The quality of execution of a pile foundation element is always a reason for
concern because of the invisibility of the finished product. For cast-in-place piles,
this is important especially.
Next to the quality of the body of the pile the bearing capacity and stiffness is
determined by the interaction with the surrounding soil.
Recently, the nature of construction contracts for works of infrastructure in the
Netherlands has been changed by the government considerably. In former days,
the type of foundation pile was described into detail in combination with intensive
checks of the quality by the principal during construction. Nowadays the principal
relies on the formulation of functional demands in construction contracts and
supervision takes place on a larger distance. With a system of quality control, the
building contractor has to prove that the functional demands set by the principal
have been fulfilled.
For that, the availability of a suitable technical method of performance check for a
pile is a prerequisite. From this need, there is a merit for both the principal and
the builder to get available a relatively fast and sufficient accurate test for the
load bearing capacity of a foundation piles.
The rapid pile load test gives the opportunity to fulfil the need described above
probably.
Therefore, the construction department of the ministry for Public Works and
Water Management in the Netherlands does support the initiative to make the
rapid pile load test operational for practical use.
Overview
Content Tools
