Geotechnical Drilling Elmwood

Elmwood natives may need to invest in geotechnical drilling services if they spot signs of a possible sinkhole, which can include newly formed depressions in the ground and shifts in an existing structure, which may cause cracking in the foundation and in cement block walls.

Sinkholes aren’t the only thing that can be detected with geotechnical drilling. Elmwood developers may contact a geotechnical drilling firm to come in and extract core samples — vertical columns of earth that capture a sample of the various layers. This can be used to determine lots of important information about the site, including the number, depth, thickness, integrity and composition of the various ground layers, the amount of moisture in the soil, the depth of the underlying bedrock, and the integrity of the bedrock.

Geotechnical drilling is an important technique for identifying areas with underground voids that may pose a serious risk for sinkhole formation.

What’s Involved With Performing Geotechnical Drilling?

Elmwood developers and property owners alike may seek out a firm to conduct geotechnical drilling in order to gain data on the land at a particular site. Portable drilling rigs will be brought to the location and set up to drill down into the ground. The geotechnical drilling typically extracts a column of earth inside a tube, called a core sample. This core sample is sent out for analysis.

The timeframe for a geotechnical drilling project varies depending upon many factors, such as the type of information sought from the drilling operation, the depth of the drilling operation, the composition of the ground’s layers and the number of core samples that need to be extracted.  Some projects may take just a couple days while others may last weeks.

If an underground void is discovered during the drilling operation, a sinkhole remediation firm may be called in to assist. They may drill into the void and inject cement to reinforce the cavity and prevent collapse. Another option may be to put a large “pin” in the ground, leading between the building’s foundation and the bedrock, providing added support so the building will be at lower risk of collapse, even if the ground gives way.

In the case of a building project, the building plans may be altered or the developers may find another site depending upon the findings of the drilling.

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