More than 80 Years of Experience with the Method of Characteristics - from Graphical Analyses to Advanced Driveability Analyses by Scripts.

Most are not aware that the first practical applications of stress wave simulations were based on the Method
of Characteristics and were performed using graphical tools. Today these tools have been replaced by
computers and the computer algorithm for the Method of Characteristics (MOC) is almost certainly the most
commonly used algorithm for stress wave simulations, like driveability studies (both for impact hammers
and vibratory hammers), signal matching (both to assess pile capacity and to perform pile shape analysis),
the design of hammer parts, hammer cushions, and Rapid Load Testing simulations. This paper will be a
sequel to the paper “Thirty Years of Experience with the wave equation solution based on the Method of
Characteristics” that was presented at the Stress Wave Conference in Kuala Lumpur, 2004. As such it will
provide an overview of the application of the method in foundation testing: from the early beginnings using
the graphical methods to the current advanced driveability analyses. The overview will be illustrated by
actual examples generated by the wave equation program AllWave that also demonstrate how the outcome
of soil investigation testing is transformed into soil model parameters (incl. soil fatigue parameters) to ensure
that the analysis generates reliable results.