Wireless apparatus and method for analysis of driven piles

• US 20020148298A1
• Filed: 04/17/2001
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Schofield, Sidney L., Broward, Charles S. III, McVay, Michael C., Alvarez, Victor H., Putcha, Sastry
• Granted Patent: US 6,533,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/760
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 13/06 for observation while placing
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/0038 applying a pushing force
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0025 of elongated objects, e.g. pipes, masts, towers or railways G01M5/0058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0033 by determining damage, crack or wear
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0066 by exciting or detecting vibration or acceleration vibration testing of structures G01M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0091 by using electromagnetic excitation or detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 7/08 Shock-testing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/021 Correlating sampling sites with geographical information, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0623 using piezoelectric gauges
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 3/303 generated only by free-falling weight
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00871 Communications between instruments or with remote terminals

Abstract

A system for the determination of pile parameters includes at least one structure for measuring pile data. The structure for measuring pile data is disposed within a measurement range from a pile. A wireless transmitter is communicably connected to the structure for measuring pile data, the wireless transmitter for transmitting the pile data to at least one remotely located receiver. Pile data is preferably encoded in the transmitted data signal. The remotely located receiver is communicably connected to a device for determining at least one pile parameter from the pile measurement data. A method for driving piles includes the steps of wirelessly transmitting pile data to at least one remote receiver, determining at least one pile driving process parameter from the pile data, and driving the pile using the determined pile driving parameter.

Claims

1. A system for the determination of pile parameters, comprising:

at least one structure for measuring pile data, said structure for measuring pile data disposed within measurement range from at least one pile;

a wireless transmitter adapted to transmit said pile data, said wireless transmitter communicably connected to said structure for measuring pile data, and

at least one remotely located wireless receiver for receiving said transmitted pile data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a device for determining at least one pile parameter from said pile data, said device communicably connected to said remotely located wireless receiver.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said structure for measuring pile data includes at least one strain gauge.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein transmissions from said wireless transmitter include information which can be identified with locations of specific ones of said pile.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmitter is a broadband transmitter, further comprising a multiplexer for combining pile data from a plurality of said structures for measuring pile data into one signal for transmission.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said structure for measuring pile data is positioned substantially within said pile.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless receiver connected to, adapted to receive triggering signals, receipt of said triggering signals directing said structure for measuring pile data to commence measurement of said pile data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said structure for measuring pile data is adjacent to a bottom portion of said pile and at least one of said structure for measuring pile data is adjacent to a top portion of said pile.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising at least one structure for measuring pile data disposed between said structure for measuring pile data adjacent to a bottom portion of said pile and said structure for measuring pile data adjacent to a top portion of said pile.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said structure for measuring pile data is adjacent to a bottom portion of said pile, said structure for measuring pile data adjacent to a bottom portion of said pile being below a ground level.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said pile data is digitally encoded prior to transmission of said pile data by said wireless transmitter.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a device for determining at least one pile parameter from said pile data, said device communicably connected to said remotely located wireless receiver.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said structure for measuring pile data includes at least one strain gauge.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein transmissions from said wireless transmitter include information which can be identified with locations of specific ones of said pile.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said wireless transmitter is a broadband transmitter, further comprising a multiplexer for combining pile data from a plurality of said structures for measuring pile data into one signal for transmission.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said pile data is digitally encoded prior to transmission of said pile data by said wireless transmitter.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of said structure for measuring pile data is positioned substantially within said pile.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said pile has at least one open volume within said pile, said open volume adapted for receipt of said structure for measuring pile data.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said open volume includes at least one longitudinally oriented volume.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a wireless receiver adapted to receive triggering signals, receipt of said triggering signals directing said structure for measuring pile data to commence measurement of said pile data.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of said structure for measuring pile data is adjacent to a bottom portion of said pile and at least one of said structure for measuring pile data is adjacent to a top portion of said pile.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising at least one structure for measuring pile data disposed between said structure for measuring pile data adjacent to a bottom portion of said pile and said structure for measuring pile data adjacent to a top portion of said pile.

24. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of said structure for measuring pile data is adjacent to a bottom portion of said pile, said structure for measuring pile data adjacent to a bottom portion of said pile being below a ground level.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said transmitter is a wireless transmitter said wireless transmitter for transmitting said pile data to at least one remotely located receiver.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said transmitter is a broadband transmitter, further comprising a multiplexer for combining pile data from a plurality of said structures for measuring pile data into one signal for transmission.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said pile data is digitally encoded prior to transmission of said pile data by said transmitter.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said receiver is communicably connected to a device for determining at least one pile parameter from said pile data.

12. An apparatus for supporting load bearing structures, comprising:

at least one pile;

at least one structure for measuring data from said pile, said structure for measuring pile data disposed within measurement range from said pile;

a wireless transmitter communicably connected to said structure for measuring pile data; and

at least one remotely located wireless receiver for receiving said transmitted pile data.

25. An apparatus for supporting load bearing structures, comprising:

at least one pile;

at least one structure for measuring pile data, at least one of said structures for measuring pile data mounted substantially within said pile, and

a transmitter communicably connected to said structure for measuring pile data.

30. A system for the measurement of pile parameters, comprising:

a pile;

at least one structure for measuring pile data, at least one of said structure for measuring pile data mounted substantially within said pile, and

a transmitter communicably connected to said structure for measuring pile data for transmitting said pile data to at least one remotely located receiver, said remotely located receiver communicably connected to a device for determining at least one pile parameter from said pile data.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein said transmitter is a wireless transmitter.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said transmitter is a broadband transmitter, further comprising a multiplexer for combining pile data from a plurality of said structures for measuring pile data into one signal for transmission.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said pile data is digitally encoded prior to transmission of said pile data by said transmitter.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein said pile has top and bottom ends, at least one of said structure for measuring pile data disposed at said bottom end of said pile.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein said structure for measuring pile data disposed at said bottom of said pile is mounted substantially within said pile.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said sensor is positioned at an interior location in a pile frame in said positioning step.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said surrounding step comprises a casting step.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein said providing step further comprises providing a transmitter, said transmitter communicably connected to said sensor.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said transmitter is a broadband transmitter, wherein said providing step further comprises providing a multiplexer for combining pile data from a plurality of said structures for measuring pile data into one signal for transmission.

36. A method of forming piles with sensors mounted substantially within piles, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one sensor for measuring pile data;

positioning said sensor in a location which will be substantially surrounded by pile material after substantially surrounding said sensor with said pile material, and

substantially surrounding said sensor with said pile material.

41. A method for the wireless determination of pile parameters, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one structure for measuring pile data, said structure for measuring pile data within measurement range from a pile, and a wireless transmitter communicably connected to said structure for measuring pile data, and

wireless transmitting said pile data to at least one remote receiver by said wireless transmitter.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the steps of:

providing said received pile data from said remote receiver to a computing device, and

determining said at least one pile parameter by said computing device.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein said transmitting is automatic.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein said transmitting, said directing and said determining steps are automatic.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein said determining step further comprises using said pile parameters determined in said determining step to determine at least one pile driving process parameter for use during driving piles.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said pile driving process parameter includes a force applied by a driving hammer to a pile.

47. The method of claim 42, wherein said pile supports a structure, wherein said transmitting, said directing and said determining steps are performed after installation of a pile.

48. The method of claim 42, wherein said transmitting, said directing and said determining steps are performed real-time.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein said transmitting, said directing and said determining steps are responsive to a received excitation signal.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein said received excitation signal has a threshold above a predetermined threshold excitation to initiate said transmitting, directing and determining steps.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein said received excitation signal includes information which can be identified for selective processing by specific ones of said pile.

52. The method of claim 41, wherein said transmissions during said transmitting step include information for determining a location of said pile, said method further comprising the step of determining said location of said pile from said transmissions.

53. The method of claim 42, further comprising the step of using at least one of said determined pile parameters to determine at least one pile driving process parameter.

54. A method for driving piles, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one structure for measuring pile data, said structure for measuring pile data within measurement range from a pile, and a wireless transmitter communicably connected to said structure for measuring pile data;

wirelessly transmitting said pile data to at least one remote receiver by said wireless transmitter;

determining at least one pile driving parameter from said pile data, and

driving said pile using said pile driving parameter.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein said wirelessly transmitting and said determining steps are performed automatically.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein said driving step is automatic.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein said pile driving parameter includes a force applied by a driving hammer to said pile.

58. The method of claim 57, further comprising the step of adjusting said force applied between blows of a driving hammer.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein said step of adjusting force is related to at least one of said determined pile parameters.