CAPWAP® (Case Pile Wave Analysis Program) is a software program that estimates total bearing capacity of a pile or shaft, as well as resistance distribution along the shaft and at the toe. The program takes as input the force and velocity data obtained with a Pile Driving Analyzer® (PDA) system. It is essential to post-process PDA data with CAPWAP for at least one foundation element per job. CAPWAP completes the Dynamic Load Testing procedure and simulates a Static Load Test.
CAPWAP 2014 has improved features for the analysis of drilled shafts and other concrete piles, such as variable time increment/wave speed, an automatic routine to calculate variable impedance, and area calculations based on field measurements. The program includes a completely automated mode as well as adjustable parameters with which the user systematically improves the calculated results. CAPWAP works in English, Metric or SI units, and features numerous help features that have been expanded for the 2014 version. A comprehensive report is a new output option.
The CAPWAP manual introduces the user to the wave equation theory and signal matching procedure on which the program is based.
CAPWAP is the industry state-of-practice tool to establish the pile capacity. Read a keynote lecture on the Correlation between CAPWAP results and actual Static Load Test results.
Output
• Simulated static test
• Resistance distribution
• Forces and stresses along the shaft
• Shaft and toe damping and quake
• Measured and computed forces and velocities
• Maxima of displacement, velocity and transferred energy along the shaft
• CASE Method results
• Comprehensive report page (below right)
CAPWAP has special tools to analyze Cast-in-Situ and Other Concrete Piles:
• Variation of time increment and/or wave speed
• Calculation and display of modified pile models, their volume, mechanical
properties and wave speed
• Automatic pile impedance adjustment.