Assessment of identifiable defect size in a drilled shaft using sonic echo method: Numerical simulation

The purpose of this paper is to study the capabilities of the sonic echo method in assessing the location of defects and the minimum possible detectable defect size in a drilled shaft. Three-dimensional axisymmetric finite element models were performed to investigate the effects of the defect size, defect depth-to-shaft diameter ratio, and shaft-to-soil stiffness ratio on the response of the sonic echo test. According to the results from the numerical simulations, a useful formula for defect size assessment in a shaft based on the sonic echo method is proposed, considering these factors simultaneously. Furthermore, a formula for predicting the detectable length-to-diameter ratio of a shaft was also recommended which correlates with the shaft-to-soil stiffness ratio and it varies from 10 to 32.