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Number and Depth of Boring

1) The document discusses guidelines for determining the number and depth of boreholes required for subsoil exploration for various types of construction projects. 2) The number of boreholes depends on factors like the project type, soil conditions, structure footprint area, and horizontal stratification. Typical ranges from 1-10 boreholes are provided for different project types. 3) Minimum depths for boreholes are recommended based on considerations of stress distribution and seepage. Depths range from extending below weak layers to 1.5-2 times the width, height, or depth of structures, foundations, or embankments.

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Rafi Mahmoud Sulaiman
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264 views19 pages

Number and Depth of Boring

1) The document discusses guidelines for determining the number and depth of boreholes required for subsoil exploration for various types of construction projects. 2) The number of boreholes depends on factors like the project type, soil conditions, structure footprint area, and horizontal stratification. Typical ranges from 1-10 boreholes are provided for different project types. 3) Minimum depths for boreholes are recommended based on considerations of stress distribution and seepage. Depths range from extending below weak layers to 1.5-2 times the width, height, or depth of structures, foundations, or embankments.

Uploaded by

Rafi Mahmoud Sulaiman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Number and Depth of Boring

for Subsoil Exploration


Number and Depth of Boring
for Subsoil Exploration
Subsoil Exploration
• Boring
• Sampling
• Testing
Introduction

-:Usually, the proper program of soil investigation for a given project depends on

•Type and importance of the structure;


•Nature of the subsoil involved;
•Type of available equipment;
•Ground water condition; and
•Amount of money allocated for the exploration.

At present, much site investigation drilling and testing is carried out in a


routine way, and in the absence of any significant plan. This can result in a
significant waste of money, and time, since the work is carried out without
reference to the special needs of the project.
Phases of Subsoil Exploration
Reconnaissance Phase )1( Preliminary Phase )2( Detailed Phase )3(

• Collection of all available • Preliminary design data that • Additional boreholes,


information, and satisfy building code samples will be required
requirements, and for zones of poor soil at
• Reconnaissance of the
• Number and depth of smaller spacing and
area. boreholes. locations which can
So that, it will indicate any So, it involves knowing of the influence design and
settlement limitations and distribution of structural loads
construction of the
help to estimate that required in design of
foundations. foundation.
foundation loads.
Also, a few borings or tests pits
are to be opened to establish the
stratification types of soil, location
of W.T. In addition to, one or more
borings should be taken to rock
when the initial boreholes
indicate that the upper soil is
loose or highly compressible.
Number of Boreholes
• It is a good practice in the beginning to take a few numbers of borings so that a soil
profile can be drawn with reasonable accuracy and then the preliminary program can
be adjusted to suit a subsoil conditions.
• The more boreholes and the closer they are spaced, the more accurate the resulting
geologic profile.
• Boreholes number and layout may need to be changed as more information emerges,
so that, an additional boreholes may be required during the survey.

• The layout of the borings should aim not only to provide soil profiles and samples at positions
related to the proposed structures and their foundations, but should also be arranged to check
the hypotheses formed during the survey, the geological succession, the presence of drift deposits
and the extent of the various materials on site in order to allow cross-sections to be drawn.

• For example, a typical investigation for a motorway in the UK might use 5 to l0m deep
borings every 150m along the proposed road line, with four 25 to 30m deep borings at
the proposed position of each bridge structure.
Number of Boreholes
Table (1): Number and spacing of boreholes according to the type of project
(From Hvorslev 1949, and Road Research Laboratory 1954).
Distance between borings (m)
Horizontal stratification of soil Minimum
Project uniform average erratic number
of boreholes

Multi-story building 45 30 15 4
or 2 story building 1 60 30 15 3
,Bridge, pier, abutment ---- 30 7.5 1-2
Highways 300 150 30 ----
Borrow pits 150-300 60-150 15-30 ----
Isolated small structures: such as small
.houses 1

Compact projects: such as buildings, 4


dams, bridges or small landslips deeper and closely
spaced
Extended projects: such as motorways,
railways, reservoirs and land reclamation shallower
.schemes and widely spaced
Number of Boreholes
Table (2): Number of borings for medium to heavy weight buildings, tanks, and
.other similar structures on shallow foundations (From Sowers, 1979)

Subsurface Conditions Structure Footprint Area for2 Each


Exploratory Boring (m )

Poor quality and / or erratic 300 – 100

Average 400 – 200

High quality and uniform 1000 – 300


Depth of Borings
For rough guidelines, the following criteria can be used for minimum depths, from
considerations of stress distribution or seepage,:
1. FOUNDATIONS:
• All borings should extend below all deposits such as top soils, organic silts, peat,
artificial fills, very soft and compressible clay layers;
• Boring should be sufficiently deep for checking the possibility of a weaker soil at
greater depth which may settle under the applied load;
• Deeper than any strong layer at the surface checking for a weaker layer of soil under it
which may cause a failure;
• The depth at which the net increase in stress due to the foundation or building load is
less than 5% of the effective overburden pressure;

• The depth at which the net vertical total stress increase due to the foundation or
building load is less than 10% of the contact stress applied at foundation level ;
Depth of Borings
1. FOUNDATIONS (Continued):
• For group of overlapping stress zones footing or raft foundations, explore to a depth
equal 1.5B (B = least width of the group or raft);
• For heavy structures (pressure > 200 kPa), the depth of borings should be extended to
2B (width of footing);

• For strip footings, explore to not less than 3B (width of footing);

• For multistory buildings, explore to:


(i) (in meter)………. for light steel or narrow concrete buildings,
(ii) (in meter) .…….. for heavy steel or wide concrete buildings.
where: = Depth of boring, = Depth of footing, and = Number of stories.

• The minimum depth of core boring into the bedrock is about 3m. If the bedrock is
irregular or weathered, the core borings may have to be extended to greater depths.

• If piled foundation is expected, depth of boring = (3-5) pile diameter or (3m) into the
bearing stratum.
Depth of Borings
2. RESERVOIRS:
:Explore soil to
• The depth of the base of the impermeable stratum, or
• Not less than 2 x maximum hydraulic head expected.

3. ROADS, HIGHWAYS, AND AIR FIELDS:


• The minimum depth is 6m below the finished road level, provided that vertical
alignment is fixed
• Should extend below artificial fill or compressible layers, or
• To bore to at least 1.5 times the embankment height in fill areas, and
• To bore to at least 6m below finished road level in cut.

4. CANALS, DEEP CUT AND FILL SECTIONS ON SIDE HILLS:


Explore soil to:
•3m below the finished level in cut, or
•B when , or
•H when .
Depth of Borings
5. DAMS:
:Explore soil to
• For earth structures, a depth equal to 1.5 times the base width of the dam, and
• For concrete structures, a depth between 1.5 and 2.0 times the height of the dam.

6. RETAINING WALLS, SLOPES STABILITY PROBLEMS:


• 0.75 to 1.5H (wall height) or 1.5B (wall base width) whichever is greater below the
bottom of the wall or its supporting piles, In addition to;
• It must be below an artificial fills or compressible layers, and deeper than possible
surface of sliding;

7. EMBANKMENTS:

The depth of exploration should be at least:


• Equal to the height or width of the embankment and
• Should ideally penetrate all soft soils if stability is to be investigated.
P

G.S.

Borehole

Strong layer

Weak layer

Existence of rock layer


H

High embankment )e(


TANKS
FOR EVERY ONE
with my best wishes

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