The 2023 Earth Products China Foundation Pile Testing Technology Seminar, organized by Earth Products China Ltd., was successfully held on December 21, 2023, at the UrCove by Hyatt Tianjin Eye Hotel in Tianjin, attracting 40 participants from 14 industry organizations.

The half-day training session featured lecturers who, in conjunction with domestic testing standards for railways and foundations, mainly introduced various methods of pile integrity testing, the advantages and disadvantages of each method in testing different types of piles, and related theoretical knowledge. They also presented testing cases from China and abroad in recent years, exchanging and discussing with fellow attendees to help advance the development of the foundation pile testing industry.

Conference site

Since 2005, Earth Products China has been holding foundation pile testing technology seminars across the country, consistently dedicated to providing industry users with advanced testing technologies and sharing domestic and international testing cases. To deliver higher-quality service, each technical seminar is carefully prepared. On the morning of December 21, colleagues from the Earth Products China Beijing office and the Building Quality Inspection Division worked together to set up the meeting room and registration desk. At 13:30 in the afternoon, staff from various departments waited at the registration desk for the arrival of the distinguished guests.

Scenes from the registration desk

At 14:00 on the afternoon of December 21, the technical seminar officially began. Throughout the afternoon, Mr. Xu Xiaolin from the Building Quality Inspection Division presented two topics: a discussion of high-strain testing technology and an introduction to thermal pile integrity testing technology. Compared with traditional static load testing, high-strain testing is more flexible, economical, and rapid, and can provide richer information. It also has advantages in identifying potential pile construction hazards and reducing foundation engineering costs. For this technology, Mr. Xu Xiaolin covered everything from theory to practical application and emphasized the importance of the testing engineer's competence to the test. To improve the proficiency of high-strain practitioners, Earth Products China regularly holds DMAPT certification courses in China in partnership with Pile Dynamics, Inc. and the Pile Driving Contractors Association of the United States. To date, eight sessions have been successfully held, and each training course invites Dr. Liang from the American PDI manufacturer to conduct the training, explain international testing cases, and help more testing engineers consolidate and strengthen their theoretical knowledge of high-strain dynamic testing, practical operating skills, data analysis, and CAPWAP fitting analysis. Due to time constraints, the explanation of high-strain testing could not be fully expanded, yet attendees still expressed that they had gained a great deal.

Past sessions of the China Foundation Pile Testing Training Course and the China Certification Course for Pile Dynamic Testing and Analysis Proficiency

At the seminar, Mr. Xu Xiaolin noted in his presentation on thermal pile integrity testing technology that this testing method has been widely applied in North America but is still in the research stage in China. If attendees wish to conduct project testing, they may also contact us, and we hope to help advance the development of the foundation pile testing industry.

Mr. Xu Xiaolin, Manager of the Building Quality Inspection Division, giving a presentation

Throughout the afternoon, Mr. Cheng Songqing, Senior Technical Engineer of the Building Quality Inspection Division, presented two topics: an introduction to low-strain testing technology and an introduction to wave equation analysis software. At present, in addition to pile integrity testing, low-strain testing equipment has also developed two functions: the double-velocity testing method and the side-hole testing method. In his topic on low-strain testing technology, Mr. Cheng Songqing not only mentioned the three-in-one functionality of the low-strain tester but also briefly analyzed low-strain testing technology in conjunction with railway standards and listed many application cases of low-strain testing in conventional and special piles, which aroused the interest of attendees. After the topic, attendees also raised questions and exchanged views on low-strain testing of pile types such as screw piles and secant piles. In the introduction to wave equation analysis software, Mr. Cheng Songqing also covered considerable theory and many cases.

Mr. Cheng Songqing, Senior Engineer of the Building Quality Inspection Division, giving a presentation

After the excellent presentations by Mr. Xu Xiaolin and Mr. Cheng Songqing, during the tea break, attendees showed strong interest in the displayed low-strain side-hole testing, TIP thermal pile integrity testing, and high-strain pile integrity testing equipment. They came to the exhibition booth one after another to observe and learn, engaging in lively exchanges with the speakers.

Instrument exhibition area during the tea break

In addition, attendees were very interested in the speakers' theoretical analysis and curve analysis of testing cases. During breaks, they discussed with our speakers the difficult problems they encountered in their work, creating a strong learning atmosphere.

Exchanging with speakers during breaks

After the seminar, attendees highly praised the speakers' explanations of fundamental theory, saying that it is rare to hear such concise and logically rigorous sharing of fundamental theory at conferences. It consolidated the foundations and greatly benefited newcomers to the industry.

As a provider of comprehensive solutions for high-tech testing instruments in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, Earth Products China has never forgotten its original aspiration and continues to hold technical seminars across the country to exchange and discuss domestic and international testing cases and advanced testing technologies.