Nondestructive Evaluation of Timber Bridge Piles

by M. S. Aggour, Univ of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA,
A. Hachichi, Univ of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA,
M. A. Mayer, Univ of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Evaluation and Upgrading of Wood Structures: Case Studies

Abstract:

A nondestructive technique for the determination of the in-place strength of timber bridge piling is presented herein. The testing technique is the ultrasonic wave propagation method in which the in-place strength of the timber pile is related to the pile's wave velocity normal to the grain, and its unit weight. The relationship was developed and verified by testing Yellow Pine piles from eleven different bridges in the state of Maryland. It is concluded from the favorable comparison between the predicted strength values and the experimentally obtained values, that the relationship could be used with confidence in timber pile (Yellow Pine) inspection within a specified degree of accuracy.

Subject Headings: Wood piles | Wood bridges | Pile tests | Bridge tests | Wood and wood products | Nondestructive tests | Infrastructure construction | Maryland | United States

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