01-01-2009

SITE INVESTIGATION AND SOIL

EXPLORATION

Dr. S. P. JEYAPRIYA
Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Government College Of Technology
Coimbatore-13

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
 Why Investigation ?
 Data Collection.
 Investigation Methodologies.
 Pits and Trenches.
 Drilling/Boring Technologies.
 Auger.
 Wash boring.
 Rotary drilling.
 Percussion drilling.
 Geophysical methods.
 Samplers and sampling techniques.
 Thick and thin walled samplers.
 Design features of samplers.
 Insitu field testing.
 Penetration test – SPT, SCPT, DCPT.
 Pressuremeter test.
 Presentation of results of site investigation.

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SITE INVESTIGATION - DEFINITION

 Layers of natural soil deposits.

 Physical properties of soil.

WHY SOIL INVESTIGATION?

 To understand the subsurface conditions such as:
 Geological features of the region.
 Position and variation of ground water table.
 Physical properties of soil and rock.
 Contamination, if any
 General data of adjacent structures, hydrological data,
topography, soil maps, seismicity, etc.
 To make recommendations regarding the safe bearing
capacity.
 To determine the type and depth of foundation.

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PLANNING OF SOIL EXPLORATION

While planning, the soil engineer-in-charge of the programme should include the following
steps:

Purpose of investigation &

Borehole layout plan
Importance of the project.

Selection of drilling and sampling equipments. Guidelines for sample preservation

INVESTIGATION TECHNOLOGIES
•Test pit /Trial pit
•Permits visual inspection of subsurface conditions in natural state.
•Suitable for small depths – upto 3m.
•Sampling/testing done on exposed surfaces.

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BORING IN SOIL

 Soil exploration at greater depths .

 Provides change in soil and ground water
conditions.

TYPES OF BORING

AUGER BORING PERCUSSION DRILLING

WASH BORING ROTARY DRILLING

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AUGER BORING
 Soil auger is a device that
helps in advancing a bore-
hole into the ground.
 Samples obtained are
disturbed samples
USAGE

Cohesive Soil Soft Soil

Soil above water table

TYPES OF AUGER

POST HOLE AUGER HELICAL AUGER

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AUGERING METHODS

HAND OPERATED AUGER POWER DRIVEN AUGER

(upto 10 m depth) (greater depth)

OPERATION OF AN AUGER

Pressing the auger Rotating the handle Auger withdrawn &

soil removed

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WASH BORING

 OPERATION
 Casing is driven with a
drop hammer.
 A hollow drill rod with
chopping bit is inserted
inside the casing.
 Soil is loosened and
removed from the
borehole using water or a
drilling mud.
 The soil is removed from
the annular space
between the casing and
drill rod.

FEATURES

 Change of soil character can be identified by

the change of colour of soil.
 Completely disturbed sample.

Soil above water table

Suitable for

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ROTARY DRILLING

 Useful in highly resistant

strata:
 Boulders.
 fractured rock.
 water logged sand.

 Drill rods are attached

with diamond drill bit.
 Purpose of drilling fluid:
 Cooling the drill bit
 Stabilizing the borehole
 Removal of soil

ROTARY DRILLING
THIS METHOD IS USED TO ADVANCE HOLE IN ROCKS AND
SOILS. ROTATING CORE BARRELS WHICH ARE PROVIDED
WITH COMMERCIAL DIAMOND BITS OR A STEEL BIT WITH
SLOTS ARE USED FOR ROTARY DRILLING.

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PERCUSSION DRILLING

 Usage:
 Hard soils
 Soft rock

 Drilling bits are dropped at a

rate of 35-60 drops/min.
 Holes are drilled using drill rig.
 Water is added to form slurry of cuttings
 Slurry removed by bailers or pumps.
 Not possible to get good quality undisturbed samples.

CORE DRILLING:

This method is used to obtain the rock cores, so this method is

called as core boring or core drilling.

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Types of Limitations Advantages

borings
 Rapid and economical
 Subsurface
Auger boring investigation of  Soil samples are highly disturbed
Highways,
 railways and airfields

 Slow in stiff soils and coarse-grained

soils
Wash boring  Light and inexpensive  Cannot be used in hard soils, rocks
and soil containing boulders
 Soil samples are highly disturbed

 Not suitable for soil contain large

Rotary drilling  Used in clays, sand and rocks
size of gravel particles

 Cost is high
Percussion drilling  All type of soil
 Soil samples are highly disturbed

Core drilling  Used to obtain rock cores  Cost is high

GEOPHYSICAL METHOD-SEISMIC REFRACTION METHOD

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GEOPHYSICAL METHOD-SEISMIC REFRACTION METHOD

GEOPHYSICAL METHOD-SEISMIC REFRACTION METHOD

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GEOPHYSICAL METHOD-ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY

METHOD

GEOPHYSICAL METHOD-ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY

METHOD

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GEOPHYSICAL METHOD-ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY

METHOD

SAMPLING

 Samples can be taken out from trial pits or

boreholes.
 Based on the method of extraction, they are:

Samples Obtained

Disturbed Un-Disturbed

Representative Non Representative

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SAMPLING

Disturbed Soil Sample Un-Disturbed Soil Sample

Soil structure is completely disturbed Soil structure is not completely disturbed
Moisture content varies The true in-situ moisture content is
retained
Has various strata characteristics Uniform characteristics are obtained
Samples are obtained by wash boring Sample are obtained by pushing Shelby
tube smoothly & continuously
Used for identification & classification Used for determining engineering
characteristics of soil
Less expensive & easier process to obtain Expensive & Complex process to obtain
samples samples

SAMPLING FROM TRIAL PITS

 Called as Block
samples.(Soil chunk)
 Hand cut samples.
 Obtained from clay
soils.
 The sample is trimmed,
sealed with wax or
grease, kept in a
wooden box and then
covered with a lid.

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SAMPLING FROM BOREHOLES

 Samples from boreholes
can be obtained using
thick/thin walled
samplers.
 Called as tube samples.
 Undisturbed samples
are obtained by thin
walled samplers.
 Thicker the wall, greater
the disturbance.

TYPES OF SAMPLERS (BASED ON THE AREA RATIO)

 Thick walled sampler-Ar is between10% to 25%

 Thin Walled Sampler-Ar is less than 10%

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SPLIT SPOON SAMPLER (THICK WALLED)

Sampler for obtaining disturbed sample of soil
Consists of:
Driving shoe : Made of steel about 75mm long.
Steel Tube : 450mm long, split longitudinally into two halves.
Coupling : 150mm long, provided at the top.
Check valve
Venting Ports: 4nos. 10mm diameter.

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CONTD..

SHELBY TUBE (THIN WALLED)

 Obtains undisturbed samples of cohesive silts and
soft clays.
 Consists of
 a thin-walled tube of steel, brass or
aluminium with a cutting edge at the toe.
 Sampler head: attaches the tube to the
drill rod,
 a check valve and pressure vents.

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 Depending on the mode on operation , the

samplers are classified as
i. Open drive sampler
ii. Stationary piston sampler
iii. Rotary sampler

OPEN DRIVE SAMPLER

 The tube is open at its lower end .

 the sampler head is provided with vents
(valves) to permit water and air to escape
during driving .
 The check valve helps to retain sample , when
the sampler is lifted up .

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STATIONARY PISTON SAMPLER

 It consists of a sample cylinder and the piston
system .
 During lowering , the lower end is kept closed
with the piston.
 When the desired elevation is reached , the
piston rod is clamped keeping the piston
stationary and is then lifted up.
 This type of sampler is more suitable for
sampling soft soils ,saturated sands .

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ROTARY SAMPLER
 The rotary sampler are the core barrel samplers
advanced by rotating and pushing into the
borehole.
 Consists of,
 Outer tube
 Cutting teeth and
 A removable thin wall liner.

 Used for firm to hard cohesive soils and

cemented soils .

DESIGN FEATURES OF SAMPLERS

 Area ratio =Displaced

volume of soil/ Soil
sample collected.
 Area ratio varies with
the thickness of the
sampler.
Ar= (Dw2– Dc2 ) X 100
Dc 2

DC : Inner diameter of cutting edge

Dw : Outer diameter of cutting edge
Ds: Inner diameter of sampling tube
Dt: Outer diameter of sampling tube

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 Recovery ratio = Length of sample retained in

the sample /Depth of penetration
L
Rr  100 (%)
Inside clearance,
H
Ci =(DS – DC ) X100
]

DC
CO=(Dw – Dt ) X100
Outside clearance, Dt

SATISFACTORY UNDISTURBED SAMPLE

 Area ratio should be less than 10%.

 The recovery ratio should be 96% to 98%.

 Inside clearance, Ci , should not be more than 1

to 3%,
 Outside clearance Co should not be much
greater than Ci .

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ROCK CORING
 To establish the soundness of rock.
 Done using core barrels.

ROCK CORE DRILLING

 Done with either tungsten carbide or diamond

core bits
 Use a double or triple tube core barrel when
sampling weathered or fractured rock
 Used to determine Rock Quality Designation

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DESIGN FEATURES

ROCK CLASSIFICATION BASED ON RECOVERY

RATIO
Sl. No. Core Recovery (%) Grade Description

1 >90 I Fresh
2 70 - 90 II Slightly weathered

3 50 - 70 III Moderately
weathered

4 10 - 50 IV Highly weathered

5 0 – 10 V Completely
weathered

6 0 but N > 50 VI Residual soil

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ROCK CLASSIFICATION BASED ON RQD

RQD ( in %) Classification

90 – 100 Excellent

75 – 90 Good

50 – 75 Fair

25 – 50 Poor

0 - 25 Very poor

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LABELLING OF COLLECTED SAMPLES

 The sampling tubes are then labelled with the
following information
 Name of project
 Number of boring

 Depth of sampling

 Date of sampling

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Numerical Examples
Example Problem 1
Determine the area ratio of a shellby tube type sampler of 51mm external
diameter and 48mm internal diameter

Area Ratio Ar= Dw2-Dc2/Dc2

= 512-482/482
=12.9%

Numerical Examples
Example Problem 2
What is the probable wall thickness of a sampling tube of 75mm external
diameter which is required for doing sampling operation in stiff to very stiff clay.
Experience showed that the minimum area ratio required is 20% to do sampling
in such soils.

Area Ratio Ar= Dw2-Dc2/Dc2

0.20= 752-Dc2/Dc2
Dc=68.465 mm
Wall thickness=75-68.465/2
=3.267mm

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Numerical Examples
Example Problem 3
One sampler has an area ratio of 8% while another has 16%. Which of these
samplers do you prefer and why?

Hint: Area Ratio

Numerical Examples
Example Problem 4

Compute the area ratio of a sampler having external diameter of 6cm and a wall
thickness of 2.25mm. Do you recommend this sampler for collecting UDS and
why?

External diameter=60mm
Internal diameter=55.5mm
Area Ratio Ar= Dw2-Dc2/Dc2
=16.88%

Recommendation???

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INSITU TESTS

 Testing the soils in their natural, undisturbed

condition.
 The three types of penetration tests are:
 Standard Penetration Test (SPT)
 Static Cone Penetration Test (SCPT)

 Dynamic Cone Penetration Test (DCPT)

PENETRATION AND SOUNDING TEST

STANDARD PENETRATION TEST (SPT)

 Most important filed test used

especially in cohesionless soils.
 Consists of:
 A hammer : 65kg. Weight, free
fall of 750mm
 Driving head, Drilling rod and a
Sampler.

 Number of blows required for the

penetration of last 30cm of the split
spoon sampler constitutes the N-
value (Standard Penetration Value).
 If more than 50 blows are
required for any 150mm
penetration, then it is said as
refusal for penetration.

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CORRECTION FOR DILATANCY

In the case of fine sand or silt below water-table,

apparently high values may be noted for N.

N′′ = 15+ ½ ×(N′ − 15)

where N′ = observed SPT value,
N′′ = corrected SPT value.

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CORRECTION DUE TO OVERBURDEN PRESSURE

 For SPT made at shallow

levels, the values are too low.
 At a greater depth, the same
soil, at the same density index,
would give higher penetration
resistance.

N′ = N x 350
( σ+70 )
where
N = observed SPT value,
N′ = corrected SPT value,
σ = effective overburden pressure
in kN/m2, not exceeding 280
kN/m2.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON ‘N’ VALUE

 As per Terzaghi and Peck

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STATIC CONE PENETRATION TEST (SCPT)

 Normally called as the Cone
Penetration Test (CPT) or
Dutch cone test.
 Useful in loose sands, silt
and clay.
 No sample is obtained .
 A cone made of steel and tip
hardened is used with
 an apex angle of 60°

 base diameter of 35.7

mm.

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OPERATION

 Push the rod with cone for

some depth.
 Then push the cone with
friction sleeve for another
depth (> 35 mm).
 Repeat the process
with/without friction
sleeve.
 Pushing rate = 1 cm/s

DYNAMIC CONE PENETRATION TEST

 DCPT is similar to SPT except that there is no
borehole.
 A standard 60° cone is drived using SPT procedure
and cone resistance qc is noted.
 DCPT is performed in two ways:
Using 50 mm cone without bentonite slurry

Using 62.5 mm cone with bentonite slurry

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DCPT SET UP

UNTHREADED CONE

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THREADED CONE

DCPT - SPT CORRELATIONS

When 50mm dia cone is used

Equivalent SPT N-value

N =qc/1.5 upto a depth of 3 m

N =qc/1.75 for depths of 3 to 6 m
N =qc/ 2 for depths greater than 6 m

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4.PRESSUREMETER TEST (PMT)

 The PMT is typically performed by inserting a
cylindrical probe into an open borehole, supporting
it at the test depth, and then inflating a flexible
membrane in the lateral direction to a radial strain
of as much as 40% depending on the probe
design.

 PMT provides an axisymmetric, plane strain test

(the horizontal plane), typically drained in sands
and silts, and undrained in cohesive soils.

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PRESSURE METER TEST

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PRESSUREMETER TEST (PMT)

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STAGES IN SOIL EXPLORATION WORK

 Reconnaisance
 Preliminary Exploration

 Detailed Exploration

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NUMBER OF BOREHOLES
 Small and less important buildings=one
borehole/trial pit
 Compact Building =5 bore holes
 Large multi storied buildings= boreholes at all
corners and at important locations
 Highways=uniform profile-along the line of
highway at every 150 to 300m and erratic
profile-spacing 30m)
 Dams= 40 to 80m spacing

SPACING OF BOREHOLES

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DEPTH OF EXPLORATION

D=C (S)0.7 (Sower and Sower, 1970)

C=3 for light Structures and 6 for heavy structures
S=number of storeys
Note: Depth of exploration should be upto significant depth

SOIL INVESTIGATION REPORT

 The report must give a complete picture of the

subsurface condition of the site.
 A good soil report should include the following:
 Introduction
 Borehole log
 Method of investigation
 Laboratory test results
 Analysis of results
 Recommendations.

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THANK YOU

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