Geotechnical Investigation at Site

Intoday’s topic, I’m expanding the previous topic regarding geotechnical investigation in construction or civil engineering project. Nevertheless, by taking a different twist of presentation with this series of 8 nos. of videos obtained from world’s most famous media stream, Youtube.

Recap: Site or geotechnical investigation is a process of site exploration consisting of boring, sampling and testing so as to obtain geotechnical information for a safe, practical and economical geotechnical evaluation and design.

Basic Operation of Soil Investigation

The basic operation of rock core drilling performed at site…

Geotechnical Investigations of Enlarged Cotter Dam

Canberra Engineering Excellence Awards 2009 Entrant Details…

AnuLab SPT Test at MG Road Agra for Soil Bearing Capacity

The standard penetration test (SPT) is an in-situ dynamic penetration test designed to provide information on the geotechnical engineering properties of soil. The test procedure is described in the Indian Standard IS: 2131-1981 British Standard BS EN ISO 22476-3 and ASTM D1586. The Standard Penetration Tests aims to determine the SPT N value, which gives an indication of the soil stiffness and can be empirically related to many engineering properties. The test is conducted inside a borehole. A ‘split spoon’ sampler is attached to the bottom of a core barrel and lowered into position at the bottom of the borehole. The sampler is driven into the ground by a drop hammer weighing 68 kg falling through a height of 76 cm. The number of hammer blows is counted. The number required to drive the sampler three successive 150mm increments is recorded. The first increment (0-150mm) is not included in the N value as it is assumed that the top of the test area has been disturbed by the drilling process. The SPT N is the number of blows required to achieve penetration from 150-450mm. The hammer weight, drop height, spoon diameter, rope diameter etc. are standard dimensions. After the test, the sample remaining inside the split spoon is preserved in an airtight container for inspection and description. (By ANULAB Agra)

To Build a Tower: Part 1 – GeoTechnical Drill

The first first step in designing a radio tower is the foundation. This requires determining the quality of soil where foundation will be built & installed. Soil test was done by a radio-controlled drilling rig. This test went 40′ in depth, with samples “spooned” every 5′. This site was designed for Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (mbc-va.com), by RAF Wireless (rafwireless.com). It will be a 192′ monopole, located in Appomattox VA & will support Last Mile fiber connectivity for Digital Bridge’s WiMAX deployment around Appomattox, called BridgeMAXX.

Water Water Everywhere – Civil Engineering @ University of Limerick

This video clip shows Year 2 Civil Engineering @ University of Limerick students undertaking a site investigation as part of a geotechnical study. The Problem Based Learning (PBL) project involves the design of an earthen dam that could be used to store water or hold back flood-waters. The work involves the assessment of on-site soils for use in the construction of an impermeable dam and the analysis and design of the dam and supporting ground. The design is verified by construction and testing of a trial embankment on the site. Visit University of Limerick for more information on our course.

Geoprobe Direct-Push Sampling – Soiltest Italia

The direct-push approach for characterization of the shallow unconsolidated sub-surface is a rapidly developing methodology that deploys hydro-geological, geotechnical, and geophysical tools in the sub-surface. Direct-push methods for deployment of various sampling instruments in the subsurface present a viable alternative to traditional drilling. Soiltest Italiais specialized in geological surveys for environmental purposes.

CPT (Cone Penetration Test) – Soiltest Italia

Soiltest Italia is the foremost contractor for onshore in-situ soil testing in Italy. An acknowledged specialist in CPT, Soiltest Italia also offers a worldwide consultancy and training service. The cone penetration test is an in situ testing method used to determine the geotechnical engineering properties of soils and delineating soil stratigraphy. CPT test methods are governed by ASTM standard D-3441 “Standard Test Method for Deep, Quasi-Static, Cone and Friction-Cone Penetration Tests of Soil.” CPT is a geotechnical technique for determining soil strength parameters of near surface soils to depths of approximately 60 m.

Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link Geotechnical Investigations

Jens Kammer, a Project Manager of Geo-technology at Femern A/S, provides information on geotechnical investigations necessary for the planning of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link a video by Femern A/S. For further information on the project, visit our websites at Femern.