Geotechnical Drilling Ponte Verde What is a Site Investigation with Geotechnical Drilling?
Ponte Verde clients can benefit from geotechnical drilling site investigations, which are comprehensive evaluations that are typically performed by geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists. These investigations are designed to obtain and evaluate information on the integrity and composition of the soil and rock at a particular site. So what is performed during a geotechnical investigation and why is this type of investigation performed? That’s precisely what we’ll explore in today’s article.
Ponte Verde property owners may arrange for a geotechnical investigation for a range of different project types. The geotechnical investigation will include an above-ground evaluation and a subsurface investigation, which is conducted using geotechnical drilling.
Geotechnical investigations can be used to evaluate the degree of thermal resistivity in the earth at a particular location. This is relevant for projects involving the installation or maintenance of underground oil pipelines, gas pipelines, transmission lines and even solar thermal storage facilities.
Soil sampling is also commonplace. So it’s common for the geotechnical drilling crews to extract core samples at a site to determine the composition, density, water content and other attributes. The soil sampling procedure can be performed using a large diameter boring or a small diameter boring.
Small diameter borings are most frequently used and they are the fastest and most cost effective option. But large diameter borings, while more dangerous and costly, can provide engineers and geologists to perform a comprehensive examination of the rock and soil stratigraphy.
A soil sample may be considered disturbed or undisturbed. An undisturbed sample is one that preserves the density and other structural properties of the earth, making it representative of the actual conditions in the ground. Undisturbed samples are more challenging to obtain, but they provide a bit more information than a disturbed sample. A disturbed soil sample involves a sample that has been moved about and rearranged sufficiently so as to make it unrepresentative of the actual conditions below the ground. But it can provide some important information, such as the soil grain properties and water content.
In addition to evaluating the soil, it’s also possible to sample the underlying bedrock, determining its depth, density and overall integrity, amongst other properties.
The information obtained from a geotechnical drilling investigation can reveal essential facts for developers and others who are performing work at the site, such as a sinkhole remediation crew or an underground pipeline installation crew.
*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*
