Thermal Integrity Profiler (TIP™)

Evaluation of the entire cross-section and the entire length of the deep foundation element measuring heat generated by curing cement to assess the quality of drilled shafts/bored piles, augered cast in place (ACIP)/continuous flight auger (CFA) or drilled displacement piles, slurry walls, barrettes, soil nails, and jet grouted columns.

  • Evaluates concrete quality inside and outside the reinforcing cage
  • Accelerates construction with tests conducted during concrete curing
  • Reveals necking or inclusions, bulges, variations in concrete cover, shape of shaft and cage alignment
  • Thermal Wire® Cables can replace access tubes
  • All Thermal Wire Cable temperature sensors are NIST traceable
  • Thermal Aggregator Units (TAG) allow for real-time data review via PDI Atlas™ Secure Cloud Services

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  • Description
  • Technical Specifications
  • Reference Materials
  • Downloads

The Thermal Integrity Profiler (TIP™) uses the heat generated by curing cement to assess the quality of drilled shafts and of bored, augered cast in place, continuous flight auger or drilled displacement piles. It may also be used for quality control and shape evaluation of jet grouting, slurry walls, and diaphragm walls. TIP™ evaluates the entire cross-section and the entire length of the foundation. Results are available shortly after shaft installation is concluded: TIP™ reveals necks or inclusions (regions that are colder than average), bulges (regions that are warmer than average), variations in concrete cover, and the shape of the shaft and cage alignment.

The average temperature within a concrete shaft is dependent on its diameter, the concrete mix design and on the time of measurement relative to concrete casting. Measured temperatures at the reinforcement cage vary with the distance to the center of the shaft and with the concrete cover.

The TIP™ starter system includes the TIP™ Main Unit and 12 Thermal Acquisition Ports (TAP-Edges), along with the TIP™ Reporter Software. THERMAL WIRE® cables (NIST traceable smart sensing cables fitted with uniformly spaced digital temperature sensors) are ordered separately depending on the length and quantity needed. The cables are tied to the rebar cage and cast into the shaft.

TIP™ Software

Data collected by the TIP™ system is downloaded to a computer for analysis by the TIP™ Reporter Software. The TIP™ Reporter Software displays measured temperatures versus depth and mapped on cross sections of the shaft to provide profiling data. The Thermal Integrity Profile software helps identify areas of concern such as potential over-pour bulges, necking, or cage alignment irregularities. TIP™ Reporter also estimates the concrete cover along the entire length of the shaft. In addition to TIP™ temperature measurements, this analysis requires the total concrete volume as an additional input. The estimated effective shaft radius, reinforcement cage location and the concrete cover of the reinforcement bars can then be determined.

The Thermal Profiling Method was developed at the University of South Florida and originally implemented by Foundation and Geotechnical Engineering LLC (FGE). Research and development are a joint effort of FGE and PDI. The TIP™ conforms to ASTM Standard D7949 – Standard Test Methods for Thermal Integrity Profiling of Concrete Deep Foundations.

Winner of:

1Cotton, D., Ference, M., Piscsalko, G., and Rausche, F., (2010) “Pile Sensing Device and Method of Making and Using the Same” US Patent 8,382,369.
2Mullins, A. G. and Kranc, S. C., (2004), “Method for Testing the Integrity of Concrete Shafts,” US Patent 6,783,273.

Thermal Integrity Profiler (TIP™) Specifications

21-182

PDF Format

Main Unit

 Physical

 Size

272 x 212 x 60 mm (10.7 in x 8.3 in x 2.4 in)

Weight

2.04 Kg (4.5 lbs.)

Sunlight readable VGA color display for any lighting conditions, resolution 640 pixels x 480 pixels

Screen size

21.3 cm (8.4 in)

Temperature Range

Operating: -20º to 40º C (-4º to 104 º F); Storage: -30º to 65º C (-22º to 149º F)

Powered by Internal Battery (10-hour duration)

Data Storage

Built in 256 GB drive minimum

Data Retrieval

USB port or WiFi

Microsoft Windows® 10 or higher Operating System

Thermal Acquisition Port for Wires (TAP)

Size

133 x 102 x 57 mm (5.2 x 4 x 2.2 in)

Weight

340 g (.75 lbs.)

Temperature Range

Operating: -20° to 65° C (-4º to 149º F); Storage -40° to 85° C (-40º to 185º F)

Contains 1 installed Li-Ion battery or 0.64 grams ELC

Internal Rechargeable Battery (28-day duration)

Sampling frequency

User programmable, defaulted to once every 15 minutes

Hangs from reinforcement cage; may be bolted to cage for security

Water Resistant

Thermal Acquisition Port with cloud access for Wires (TAP-Edge)

Size

114 x 65 x 41 mm (4.5 x 2.6 x 1.6 in)

Weight

400 g (0.9 lbs.)

Temperature Range

Operating -20° to 65° C (-4º to 149º F); Storage -40° to 85° C (-40º to 185º F)

Contains 2 installed Li-Ion battery (14.8 W Hrs.)

Internal Rechargeable Battery (20-day duration)

Sampling frequency

User programmable, defaulted to once every 15 minutes

Hangs from reinforcement cage; may be bolted to cage for security

Water Resistant

Thermal Aggregator for Wires (TAG)

Size

160 x 80 x 57 mm (6.3 x 3.2 x 2.2 in)

Weight

580 g (1.3 lbs.)

Temperature Range

Operating: -20° to 65° C (-4º to 149º F); Storage -40° to 85° C (-40º to 185º F)

Contains 2 installed Li-Ion battery (22.2 W Hrs.)

Internal Rechargeable Battery (10-day duration)

Sampling frequency

User programmable, defaulted to once every 15 minutes

Hangs from reinforcement cage; may be bolted to cage for security

Water Resistant

Thermal Wire Tester Box for Wires

Size

133 x 102 x 57 mm (5.2 x 4 x 2.2 in)

Weight

766 g (1.7 lbs.)

Temperature Range

Operating: -20° to 65° C (-4º to 149º F); Storage -40° to 85° C (-40º to 185º F)

Contains 1 installed Li-Ion battery or 0.64 grams ELC

Internal Rechargeable Battery (28-day duration)

LCD Display Screen

Adapter cable included for splice cables and is required for spliced cables

Does not store data

Thermal Wire® Cables

Sensor type

NIST Traceable

Digital

Furnished in rolls of length starting at 6 m (20 ft) with length increments of 1.5 m (5 ft)

Sensor spacing

305 mm (12 in)

Sensor operating temperature

-20° to 105° C (-4º to 221º F)

Sensor Accuracy

±0.5º C (± 0.9° F)

Splicing

Multi segment cables available upon request – featuring quick-connect

 Thermal Acquisition Port for Probes (TAPP)

Size

155 x 33 x 57 mm (6.1 x 1.3 x 2.2 in)

Weight

340 g (0.75 lbs.)

Temperature Range

Operating: -20° to 65° C (-4º to 149º F); Storage -40° to 85° C (-40º to 185º F)

Internal Battery (8-hour duration)

Contains 2 installed Li-Ion batteries (1.28 grams ELC)

Sampling frequency

Once per second, or as a function of depth (user adjustable)

Water Resistant

Probe

Sensor type

Infrared (four orthogonal sensors)

Size

130 x 30 mm (5.1 x 1.2 in)

Weight (Probe)

5.2 kg (11.5 lbs.)

Cable length

60 or 100 m (200 or 332 ft)

Weight (60 m Cable)

3.8 kg (8.4 lbs.)

Weight (100 m Cable): 9.5 kg (21 lbs.)

Sensor operating temperature

Up to 105° C (221º F)

Removable sensor head

Water resistant

 Depth Measurement Unit

Type

Rotary Encoder

Resolution

2.5 mm (0.1 in)

Other

Soft carrying case

Full one-year warranty

Operates in English, SI, or Metric units

Technical manual provided in PDF form on a USB drive