SITE INVESTIGATION
Topography
Soil profile
Ground-water condition
The Stages of Site Investigation
Monitoring
Desk study and site reconnaissance
The desk study is the first stage of the site investigation
process which involves researching the site to gain as much
information as possible, both geological and historical.
A good starting point is to use Ordinance survey maps which
allow the selection of the site by obtaining accurate grid
reference through the maps.
In addition to present maps, old maps are used to gain
historical information such as former uses of the site;
concealed mine workings; in filled ponds; old pits; disused
quarries; changes in potential landslide areas, etc.
The source of information that useful in
desk study:
1. Geological map
2. Aerial photography
If the desk study shows that the site is feasible for the structure,
then preliminary investigation should follows.
Preliminary Investigation
Preliminary Investigation is aimed at predicting the geological
structures, soil profiles and the position of ground water table by
geophysical method or by making a few boreholes.
The investigation should give information on the existence on
ground structures that may need closer examination: for example,
1. The extent of disturbed strata,
2. The location and extend of natural cavities and mine workings.
3. Fractures and river crossings or alluvial areas that may have buried soft
material or pet, their liability to cause subsidence, surface movements or
instability
4. Information on suitability of soil for fills work, ground water condition and
the possibility of flooding should be provided at this stage.
Detailed Investigation
At this stage, the extent of the test, number and depth of boreholes,
selection of appropriate equipment for field testing and the choice of
laboratory testing are made.
2. Sampling,
3. Laboratory testing.
Monitoring
Monitoring during construction and maintenance period is required
whether the expectations of the proceeding investigation have been
realize.
No one can ensure that the soil parameters used for design is the most
representative of the soil conditions at the site unless the response is
observed.
Field observation can help for early diagnosis and redemption of any
problem that might be encountered during construction.
Among the measurement made during the monitoring stage are the
settlement, displacement, deformation, inclination, and pore water
pressure.
Steps of Soil Exploration
A. BORING
Soil borings are the most common method of subsurface
exploration in the field. A bore hole is used to determine the
nature of the ground in a qualitative manner and then recover
disturbed and undisturbed samples for quantitative
examination.
Some types of borings are hand/mechanical auger borings,
wash borings, percussion drilling, rotary drilling, and core
borings. An auger is a screw-like tool used to bore a hole.
Some augers are operated by hand: others are power operated
Hand/Mechanical Auger
Hand augers may be used for boring to a depth of about 6 m.
removed soil. The removed soil can be used for field classification
Power auger set with a drill rig can be used to obtain samples from
deeper strata. Some rigs can be used to drill a hole to 100 m depth.
Wash Boring
Wash borings consists of simultaneous drilling and jetting
action. A hole is bored through a casing by using a drilling
bit.
17
SOIL BORING
18
19
20
B. SAMPLING
Sampling refers to the taking of soil sample from bored hole.
1. Disturbed samples
2. Undisturbed samples
Undisturbed sample are not practically for sand and gravel due to the
lack of cohesion.
Undisturbed sample may be possible for soft rock such as chalks and
marls.
A sampling program should be consistent with the required accuracy
of design and the scale of the structures.
The most popular tube is the open drive sampler while the
recommended sampler for the soft soil is the piston sampler.
Several types of piston samplers are available, for instance the
fixed piston sample, free piston sampler, and restraint sampler.
1. Project name,
5. Depth of sample.
Care should be taken during shipment and stored of the sealed
tube for testing in the laboratory because these processes may
result in serious sample disturbance.
D D 2 2
Ar 2
o
x100% 1
D1 (2.2)
There are two types of hammer : automatic trip hammers and slip-
rope-hammers but the standard weight of the hammer is 63.5 kg.
The blow count (N) may be corrected by field conditions such as,
a) energy used for driving the rod into the soil (Em),
The values of Em, Cs, CR, and CB depend on the SPT equipment.
Many of the correlations developed based on hammer
that have an efficiency of 60%, the results of other
hammer should be corrected to this efficiency factor.
Thus :
Em C B C S C R
(2.3)
N 60 N
0.6
The SPT test should be stop when soil shows some refusal i.e.
when more than 50 blows are required to penetrate any 150 mm
increment or 100 blows are obtained for 300 mm penetration or if
10 successive blow produce no advance in the penetration.
Basic parts of this equipment include a cone to measure the tip resistance
and skin friction of soil, some rods, and measuring devices.
Two type of cone currently available are mechanical cone and electric
cone. Both have two parts , a 35.7 mm diameter cone shaped tip with a
60o apex angle and 35.7 mm diameter and 133.7 mm long cylinder.
(2.5)
qc ' 0
cu
Nk
In which s’o is the overburden pressure and Nk is the
cone factor which ranges from15 to 20 depending on the
type of cone used.
Cone penetration apparatus
VANE SHEAR TEST (VST)
Vane shear test is commonly used to measure the shear strength
and sensitivity of clay.
T
cu
d 2 h d 3
2 6 (2.6)
Type of soil and strength anisotropy may also affect the results.
2. Consolidation test.
2. Specific gravity.
The report should present the general description of soil strata, position
of ground water table and other information related to the site.