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Determining the Strength Characteristics of Concrete in Drilled Piles from

Tests on Extracted Core Specimens

Article  in  Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering · June 2016

DOI: 10.1007/s11204-016-9374-8

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DOI 10.1007/s11204-016-9374-8
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 53, No. 2, May, 2016 (Russian Original No. 2, March-April, 2016)

DESIGN

DETERMINING THE STRENGTH CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE

IN DRILLED PILES FROM TESTS ON EXTRACTED CORE SPECIMENS

V.I. Sheinin1, A.M. Dzagov1, E.S. Kostenko2, A.P. Manzhin3, UDC 624,154.3:620.17
D.I. Blokhin1, I.B. Maksimovich1, and V.N. Soboleva1
N. M. Gersevanov Research Institute of Bases and Underground Structures, Moscow,
1

Russia; 2“OSK” Engineering Company, Ltd, Moscow, Russia; 3”23 State Marine
Design Institute”, Moscow, Russia.

A method is proposed for determining the "actual class" of concrete that is compliant
with the requirements set forth in current regulatory documents and considers special
aspects of the operation of drilled pile structures and the techniques for their installa-
tion. The method estimates strength variability, and in particular, for a large number of
tests. Concrete class is determined from the results of destructive tests performed on
specimens taken from a pile body. An approach is described that may be implemented
during quality control of pile concrete that takes place at the construction site.

Quality control of subsurface foundation structures, including drilled piles, is a mandatory

requirement of regulatory documents and provides for the use of procedures based on both destructive
and nondestructive tests [1, 2]. It is generally accepted that the most reliable strength characteristics of
concrete may be determined using data from standard destructive tests of specimens prepared from cores
taken from the structures under consideration.
The concept of a concrete strength class is used to obtain generalized characteristics of concrete
strength in structural units, and the value of this class in distinction from concrete "grade" is established
not only using the average concrete strength, but also using variations in measured strength. Here, con-
crete class is established for a structure "as a whole," based on the assumption that individual areas of
a structure fabricated essentially at the same time using the same technology, are sufficiently uniform
from the perspective of quality and strength. The physical and mechanical characteristics of concrete in
structures fabricated in soil masses at construction sites exhibit greater lack of uniformity in three
dimensions than structures fabricated at a plant. At the same time, procedures for processing destructive
(or nondestructive) test data to establish concrete class, recommended in [3] and elsewhere, do not con-
sider the three-dimensional variation in concrete properties and related additional requirements on test-
ing scope. The authors propose a method for evaluating the "actual class" of concrete in drilled piles
that considers these additional factors.
As an example, let us consider efforts to evaluate the strength parameters for concrete in drilled
piles installed at a construction site of a port facility. In five drilled piles (three piles with a design
length of 52 m; and two, of 41 m) OSK Engineering Company, Ltd bored holes and collected cores
essentially along the entire pile length, and also performed strength tests on samples prepared from the
cores. The Gersevanov Research Institute was assigned the task of processing the test data and deter-
mining concrete class in terms of strength for each of the drilled piles under study.

Translated from Osnovaniya, Fundamenty i Mekhanika Gruntov, No. 2, pp. 26-30, March-April, 2016.
©
0038-0741/16/5302-0119 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York 119
 Fig. 1. Driving a hole in the drilled pile.

0.0 1.9
1.9 3.78
3.78 5.39 m
Fig. 2. Segments of the extracted core.

Holes were drilled and cores extracted from the elevation of the top of the slab foundation frame
using a Cedima P-1250 diamond drilling unit (Fig. 1).
The diameter of the drilled core was 100 mm, which corresponds to GOST requirements [4]
regarding the ratio of the minimum specimen size to the maximum nominal dimension of the coarse
aggregate, and also ensures the feasibility of drilling deep holes in and extracting cores (up to 55 m
long) from concrete. The requirement in [5] that holes for collecting concrete specimens for testing
should have a diameter of 150-200 mm is accompanied by the instruction that the depth of such holes
should not exceed 2 m. This means the specified requirement relates to the testing of massive solid
three-dimensional structures, and not to verifying the quality of extended structures such as piles, buried
walls, etc. In other words, the core diameter selected on the basis of process considerations is fully
admissible from the perspective of the representative nature of test results.
A segment of core material from one of the studied piles is shown in a photo (Fig. 2).
Undisturbed segments extracted during core drilling were used to prepare specimens (of cylin-
drical shape with a diameter-to-height ratio within the boundaries specified in [4]).
Test data were used to compile "Test reports for concrete specimens, with determination of uni-
axial compression strength," indicating the positions of the starting (top) zs and final (bottom) zf specimen
cross-sections along the hole centerline. The value of zs and zf were determined from the depth of core
segment collection that was recorded during drilling, and the position of the specimen in this segment.
The study of the properties of the concrete in the pile structure is very detailed, and here it is
significant that test specimens are relatively uniformly situated along the hole centerline. Table 1 shows
general information regarding the specimen testing scope and the results for each of the studied piles.
The first stage of analyzing test results is the construction of the dependence of ultimate uniax-
ial compression strength R on its position along the hole centerline z (Fig. 3).
The presented plots of R(z) show that the strength of concrete in piles varies over very broad
limits, which reflects its significant nonuniformity. At the same time, the dependences R(z) contain both
a "fast oscillating" term (with a characteristic linear variation scale of less than 1 m) and a term that

120
 TABLE 1
Pile Overall core Number of tested Statistical indicators of uniaxial
No. length, m specimens compression strength values, MPa
Mean value, MR Standard, SR
1 49.6 274 47.3 6.9
2 54.6 242 47.4 5.3
3 52.9 252 49.2 4.3
4 35.9 145 47.9 6.2
5 35.1 141 53.7 10.12

R(z), MPa
Pile No. 1
60
40
20

60 Pile No. 2
40
20

60 Pile No. 3
40
20

60 Pile No. 4
40
20

60 Pile No. 5
40
20
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 z, m
Fig. 3. Dependence of R(z) for the studied piles.

varies sufficiently "slowly" along the pile depth [6]. The presence of a second component leads to a dis-
tinction (although basically one that does not exceed the limits of the allowable) in the quality of con-
crete in different segments of the pile length. Such distinctions are not recorded normally within a sin-
gle structure of modest length [7], for which concrete is cast using more controlled manufacturing tech-
niques than are used when setting up extended length drilled piles.
The presence of a "slow" component of concrete nonuniformity in the piles under study requires,
along with consideration of pile operation as a system of serially connected elements [8], an analysis of
test data that is more detailed than in [2, 3] when designating the class of pile structure concrete,
although these requirements should not be inconsistent with specified standards.
For better visualization of obtained results diagrams are constructed of the change in strength
along the length for each of the piles for which, between zsi and zfi (i is the number of the specimen
along the hole), the ordinates are constant for each of the tested specimens and equal to the corre-
sponding value of Ri (Fig. 4). Such diagrams allow us to see how frequently specimens are positioned
along the hole at different segments of its length.
Let us analyze the test data using pile No. 5 as an example.
We evaluate the quality indicators for concrete in the selected pile, first using the various rec-
ommended approaches [2, 3] for determining these indicators.

121
 R(z), MPa
100
80
60
40
20
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 z, m
Fig. 4. Example diagram of the change in specimen uniaxial compression
strength along the pile length (pile No. 5).

The average strength MR of the 141st concrete specimen collected from the pile was 53.7 MPa
and the mean-square (standard) deviation SR = 10.1 MPa, i.e., the variation factor VR = 18.8%. Corre-
sponding evaluations of the simplest statistical characteristics for concrete strength, relating to the entire
scope of tests for one pile, were obtained using other approaches (see Table 1).
Following [9], we determine the boundary of the unidirectional confidence interval for an
unknown average value ("mathematical expectation") of concrete strength in the pile structure "on the
whole" for a given confidence level p and obtained test results. This boundary, defined as:

SR
Rdes ( p) = M R − t p,ν , (1)
n

where tp,v is the p-quantile of the Student distribution with v = n − 1 degrees of freedom, which is the
theoretical basis for the transition from the concept of a "grade" of concrete to that of a "class," in
which, besides the average value of test results, the number of tests and the data dispersion are taken
into account.
This approach to representing test results was used in determining the "design values" for soil
mechanical parameters [10]. In addition, for a large number of tests, even for variation factors of 15-
20% and high confidence levels p, Rdes(p) turns out to differ insignificantly from the sampling mean
MR. Thus, for the test results under consideration, Rdes(0.95) = 52.3 MPa; Rdes(0.99) = 51.7 MPa.
For the influence of test result variability to be more significant, and also following the sugges-
tions in [3], for Rdes we use a standard understanding of "concrete class" B that also depends on the
number of specimen tests and their results, but the estimate Bf (actual class) is calculated using the more
"rigid" dependence [2, 3]:

Bf = MR(1 − tp,vV), where p = 0.95. (2)

This relation, in which "concrete class" turns out to be significantly below the corresponding
"design value," does not have a strict statistical interpretation, although apparently, it reflects accumu-
lated engineering experience in designing concrete structures, i.e., it permits the impact of concrete
nonuniformity on the end characteristic of its strength to be considered, even for a large number of
tests. In our case ("on the whole" along the pile): Bf = 37, which means that the standard concrete class
in the pile "as a whole" is at least B35.
Thus, the average concrete strength in the pile under consideration is significantly higher than
the range of values meeting the B25 concrete class required in the design. This excess is partially
explained by the specimens from this pile (as is the case for the other four control piles) were collect-
ed about a year after its installation, and in accordance with [11] and other sources, the strength of con-
crete does rise significantly (up to 30-50%) over time (200-300 days after hardening).

122
 TABLE 2
Section No. along the pile 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Starting point, cm 0 376 753 1129 1506 1882 2258 2635 3011
No. of specimens 16 14 19 11 12 18 15 18 18
Average MR, MPa 42.7 47.1 50.6 54.4 52.9 55.5 58.6 58.0 62.1
Standard SR, MPa 6.5 4.3 6.2 8.4 6.3 7.1 10.5 8.4 13.9
Variation factor VR 0.15 0.09 0.12 0.15 0.12 0.13 0.18 0.14 0.23
Actual class Bf 31.3 39.5 39.8 39.3 41.6 43.1 40.1 43.4 37.8
Standard class B B30 B35 B35 B35 B40 B40 B40 B40 B35

In addition, the strength variation factor for test results is 18.8% in the pile, which is greater
than the allowable maximum value for ordinary structures (16%) and approaches the maximum allow-
able value (20%) recommended in [3] for monolithic solid structures.
Thus, on the one hand, it is evident that pile concrete has, on the average, a strength that great-
ly exceeds that required to designate it as class B25 (33 MPa), and on the other, to confirm that the con-
crete class is not less than B25 (following the rules in [3]) would appear to be unjustified owing to the
large variation factor for the pile "as a whole." This apparent inconsistency occurs because [3] does not
consider aspects of drilled pile structures manufactured at a construction site using techniques that make
higher structural material nonuniformity practically unavoidable [1]. For this reason, it is doubtful that
constraints adopted in [3] on the three-dimensional indicator of concrete property variation inside of
drilled piles will be fulfilled in practice.
In addition, the presence of at least one "significant" section along the length of a pile that does
not satisfy design concrete strength characteristics may results to a significant reduction in the carrying
capacity of the pile as a whole. Consequently, strength parameters and indicators of its variation
obtained "on the average" for a controlled volume cannot fully reflect the non-observance of pile con-
crete "quality" in separate, dimensionally significant elements of this volume.
For a more detailed quality analysis of concrete in a pile structure, we examine the test results
for sequentially positioned segments of a hole about 4 m long (nine segments  3.8 m long each). We
note that the selection of the specified "unit" length of pile ( 4 m) indirectly corresponds to the rec-
ommendations in [3], and also approximately reflects the length of a "pour" when cementing a hole for
a drilled pile of the design under consideration [12].
We present, as an example, the results of a concrete class analysis per (2) for each of the select-
ed sections of pile No. 5 (Table 2).
Since the selected elements of the pile operate "sequentially," i.e., the disruption of one of them
is equivalent to a loss of pile carrying capacity for the material "as a whole," the concrete class should
be taken to be that of the "weakest" element, i.e., B30, for the standard concrete class for the entire pile.
Analogous results are obtained when analyzing test data for specimens from other control piles.
Table 3 presents the actual and standard concrete class values determined in this manner for each
of the five piles inspected at the site via the collection of a core and testing of specimens.
From Table 3, it follows that the concrete class, designated with due regard for improved struc-
tural reliability and special aspects of structure operation, corresponds to design requirements (not less
than B25).
We note than when evaluating concrete quality in the pile body, not only should the results of
specimen testing be kept in mind, but also drilling log data regarding the actual core recovery, as well
as the feasibility of preparing specimens from the core. A high percentage of "undisturbed" core in all
five holes, from which specimens were able to be prepared, confirm the conclusion that pile concrete is
of high quality. The lack of noticeable defects in the bodies of drilled cores is further evidence of this.

123
 TABLE 3
Pile Section No. along the pile 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
No.
Actual class 27.5 36.5 35.9 41.4 33.6 34.0 37.0 36.6 40.2 48.1 45.5 43.9 41.7
1
Standard class B25 B35 B35 B40 B30 B30 B35 B35 B40 B45 B45 B40 B40
Actual class 31.3 33.5 41.8 40.7 39.2 44.7 44.3 51.3 42.9 43.5 45.4 41.0 45.0 42.8 45.0
2
Standard class B30 B30 B40 B40 B35 B40 B40 B50 B40 B40 B45 B40 B45 B40 B40
Actual class 30.2 33.2 45.9 44.0 44.0 47.7 445 43.2 45.9 43.0 41.5 44.8 44.5 45.1
3
Standard class B30 B30 B45 B40 B40 B45 B40 B40 B45 B40 B40 B40 B40 B45
Actual class 30.2 38.7 41.4 42.1 42.9 41.0 44.0 45.6 42.9 43.7
4
Standard class B30 B35 B40 B40 B40 B40 B40 B45 B40 B40
Actual class 31.3 39.5 39.8 39.3 41.6 43.1 40.1 43.4 37.8
5
Standard class B30 B35 B35 B35 B40 B40 B40 B40 B35

The performance of a large number of tests along the line of the pile, which are not required from the
perspective of statistical representativeness and the formal quantitative estimate of concrete class are
completely justified, since it allows reliable determination of the existence or absence of zones along the
pile body with unacceptably low strength characteristics.

Conclusions
The proposed method of determining the class of concrete poured in a long drilled pile, consid-
ering the special aspects of pile structure operation and the techniques for their installation, permits the
concrete class to be determined with due regard for the strength variability of tested specimens.
When designating the strength characteristics of concrete in long piles, the nonuniform quality of
concrete in various zones along the length of the pile must be taken into account.
A "division" of a control pile into several sequential sections along its centerline is proposed,
with the lengths of these sections designated with due regard for the recommendations in [3] and the
process factors in [12]. For each of the sections, the concrete class was determined in accordance with
the suggestions in [2, 3], using the results of core specimen uniaxial compression strength testing.
The smallest value obtained for various sequential segments of the pile body should be taken as
the standard concrete class describing the concrete in a drilled pile "as a whole."

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