Geotechnical Engineering 1 (Soil Mechanics)

Module 12: Soil Exploration and Geosynthetics

Objectives:

After studying these topics the students will be able to:

1. Know the different soil exploration method.

2. Determine the consistency and suitability of soil as a foundation.

Content:

I. Soil Exploration

A. Purposes of a Soil Investigation

A soil investigation program is necessary to provide information for design and construction and
for environmental assessment. The purposes of a soil investigation are:
a. To evaluate the general suitability of the site for the proposed project.
b. To enable an adequate and economical design to be made.
c. To disclose and make provision for difficulties that may arise during construction due to ground
and other local conditions.

B. 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. Structures that
are sensitive to settlement such as machine foundations and high-use buildings usually require a
thorough soil investigation compared to foundation of a house. A client may wish to take a greater
risk than normal to save money and set limits on the type and extent of the site investigation. If the
geotechnical engineer is familiar with a site, he/she may undertake a very simple soil investigation
to confirm his/ her experience. Some local building codes have provisions that set out the extent of a
site investigation. It is mandatory that a visit be made to the proposed site.
In the early stages of a project, the available information is often inadequate to allow a
detailed plan to be made. A site investigation must be developed in phases.
Phase I. Collection of available information such as site plan, type, size and importance of the
structure, loading conditions, previous geotechnical reports, topographic maps, air photographs,
geologic maps and newspaper clippings.
Phase II. Preliminary reconnaissance or a site visit to provide a general picture of the topography and
geology of the site. It is necessary that you take with you on the site to visit all the information
gathered in Phase I to compare with the current conditions of the site.
Phase III. Detailed soil exploration. The objectives of a detailed soil exploration are:
1. To determine the geological structure, this should include the thickness, sequence and extent of
the soil strata.
2. To determine the groundwater conditions.
3. To obtained disturbed and undisturbed samples for laboratory tests.
4. To conduct in situ tests.

Phase IV. Write a report. 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 groundwater table. You
should include information and/or explanations of any unusual soil, water-bearing stratum, and soil
and groundwater condition that may be troublesome during construction.

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C. Soil Exploration Program
A soil exploration program usually involves test pits and/or soil borings (bore-holes). During
the site visit (Phase II), you should work out most of the soil exploration consists of:
1. Preliminary location of each borehole and/or test pits.
2. Numbering of the boreholes or test pits.
3. Planned depth of each borehole or test pit.
4. Methods and procedures for advancing the boreholes.
5. Sampling instructions for at least the first borehole. The sampling instructions must include the
number of samples and possible locations. Changes in the sampling instructions often occur after
the first borehole.
6. Requirements for groundwater observations.

D. Soil Exploration Methods

Access to the soil may be obtained by the following methods:

1. Trial pits or test pits
2. Hand or powered augers
3. Wash boring
4. Rotary rigs

Advantages and Disadvantages of Soil Exploration Methods

Method Advantages Disadvantages

1. Test pits
A pit is dug either by a. Cost effective a. Depth limited to about 6m
hand or by a back hole. b. Provide detailed information of b. Peep pits uneconomical
stratigraphy c. Excavation below
c. Large quantities of disturbed soils groundwater and into rock
are available for testing difficult and costly.
d. Large blocks of undisturbed d. Too many pits may scar site
samples can be carved out from the and require backfill soils
pits
e. Field tests can be conducted at the
bottom of the pit.
2. Hand augers
The auger is rotated by a. Cost effective a. Depth limited to about 6m
turning and pushing b. Not dependent on terrain b. Labor intensive
down on the c. Low headroom required c. Undisturbed samples can be
handlebar. d. Portable taken only for soft clay
e. Low headroom required deposit
f. Used in uncased holes d. Cannot be used in rock, stiff
g. Groundwater location can easily be clays, dry sand or caliche
identified and measured soils
3. Power augers
Truck mounted and a. Quick a. Depth limited to about 15m.
equipped with b. Used in uncased holes At greater depth drilling
continuous flight c. Undisturbed samples can be becomes difficult and
augers that bore a hole obtained quite easily expensive
100 to 250 mm in a d. Drilling mud not used b. Site must be accessible to
diameter. Augers can e. Groundwater location can easily be motorized vehicle
have a solid or hollow identified
stem.
4. Wash boring
Water is pumped to a. Can be used in difficult terrain a. Depth limited to about 30m
bottom of borehole and b. Low equipment costs b. Slow drilling through stiff
soil washings are c. Used in uncased holes clays and gravels
returned to surface. A
drill bit is rotated and

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 dropped to produce a c. Difficulty in obtaining
chapping accurate location of
groundwater level
d. Undisturbed soil samples
cannot be obtained
5. Rotary drills
A drill bit is pushed by a. Quick a. Expensive equipment
the weight of the b. Can drill through any type of soil or b. Terrain must be accessible
drilling equipment and rock to motorized vehicle
rotated by a motor. c. Can drill to depths of 7500 m c. Difficulty in obtaining
d. Undisturbed samples can easily be location of groundwater
recovered level
d. Additional time required for
setup and cleanup

E. Soil Identification in the Field

In the field, the predominant soil types based on texture are identified by inspection. Gravels
and sands are gritty and the individual particles are visible. Silts easily crumble and water migrates
to the surface on application of pressure. Clays fail this water migration test since water flows very
slowly through clays. Clays feel smooth, greasy and sticky to the touch when wet but are very hard
and strong when dry.

F. Depth of Boreholes

In compressible soils such as clays, the borings should penetrate either 1. 5 to 2 times the
least dimension of the foundation or until the stress increment due to the foundation loads is less
than 10%, whichever is greater. Borings should penetrate at least 1 m into rock. In very stiff clays,
borings should penetrate 5m to 7m to prove that the thickness of the strata is adequate.

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G. Soil Sampling

The objective of the soil sampling is to obtain soils of satisfactory size with minimum
disturbance for observations and laboratory tests. Soil samples are usually obtained by attaching an
open-ended thin-wall tube-called a Shelby tube or, simply, a sampling tube-to drill rods and forcing
it down into the soil.

H. Boring Log

During soil exploration all pertinent details are recorded and presented in a boring log.
Additional information consisting mainly of laboratory and field test results is added to complete the
boring log.

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Essential points:
1. A site investigation is necessary to determine the nature of the soils at a proposed site for design
and construction.
2. A soil investigation needs careful planning and is usually done are phases.
3. A number of tools are available for soil exploration. You need to use judgment as to the type
appropriate for a given project.

References:
1. Images are Retrieved from https://www.google.com
2. Geotechnical Engineering (Revised Third Edition) by C. Venkatramaiah, 2012
3. Principles of Geotechnical Engineering (Seventh Edition) by Braja M. Das, 2010
4. Soil Mechanics and Foundations (Third Edition) by Muni Budhu, 2011
5. Soil Mechanics 7th Edition, R.F. Craig, 2004
6. Basic Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering by Venancio L. Besavilla Jr., 1998
7. Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering by Diego Inocencio T. Gillesania, 2006

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