SPN’s pile testing service covers load testing, non-destructive integrity testing and special testing. It applies to new piles during construction and to piles under existing buildings, and every report is certified by a licensed civil engineer. We work nationwide across Thailand from our office in Bang Sao Thong, Samut Prakan, near Bangkok.
Pile testing confirms that a pile carries its design load and that the pile shaft is free of defects. SPN groups its tests into load testing (PDA, Static Load Test by kentledge or anchor piles, instrumented, tension and lateral), non-destructive integrity testing (Seismic PIT, Side Echo, CSL, Parallel Seismic and existing-pile assessment) and special testing (pile bending test). In general, Seismic Integrity Test is the most economical and suits testing every pile, PDA gives pile capacity within a day, and Static Load Test gives the most direct result but takes the most time and budget.
Load tests confirm that a pile carries the compression, uplift or lateral load required by the design.
Integrity tests find defects, check concrete quality and assess pile length without damaging the pile.
Special testing checks the bending capacity of precast piles used mainly in flexure.
Each method answers a different question, so start from what the project needs to know.
| Method | Question it answers | Main output | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Load Test (PDA) | What capacity does the pile have, from stress-wave measurement? | Ultimate capacity (CAPWAP), driving stress, hammer efficiency | ASTM D4945 · DPT 1252-51 |
| Static Load Test (Kentledge or Anchor Pile) | Does the pile carry the design load under real static load? | Load-settlement curve, residual settlement | ASTM D1143 |
| Instrumented Static Load Test | How much resistance comes from each soil layer and from the toe? | Load transfer curve, unit skin friction per layer, end bearing | ASTM D1143 + strain gauges |
| Static Tension Test | What uplift load can the pile resist? | Load-uplift curve | ASTM D3689 |
| Lateral Load Test | What horizontal load can the pile resist? | Load-deflection curve, p-y parameters | ASTM D3966 |
| Seismic Integrity Test (PIT) | Is the pile shaft sound, or are there cracks or necking? | Reflectogram with defect location and approximate length | DPT 1551-51 |
| Cross-Hole Sonic Logging (CSL) | Where is the concrete in a bored pile weak or voided? | Waterfall plot, velocity tomography | ACI PRC-228.2 |
| Parallel Seismic Test | How long is an existing pile with no drawings? | Pile toe level | ASTM D8381 |
SPN carried out high strain Dynamic Load Tests (PDA) on driven prestressed concrete piles for a factory project in Rayong. The tests were used to confirm pile capacity.
The factory had no foundation drawings, so SPN ran Parallel Seismic tests on 2 existing piles and found the pile toes about 22.60–23.35 m below floor level. Borehole BH-1, drilled to 30.45 m, showed the toes sit at the transition from soft clay to stiff clay.
On solar farm projects, SPN performs uplift (tension) tests to ASTM D3689 and lateral load tests to ASTM D3966 on test piles. These tests matter because wind uplift and lateral load govern solar pile design.
