Marine Drilling Birmingham Can Marine Drilling be Done in Alabama?

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Geotechnical drilling companies can find themselves working in a lot of different places for members of their community. Although their name implies that they will be working on land and drilling into the earth, it is also not uncommon to see these professionals working at a waterfront location or drilling in the open ocean.

Whenever a large body of water is involved in the process of geotechnical drilling, it is often referred to as marine drilling. Birmingham residents might be under the impression that marine drilling would not be popular in the state of Alabama, but it is actually more common than you might think.

Although Alabama is not like the state of Florida in terms of coastline and waterfront living, there are many instances in which a person will need to call a professional for marine drilling services.

Coastal Drilling in Alabama

The gulf coast of the state of Alabama is well known to many and a very important part of our state. Many people will visit these areas throughout the year, so it is important to always have these areas well kept and developed when necessary.

Yet because of their proximity to the ocean, if geotechnical drilling services are ever needed for lets say a new building to be constructed, it is going to require equipment for marine drilling. Birmingham residents should know that even if professionals are not drilling next to the ocean itself, there is still a high chance of having to deal with water the deeper you drill into the ground.

Coastal drilling can be challenging, especially when working off the coast. The natural movement of the water can make it difficult to drill with precision, and depending on how deep it is, visibility can also be a problem for drilling professionals.

Inland Drilling in Alabama

When someone is asked to think about marine drilling, Birmingham residents may be quick to think about open ocean or coastal drilling, but they are not the only ways marine drilling services are done.

Inland drilling is another big aspect of marine drilling that most people overlook. There are many rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water that can be developed and improved with the help of marine drilling services.

This can be something that is done for a residential homeowner, or it can be done for commercial applications. Homeowners may want something like a dock or fishing pier on a large body of water that is on their property, while a local town or city may need inland drilling services when building things like bridges.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*

Foundation Drilling Birmingham What Structures Will Need Foundation Drilling Services?

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There are many different types of drilling services that would be handled by the professionals of a geotechnical drilling company. Most people think that geotechnical drilling companies are concerned with gaining access underground, which is true, but there is a little more to the process than just drilling a giant hole.

One of the more specific types of drilling services that are important to many different industries is foundation drilling. Birmingham residents should know that foundation drilling is done on some structures to make them much more sturdy, leading to a safer environment for everyone working in or around that building. 

Some people are under the impression that foundation drilling is something that needs to be done for every newly constructed building, but this is not true. Today we will be going over some of the situations where foundation drilling is needed, and also when it is not needed.

Large Structures Need Foundational Drilling

A good rule of the thumb when trying to figure out what types of buildings and structures would need foundation drilling, Birmingham residents should know that the larger the structure, the more important it is to have some type of solid foundation.

This leads to the next question that most people have, which is, what constitutes a building? This is open to interpretation, but large buildings often include anything that is larger than a small family home.

Keep in mind that not all residential homes need some sort of foundation drilling, but it is a good idea to consider doing it on most new construction homes.

What Structures Do Not Need Foundation Drilling?

As stated above, large buildings are going to need some extensive efforts of foundational drilling. Birmingham residents should keep in mind that most structures smaller than a residential home are not going to need foundational drilling in order to make them safe and secure.

A good example of this type of structure would be a barn or a shed, depending on its size. These structures do not weigh as much, and therefore do not need additional support from the foundation or from underground.

Another type of structure that may not need foundational drilling that homeowners may be looking into are detached garages. Some of these garages can be very large, so keep that in mind when trying to know if your structure will need foundational drilling.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*

Drilling Birmingham Who Benefits for Services Related to Geotechnical Drilling?

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Geotechnical drilling is one of the most important services that happens on a day-to-day basis, even though not everyone is aware of where they are working and what type of work they are doing for members of their community.

One of the biggest misconceptions that people have about geotechnical drilling is that it is only important when beginning to work on new construction buildings. This can be true, and it is very important, however, this is not the only way that professionals are able to assist others with geotechnical drilling. Birmingham residents should know that they too can benefit from the skills and services of a professional geotechnical drilling company.

Here, we will be going over some of the ways that different people can benefit from the different services of a professional drilling company. Many of which are a benefit to residential homeowners and individuals.

Commercial Applications of Geotechnical Drilling

Most people can easily see how important geotechnical drilling services are when talking about the scope of commercial applications. Most types of large building construction and infrastructure projects should start out with services related to geotechnical drilling, such as foundational drilling. Birmingham residents should know that these drilling services are important because it helps construction companies prepare for their work in the future, but also makes the structures safer in the future.

Geotechnical drilling is also an important preliminary part of construction because oftentimes if there are problems that could affect a building’s structural integrity, it would be found during these drilling efforts.

One of the more common scenarios is when drilling at a new construction site, only to find out that there is an active sinkhole on the property.

Residential Benefits of Geotechnical Drilling

While most people can easily see how commercial applications depend heavily on the skills and services of a company that specializes in geotechnical drilling, Birmingham residents should also be made aware of the fact that residential homeowners can benefit greatly as well.

Foundational drilling is something that can be done in residential areas, but it is not as common as other services. For example, in the Southeast part of the United States, there are many great locations that a homeowner can choose to install a water well on their property.

Drilling for a water well is not something that just anyone can do, and more often than not it is going to be work handled by a professional drilling company. Keep in mind that well sealing services are also important for drilling companies to handle.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*

Difficult Access Drilling Birmingham What Makes Certain Locations of Alabama Difficult to Drill Into?

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Due to modern ingenuity and engineering advancements, different types of drilling today have become much easier to perform when they were hundreds of years ago. Not only is drilling safer today, but it is oftentimes done much more efficiently, as long as equipment and environmental conditions allow it to.

Even with complex modern machines, geotechnical drilling can still have professionals face their own set of unique challenges. Sometimes these challenges are lumped together and adequately named difficult access drilling. Birmingham residents might not realize that certain locations in Alabama can be much more difficult to drill into than others.

Today we will be going over some of the reasons why geotechnical drilling professionals may have issues in some locations they are called out to perform work in, but not others.

Different Types of Soils and Sediments Can Be More Difficult

Because modern drilling equipment is so powerful and makes it easier for us to get access to the ground than it was a hundred of years ago, many people carry the false perception that modern drilling equipment can easily go through any type of soil and sediment condition that is present.

This is not true, however, and sometimes, it is not the hardest of soils and sediments that cause problems for drilling professionals but actually the soft or loose. For example, drilling in sandy soils can create instances of difficult access drilling. Birmingham residents should know that a special type of drilling equipment needs to be used for specific soils and sediments, otherwise problems can occur.

Some types of rocks can be especially challenging to drill into, and can even break drilling equipment if they are made from not as strong materials. When it comes to sediments with really high hardness levels, diamond tipped drill bits are used because diamond is one of the strongest materials.

The Presence of Water and Moisture During Drilling

Another problem that is present in geotechnical drilling that can cause instances of difficult access drilling is when water is found. Water may not seem like a big issue, as it is not as hard as most soils and sediments, but it can create problems nonetheless.

Water is more common the deeper a drilling professional needs to when gaining access underground, and if water is present, it can easily ruin drilling efforts, such as a boring hole. Because of this, water can create instances of difficult access drilling. Birmingham residents should know that this is quite common in coastal areas, or in areas that access waterfront property inland, such as a large lake or river.

Even if water is present, specialized equipment can be used to mitigate the negative effects that water can have.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*

Environmental Drilling Birmingham What Type of Environmental Can Geotechnical Drilling be done in?

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If you have ever seen a group of servicemen working out at a remote location using large drilling equipment and rigs, chances are they are professionals that are working for a geotechnical drilling company.

Unlike construction companies, geotechnical drilling companies can find themselves working in a variety of locations doing specific services for many different types of clients. One of the popular services that geotechnical drilling companies handle regularly is known as environmental drilling. Birmingham residents might be under the impressions that geotechnical drilling is only done in urban areas, but this is not true.

Geotechnical drilling professionals can find themselves working in dramatically different conditions than people think about, and this includes rural areas. Here, we are going to discuss some of the environments that drilling professionals can find themselves working in.

Woodlands and Marshlands

New areas of our communities are being developed every day in order to make room for more people in a place that is starting to get small and crowded. Many areas on the outskirts of an urban development may seem undeveloped and rural, but it is something that can be worked on by geotechnical drilling companies.

It can be extremely difficult to drill into a location that is overgrown with vegetation and environmental hazards, but that is part of the challenge of performing environmental drilling. Birmingham residents should know that most woodlands and wetland areas are able to be drilled into for future development of buildings and structures.

Once most of the vegetation and debris have been removed, it is relatively easy for drilling professionals to get to work and gain access underground, assuming that the soil and sediment conditions are ideal.

Marine Drilling

Another important area that professional geotechnical drilling companies can find themselves working in for future development is in large bodies of water. This can be both inland bodies of water such as lakes and rivers, or it can be off the coast in the open ocean.

Many people assume that marine drilling is not something that can be done by a geotechnical drilling company, but it is one of the most important areas for environmental drilling.  Birmingham residents should know that in the coastal areas of the state of Alabama, marine drilling is very common.

There are many different types of structures that can be made once marine drilling is completed. Some of the more popular options are going to be fishing piers and boardwalks, but there can also be things like boat ramps and other buildings.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*

Geotechnical Drilling Birmingham What’s the Difference between Percussive and Rotary Drilling in Geotechnical Drilling?

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Birmingham, Alabama geotechnical drilling crews may have a number of different drilling rigs available for use, but the type of drilling technique used will vary depending upon factors such as the drilling depth and the objectives of your drilling project.

Two of the most common types of drilling are known as percussive drilling and rotary drilling. When scheduling project involving geotechnical drilling, Birmingham clients may hear one or both of these techniques references. So what’s the difference between these two types of drilling and how are they used? Well that’s precisely what we’ll explore in today’s article.

What’s Rotary and Percussive Geotechnical Drilling?

Birmingham natives will typically see percussive drilling in cases where the geotechnical drilling crew is seeking to drill small, relatively shallow holes into the earth. Most often, percussive drilling is used in other types of drilling projects such as a project that involves drilling holes for blasting projects or mining, whereby holes are drilled into rock which is then blown apart with explosives.

Percussive drilling may also be used for drilling into rock or concrete to create anchor points as part of some sort of construction project.

Percussion drilling involves a drill that’s more similar in nature to a jack hammer. So, there is a carbide of other super strong drill bit that repeatedly strikes the rock to create a hole. Percussive drilling is fairly uncommon in geotechnical drilling, as it’s not commonly used in soil or to collect soil samples.

The other common drilling method, which is more commonly used for geotechnical drilling is rotary drilling. As the name implies, rotary drilling involves a drill bit that rotates in a circular motion. Rotary drilling is more effective for deeper drilling efforts, including some of the deepest drilling projects such as those that involve deep oil wells or water wells.

Equipped with carbide or diamond tips, the drill bit rotates to create the hole. This technique is also used for extracting core samples, which are commonly dealt with in geotechnical drilling. For these projects, the drilling bit is in the shape of a round, hollow cylinder which has teeth on the leading edge. The cylinder rotates, cutting down into the earth. This allows our geotechnical drilling team to extract a vertical column of earth with the distinctive layers intact. The core samples can be examined, evaluated and tested for water saturation, density, composition and other qualities.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*