Time-frequency signal analysis for nondestructive evaluation of pile with cap

As stress waves decay as they pass through the pile foundation system, it is extremely challenging for all nondestructive testing methods to evaluate the pile integrity of a shaft underneath a structure. In this study, time-frequency signal analysis (TFSA) is used for signal processing and adopted to interpret the pile integrity testing signal. An experimental case with pile lengths of 58m with caps, were tested by the low strain sonic echo method. Traditional time domain analyses can not identify the pile tip response signals 58m lengths. After time-history curves are transformed into a time-frequency domain distribution, the results indicate the pile tip can be located more easily and clearly than the traditional time-domain analyses of pile integrity testing allowed for.