the hammer energy is assumed and that they do not take the dynamic resistance into account