Instrumentation of timber piles with removable extensometers – Description of the experimental site

Abstract

The construction of the first deep foundations on timber piles in France dates back to the Neolithic period, 6000 years ago. During this period, timber pile foundations were driven in the soil using human strength. Timber piles dated from 600 B.C. were notably discovered in France and Switzerland, near the lakes of Neuchatel and Chalain (Maillard 2006). The first records of this technique were written by the Romans, who were the first to develop pile driving. From the Renaissance period to the industrial era, this particular type of foundations evolved: timber piles were driven before the construction of the mattress and the grillage on the top of piles. During the 19th century, in France, mattress and grillage were given up and replaced by submerged concrete, before the definitive abandonment of this technique at the end of this century (Levillain 1980).