• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.3_4
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• pp.519-532
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• 2012

Using nondestructive testing techniques to evaluate the length or depth of an existing foundation is an important issue with potential high application values. One of these is to evaluate whether the foundation is broken after severe earthquakes. In this aspect, academic research related to nondestructive evaluation for caisson foundations is rarely reported. The objective of this paper is to study the feasibility of using Sonic Echo method to evaluate the depth of caisson foundations. Two types of caissons, simple cylindrical caisson and compound caisson with chambers, were studied for their responses to the Sonic Echo tests. The study was carried out in numerical simulation with finite element method and experimental way with in-situ tests. A bridge system which spans over Sofong Brook in Taiwan was selected for the tests in situ. The bridge system is still under construction and therefore the effect of different construction stages on the testing results may be studied. In this paper, the parameters to be varied for the studies include the testing locations and the existence of chamber plates, the bottom plate and the top plate. Finally some preliminary conclusions can be reached for a successful test.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Navigation
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.21-30
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• 1979

Echo sounder and Doppler sonar are to theultra-sonic transducers for measuring the depth and the ship's speed respectively. To measure the depth and speed with a single transducer, it is required to control the ultra-sonic beam to optional direction. In the past, the direction of the transducer itself is varied, but such a method provoked much problems in the mechanical design of the equipment. This paper deals with the method to control beam direciton by the phase control of the plural arrangement of transducers, and the results are studied by a computer simulation. The remarkable results of the study is condensed as follows; 1. The greater the interval of arrangement between transducers, the sharper the radiation pattern is, but in this case, the level of undesired sidelobe is also increased. 2. The control of radiation pattern up to 60 degree can be achieved by an adequate arrangement of more than 10 transducers. 3. It is shown that a simultaneous measurement of both depth and speed can be achieved by alternating directivity of the pulse by the method proposed in this paper.