Geotehnical Investigations

Definition
The process of determining the layers of
natural soil deposits that will underlie a
proposed structure and their physical
properties is generally referred to as
geotechnical Investigations
Purpose
• To obtain sub soil information that will help
the geotechnical engineer in the following:
– Selection of the type and the depth of foundation
suitable for a given structure
– Evaluation of the load bearing capacity of the
foundation
– Estimation of the probable settlement of a
structure
Scope and Phases of a Soil Investigation
The scope of a soil investigation depends on
the type, size, and importance of the
structure, the client, the engineer’s familiarity
with the soils at the site, and local building
codes.
A site investigation must be developed in
phases.
Phases
Phase I. Desk Study - Collection of available
information
Phase II. Reconnaissance survey of site
Phase III. Preliminary soil exploration
Phase IV. Detailed soil exploration
Phase V. Writing a report
• Phase I
Desk Study - Collection of available
information such as a site plan, type, size, and
importance of the structure, loading
conditions, previous geotechnical reports,
topographic maps, airphotogrphs, geological
maps, agronomy maps, hydrological
information and Highway department
manuals.
GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTION
• Phase II
Preliminary reconnaissance or a site visit to
provide a general picture of the geotechnical
topography and geology of the site.
Information collected during this phase:
Design and construction plans
General site conditions
Geologic reconnaissance
The geomorphology
Access restrictions for equipment
Traffic control requirements during field
investigations
Location of underground and overhead
utilities
Type and condition of existing facilities (i.e.
pavements, bridges, etc.)
Adjacent land use (schools, churches,
research facilities, etc.)
Restrictions on working hours
Right-of-way constraints
Environmental issues
Escarpments, outcrops, erosion features, and
surface settlement
Flood levels
Water traffic and access to water boring sites
Benchmarks and other reference points to aid
in the location of boreholes
Equipment storage areas/security
• Phase III
Detailed soil exploration. The objectives of a
detailed soil exploration are:
– To determine the geological structure, which
should include the thickness, sequence, and
extent of the soil strata.
– To determine the ground water conditions.
– To obtain disturbed and undisturbed samples for
laboratory tests.
– To conduct in situ tests.
• Phase IV
The report must contain a clear description of
the soils at the site, methods of exploration,
soil profile, test methods and results, and the
location of the ground water.
 Site Exploration Plan
A soil exploration program usually involves test pits
and /or soil borings.
A detailed soil exploration plan consists of:
– Preliminary location of each bore hole and /or test
pits.
– Numbering of the bore holes or test pits.
– Planned depth of each bore hole or test pit.
– Methods and procedures for advancing the bore
holes.
– Number of samplings and their frequency.
– Requirements for ground water observations.
 Methods of Soil Exploration

• Trial pits or trenches and Shafts

• Hand Auger Borings (post hole, helical or spiral ,
dutch auger, gravel auger; barrel auger)
• Mechanical Auger Borings
• Shell and Auger Borings
• Percussion Boring
• Wash Boring
• Rotary Boring
• Diamond core drilling
 Trial Pits and Trenches
Size - 1.5m * 1.5m
Depth – normal 3.0m,
Backfilled with proper compaction.
Cheapest method for shallow depth
Can be excavated either by labors or
mechanical excavator.
Any weak lenses or pockets can be
seen.
Expensive when depth is above 6m
or below water table specially when
the subsoil consists of sandy soil
• At the surface, the excavated material should
be placed in an orderly manner adjoining the pit
with separate stacks to identify the depth of the
material

• Measurements should be taken and recorded

documenting the orientation, plan dimensions
and depth of the pit, and the depths and the
thickness of each stratum exposed in the pit.
Augers
Gravel
Auger
Helical
Auger
Helical Auger
Extension
Rod Post Hole
PostPp
Hole Auger
Auger

Dutch
Auger

Open and closed Flat Spiral Shoe

Spiral Augers Barrel Auger
 Screw Auger( spiral auger)

Used in very cohesive, soft or

hard soils.
cannot be used in very dry or
sandy soils since these soil
types will not adhere to the bit.
Good for boring holes quickly,
but more difficult to remove
from the hole.
 Bucket Auger
They are made of a cylinder or
barrel to hold the soil, which is
forced into the barrel by the cutting
lips.
Bucket augers work well in most soil
conditions. Therefore, it is
considered the most universal
auger.
These augers are available with
different tips designed for specific
soil types, such as mud and sand.
 Dutch Auger: (Edelman auger)
designed for wet, clay, high fibrous,
heavily rooted swampy areas, and
extremely wet boggy soil.
Like the screw auger, the Dutch auger
does not work well in dry, sandy or
less cohesive soils. A sand version is
available where the blades are much
wider and closer together to help
capture the loose material, but a
bucket
auger can retain this material with
greater ease
 Planer Auger
Similar to the bucket auger
with its cylinder shape, but
designed to flatten and clean
out the bottom of the
predrilled hole in preparation
for core sampler to obtain a
quality undisturbed sample.
 Stony Soil Auger
Used in stony soils,
gravely soils containing
small stones and
asphalt.
 Drilling:
Continuous Flight Auger
 Hollow Stem Auger
 Casing with outer spiral
 Inner rod with plug/or pilot
assembly
 For sampling, remove pilot
assembly and insert sampler
 Typically 5ft sections, keyed,
box & pin connections
 Maximum depth 60-150ft
Hollow Stem Auger
 BUCKET AUGER
Bucket auger consists of an open-topped cylinder
which has a base plate with one or two slots
reinforced with cutting teeth, which break up the
soil and allow it to enter the bucket as it is
rotated.
The top of the bucket is connected to a rod which
transmits the torque and downward pressure
from the rig at ground level to the base of the
hole: this rod is termed a ‘Kelly’. They are used
for subsurface exploration in the USA, but are
rarely used in the other parts of the world.
This is probably because they require a rotary
table rig, or crane-mounted auger piling rig for
operation, and this is usually expensive to run.
BUCKET AUGER AND DRILLING RIG
 WASH BORING
Wash boring is a relatively old method of boring
small-diameter exploratory holes in fine-grained
soil.
Soil exploration below the ground water table is
usually very difficult to perform by means of
pits or auger-holes. Wash boring in such cases is
a very convenient method provided the soil is
either sand, silt or clay.
The method is not suitable if the soil is mixed
with gravel or boulders.
The purpose of wash boring is to drill holes only
and not to make use of the disturbed washed
materials for analysis.

Whenever an undisturbed sample is required at a

particular depth, the boring is stopped, and the
chopping bit is replaced by a sampler. The
sampler is pushed into the soil at the bottom of
the hole and the sample is withdrawn.
Figure shows the assembly for a wash boring.
To start with, the hole is advanced a short
depth by auger and then a casing pipe is
pushed to prevent the sides from caving in.
The hole is then continued by the use of a
chopping bit fixed at the end of a string of hollow
drill rods.
A stream of water under pressure is forced
through the rod and the bit into the hole, which
loosens the soil as the water flows up around the
pipe. The loosened soil in suspension in water is
discharged into a tub.
Wash boring
The soil in suspension settles down in the tub
and the clean water flows into a sump which
is reused for circulation.

The motive power for a wash boring is either

mechanical or man power. The bit which is
hollow is screwed to a string of hollow drill
rods supported on a tripod by a rope or steel
cable passing over a pulley and operated by a
winch fixed on one of the legs of the tripod.
 Percussion Drilling
The drilling rig (Fig.) consists of a collapsible ‘A’
frame, with a pulley at its top, a diesel engine
connected via a hand-operated friction clutch
(based on a brake drum system) to a winch
drum which provides pulling power to the rig
rope and can be held still with a friction brake
which is foot-operated used to raise and lower
a series of weighted tools on to the soil being
drilled.
LIGHT
PERCUSSION
DRILLING RIG
The rig is very light and can be
readily towed with a four-wheel
drive vehicle. It is also very easy
to erect, and on a level site can be
ready to drill in about 15 minutes.

In clays, progress is made by

dropping a steel tube known as a
‘clay cutter’ into the soil (see
Fig.).
This is slowly pulled out of the borehole and is
then generally found to have soil trapped
inside it
When the clay cutter is withdrawn from the
top of the hole, the soil is removed with a
metal bar which is driven into it through the
open slot in the claycutter side
In granular materials, such as sands or
gravels, a shell is used.
At least 2 m of water is put in the bottom of
the borehole, and the shell is then surged,
moving about 300mm up and down every
second or so.
Surging the shell upwards causes water to be
drawn into the bottom of the hole, and this
water loosens the soil at the base of the hole
and forces it to go into suspension
As the shell is dropped on the bottom of the
hole the mixture of soil and water passes up
the tube of the shell, past the simple non-
return valve (sometimes called a ‘clack’). As the
shell is raised, the clack closes and retains the
soil

By repeatedly surging the shell up and down at

the base of the hole, soil can be collected and
removed from the hole. By this method the
boulder or rock formation are pulverized .

Highly disturbed samples are collected.

 ROTARY DRILLING
Rotary drilling uses a rotary action combined
with downward force to grind away the
material in which a hole is being made
may be applied to soil or rock, but are
generally easier to use in strong intact rock
than in the weak weathered rocks and soil
Rotary drilling consists of a number of
elements (Fig.): ‘rotary rig’ , at the ground
surface, which delivers torque and thrust;
 Rotary Drilling
 Bit at the end of drill rod
rotated and advanced
 Soil/rock cuttings removed by
circulating drilling fluid
 Common drilling fluid;
bentonite in water with slurry
density 68-72pcf
 Air may be used as drilling
fluid
 How Many Borings & How Deep?

“No hard-and-fast” rule exists for determining the

number of borings or the depth to which borings are
to be advanced.”

But guidelines exist in –

• Textbooks
• Design manuals
 How Many Borings?
Conventional Wisdom
– The number (density) of borings will increase:
As soil variability increases
As the loads increase
For more critical/significant structures
Rules of Thumb:
– Soft soils, critical structures – 50'
– Soft Soils - Space 100' to 200'
– As soils become harder, spacing may be increased up
to 500’
How Many Borings?
Structure or Subsurface Spacing of Borings (ft)
Project Variability
Irregular 100-1000 (200, typical)
Highway
Average 200-2000 (500, typical)
Subgrade
Uniform 400-4000 (1000, typical)

Irregular 25-75
Multistory
Average 50-150
Building
Uniform 100-300

Source: Sowers 1979

How Deep?
When deep excavation is anticipated, the
depth of boring should be at least 1.5 times
the depth of excavation.
In case rock bed is encountered at shallow
depth during the boring, the minimum 3 m
deep should be bored.
 Economics

The
exploration
cost generally
should be 0.1
to 0.5% of
the cost of the
structure
 Soil Samples
Soil samples obtained for engineering testing and
analysis, in general, are of two main categories:
 Disturbed (but representative)
 Undisturbed
Disturbed samples are those obtained using
equipment that destroy the macro structure of the soil
but do not alter its mineralogical composition.
samples can be used for determining the general
lithology of soil deposits, for identification of soil
components and general classification purposes, for
determining grain size, Atterberg limits,and
compaction characteristics of soils.
Disturbed samples can be obtained with a number of
different methods as summarized in Table 3-4.
Undisturbed Samples
Undisturbed samples are obtained in clay soil strata for
use in laboratory testing to determine the engineering
properties of those soils.
Undisturbed samples of granular soils can be obtained,
but often specialized procedures are required such as
freezing or resin impregnation and block or core type
sampling.
It should be noted that the term “undisturbed” soil
sample refers to the relative degree of disturbance to
the soil’s in-situ properties.
 Field Samples Storage / Delivery
Field samples kept
in core boxes for
delivery and storage.
Disturbed jar
samples
Rock cores - H
sizes
 Handling samples
 Proper Storage
 Ensure sample test data
representative
 Avoid storing samples in heated up
area
 Preserve original moisture contents
 Store up in sealed container
 Use wax as sealer