Impact Elastic Wave Based Highway Guard Rail Post Embedding Depth Measurement Technology

Due to its high cost and destructive nature, the pull-out testing is not suitable for the embedding depth of guard rail posts to ensure the safety of highway traffic. The primary goal of this study is to develop a fast and reliable alternative testing method, impact elastic wave based measurement technology, which is normally considered not suitable for testing hallow piles due to rapid attenuation, excessive noise and free vibration. In this study, the authors developed a number of innovative techniques including automated agitation, free vibration elimination software, reflection wave extraction, enhancement and analysis method, high-precision spectral analysis, and an intelligent post length evaluation system. This new technology has been successfully verified in multiple highway construction projects in China. The pilot testing program concluded that both the efficiency and accuracy of the new method are satisfactory for engineering practice purposes.