Quality Assurance and Quality Control of Drilled Shafts

Gain a clearer understanding of specific project requirements for drilled shaft installation and avoid delayed projects with cost overruns.

The successful performance of a drilled shaft foundation system is intrinsically related to the quality of the construction methods and procedures used for installation, as well as the frequency and completeness of the field inspections and quality control testing performed. However, more often than not, project specifications controlling drilled shaft installation do not include adequate provisions for quality assurance and/or quality control processes. The lack of such provisions can make the difference between a successful project completed on budget and on schedule, and a delayed project with cost overruns. This topic helps designers, specifiers, project managers, inspectors and other project stakeholders to identify what key aspects of drilled shaft installation require development of a proper quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program. The content also describes the test methods available for verification of both the design capacity and the integrity of the drilled shaft foundations. Incorporation of an adequate QA/QC program for drilled shaft installation increases the probability of detecting potential defects or sources of defects early on during construction, reducing the risk of unidentified widespread systemic defects which are typically significantly more costly to mitigate and/or remediate post-construction.