Thermal Integrity Testing; New Scenarios and Methods

Thermal integrity testing has become one of the standard non-destructive tests used on deep foundations with guidance documents and model specifications widely available. It’s detailed investigation of the foundation’s perimeter can provided new insights into the as-built pile and the ground in which it is formed. As the adoption of this test has increased, so has the range of situations in which it has been employed. These now include thermal testing of deep CFA piles, testing of piles which use low cement concrete mixes and testing of piles installed in marine environments. The method of carrying out thermal integrity testing has also varied and now includes distributed fibre optic sensing alongside the more established use of digital temperature sensors. For these new situations and techniques, establishing a theoretical and practical framework for the use of thermal integrity testing is an essential precursor for its success.           This paper presents recent case histories and data, highlighting how the technique can be successfully deployed in the situations highlighted. Comparison of measured data with numerical simulation is used to create a sound framework for both the implementation of the test and interpretation of the collected data.