Faculty: Engineering

Department: Civil engineering

Course name and code: Foundation Engineering I (CEng-304)

 AHMED JAMA DAHIR Eng 163

 MIRE ABDALLE MOHAMUD Eng 164

 ABDIKADAR MUSE KHALIF Eng 165

 Soil sampling
 Definition of soil sampling
 Method of soil sampling
I. Block sampling
II. Borehole sampling
 Field test
 Definition of field test
 Field Tests for Foundation Design
I. Penetration Resistance Test
II. Pressure meter Test
III. Cone Penetration Test
IV. Plate Bearing Test
What is Sampling of Soil?
Proper design of foundation of civil engineering structure, need
sufficient knowledge about subsurface condition of proposed site
upon which foundation is to be supported. Arrangement and
orientation of underlying soil layers and physical properties of each
layer, extent of each layer are the necessary information in deriving
both bearing and settlement behavior of foundation soil. To obtain
essential information like these, through laboratory and field
testing, subsurface investigation is conducted. In this process soil
samples are collected from shallow and deep strata.
 A satisfactorydesign of a foundation depends
upon the accuracy with which the various soil
parameters required for the design are
obtained. The accuracy of the soil parameters
depends upon the accuracy with which
representative soil samples are obtained from
the field.
Sampling is carried out in order that soil and
rock description, and laboratory testing can be
carried out.
Laboratory tests typically consist of:
 Index tests (for example, specific gravity, water
content)
 Classification tests (for example, Atterberg’s limit
tests on clayey soil); and
 Tests to determine engineering design parameters
(for example strength, compressibility, and
permeability).
1. Samples should be representative of the ground
from which they are taken.
2. They should be large enough to contain
representative particles sizes, fabric, and fissuring
and fracturing
3. They should be taken in such a way that they have
not lost fractions of the in situ soil (for example,
coarse or fine particles) and, where strength and
compressibility tests are planned, they should be
subject to as little disturbance as possible.
 Non-Representative soil samples are those in which
neither the in-situ soil structure, moisture content
nor the soil particles are preserved.
They are not representative
They cannot be used for any tests as the soil
particles either gets mixed up or some particles
may be lost.
Samples that are obtained through wash boring or
percussion drilling are examples of non-
representative samples
 Disturbed soil samples are those in which the in-situ
soil structure and moisture content are lost, but the
soil particles are intact.
1. They are representative
2. They can be used for grain size analysis, liquid and
plastic limit, specific gravity, compaction tests,
moisture content, organic content determination and
soil classification test performed in the lab
3. e.g., Examples of such sample are those obtained
through cuttings while auguring, grab, split spoon
(SPT), etc.
 Undisturbed soil samples are those in which the in-situ soil
structure and moisture content are preserved.

1. They are representative and also intact

2. These are used for consolidation, permeability or shear
strengths test (Engineering properties)
3. More complex jobs or where clay exists
4. In sand is very difficult to obtain undisturbed sample
5. Obtained by using Shelby tube (thin wall), piston sampler,
surface (box), vacuum, freezing, etc
 Field observation includes various numbers of tests.
For building structures, the most commonly used tests
involve the penetration resistance test, the drilling of
test holes, and the opening of test pits. For hydraulic
structure investigation, tests such as the permeability
test, vane shear test, and others can be performed.
Pavement and runway tests rely more on samples from
core cutters, the California bearing ratio test, and
others.
 Field investigation for foundation recommendations
involves numerous tests. In situ testing includes the core
cutter test, sand replacement test, standard penetration test,
cone penetration test, vane shear test, plate bearing test,
pressuremeter test, and many others. It is obvious that for a
certain project not all tests are necessary. For shallow
foundations, in situ testing is relatively easy, but for deep
foundations such as piles and piers, field tests are often
expensive and not always reliable.
 Probably the oldest method of testing soil is the
“Penetration Resistance Test.” In performing the
Penetration Resistance Test, the split spoon sampler used to
take soil samples is utilized.
 The split spoon is driven into the ground by means of a
140-lb hammer falling a free height of 30 in.
 The number of blows N necessary to produce a
penetration of 12 in. is regarded as the penetration
resistance. To avoid seating errors, the blows for the
first 6 in. of penetration are not taken into account;
those required to increase the penetration for 12 in.
constitute the N value, also commonly known as the
“blow count.”
 The following should be considered in performing
the penetration test:
I. Depth Factor
II. Water Table
III. Driving Condition
IV. Cobble Effect
V. California Sampler
 The pressure meter test is a device developed by
Menard in 1950 for the purpose of measuring in situ
strength and compressibility.
 The probe is made up of a measuring cell, with a
guard cell above and below, enclosed in a rubber
membrane. The membrane is inflated, using water
under an applied carbon dioxide pressure.
 The pressure and volume readings are taken
continuously. The two guard cells ensure that a purely
radial pressure is set up on the sides of the bore hole.
 A pressure/volume-change curve is then plotted,
from which shear strength and strain characteristics
may be evaluated.
The pressuremeter test (Figures 3.1 to 3.3) can be
used to evaluate the bearing capacity of shale bedrock
at the bottom of large-diameter deep caissons.
 The cone penetration test is a static penetration test in
which the cone is pushed rather than driven into the
soil. The cone has an apex angle of 60° with a base area
of 10 cm2 attached to the bottom of a rod and protected
by a casing. The cone is pushed by the rod at the rate of
two cm/sec. The cone resistance is the force required to
advance the cone, divided by the base area. The
arrangement is known as the “Dutch Cone.”
 When the tip incorporates a friction sleeve, the base has an
area of 15 cm2. The local side friction is then measured as
the frictional resistance per unit area on the friction sleeve.

 The results of cone penetration tests appear to be most

reliable for sand and silt that are not completely
saturated. The application of the cone penetration test
on stiff clay is limited.
 The object of the plate bearing test is to obtain a
load/settlement curve. For soil with relatively high
bearing capacity, the load required to complete the curve
is often exceedingly high, and the cost of such testing is
often unjustified. However, under certain circumstances
where other test procedures are difficult to apply, such a
test may be justified; for example, on weathered rocks,
chalk, or hardcore fills.
 The plate bearing test assures the client that the geotechnical
engineer has taken the project seriously, and the recommendations
presented are without errors. If the client is willing to pay for such a
test just for assurance that nothing will go wrong, then the
geotechnical engineer should be happy to comply with the client’s
wish, although the test results will not alter the recommendations in
the report.
 A pit is excavated to the required depth, the bottom leveled, and a
steel plate set firmly on the soil. A static load is then applied to the
plate in a series of increments, and the amount and rate of settlement
measured. Loading is continued until the soil under the plate yields.
A number of tests will be required using different plate diameters at
different depths.