Performance of Nondestructive Parallel Seismic Testing Method in Determining Depth of Shallow Foundations
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 33, Issue 2
Abstract
Parallel Seismic (PS) is considered a versatile method capable of determining the specifications of unknown bridge foundations made of common materials such as wood, steel, and reinforced concrete. Although many studies have provided broad information of various theoretical and practical aspects of the Parallel Seismic method, they do not provide information about the performance of this method on short piles and shallow foundations. Challenges and difficulties in determining the depth of such foundations have been discussed in this study. To do so, PS tests were performed on a short pier with four adjacent boreholes and the adverse effect of background noise on the obtained data is discussed as one of the main sources of difficulty. The results of this study showed that the PS testing method does not seem to be a successful method in determining the characteristics of short piers and shallow foundations. This conclusion was supported by results obtained from conducting PS tests on a highway bridge pile.
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Acknowledgments
This study is partially supported by the New Mexico Department of Transportation in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The authors thank Ms. Michelle Mann, Mr. Jeff Vigil, Mr. James Castillo (New Mexico Department of Transportation), and Dr. Thiet Nguen (Federal Highway Administration) for their valuable suggestions, and Ms. April Enchart for her assistance during performance of the tests.
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 33 • Issue 2 • April 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 12, 2018
Accepted: Oct 9, 2018
Published online: Feb 9, 2019
Published in print: Apr 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jul 9, 2019
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