construction site question

[agentmonkey]

i've always been curious whenever i pass a construction site as to why they always stack those huge concrete blocks there

i thought they could have been used to counter balance the cranes, which i do see some of the blocks being used for that purpose..but isn't it abit too much within that stack?

then i thought perhaps they using it to compress the ground to make it more solid and stable...

then i thought both probably wrong..could someone enlighten me?

 

[Leong23]

i've always been curious whenever i pass a construction site as to why they always stack those huge concrete blocks there

i thought they could have been used to counter balance the cranes, which i do see some of the blocks being used for that purpose..but isn't it abit too much within that stack?

then i thought perhaps they using it to compress the ground to make it more solid and stable...

then i thought both probably wrong..could someone enlighten me?

Ultimate Load Test for pile testing.

 

[zaren]

Ultimate Load Test for pile testing.

yep, that's right. the concrete blocks are placed on large elevated steel beams and are used as a gravity reaction weight against which a hydraulic jack is placed underneath to push downwards against the test pile to simulate the actual weight of the building which the pile is designed to support. typically, the pile is loaded to 3 times the design load.

 

[agentmonkey]

hey thanks guys...so let me get this right, cos it seemed abit technical for me! lol..

so essential it's just to simulate whether the ground can tahan the weight of the proposed building?

how long are they left there for?

 

[Leong23]

hey thanks guys...so let me get this right, cos it seemed abit technical for me! lol..

so essential it's just to simulate whether the ground can tahan the weight of the proposed building?

how long are they left there for?

It is only test on a single pile, not ground.

How long will depend how many cycles (normally 3 cycles)......from 3 to 7 days.

 

[zaren]

hey thanks guys...so let me get this right, cos it seemed abit technical for me! lol..

so essential it's just to simulate whether the ground can tahan the weight of the proposed building?

how long are they left there for?

not the ground, the piles installed in the ground (otherwise known as the pile foundation).

they are typically left there for about 2 weeks per test pile.

 

[agentmonkey]

oh okay..i think i get it now..cool.. thanks guys..learnt something new

 

[foxwagon]

I thought they were oversized Lego bricks for the Architect.