Geotechnical Drilling Pine Hills What can engineers learn from geotechnical drilling?

Pine Hill geotechnical drilling companies frequently work with engineers and engineering firms, performing a site investigation and gathering data on the engineers’ behalf. In fact, geotechnical drilling projects very frequently involve some degree of collaboration with an engineering firm.

So in today’s article on geotechnical drilling, Pine Hills drilling experts will explore what engineers can learn from a drilling operation and why this is important for a range of different projects, from a private residential development, to a municipal building project to a major industrial build.

What type of data can engineers glean from geotechnical drilling?

Pine Hills engineering firms can get lots of vital data about a site, including its overall stability, its suitability for a particular type of structure or usage and insight into what retrofitting and modification measures will be required to ensure a location’s long term stability and overall integrity.

For building sites – whether it’s for a home, a large commercial or industrial structure or a large structure such as a bridge, dam or monument – engineers need comprehensive data about the soil composition, consistency and classification. It’s also critical to know what kind of bedrock underlies a particular location and the overall integrity of that bedrock, as some large structures have stabilization rods that extend down deep into the bedrock.

Engineers also need information about the groundwater and water table depth, the location of any underground water flows and aquifers. This can prevent unexpected flooding and even dangerous collapses of the earthen walls while digging a foundation or another underground structure.

Municipal engineers and even the Army Corps of Engineers routinely use geotechnical drilling to help evaluate a range of conditions, including groundwater saturation, flood risk and the stability of levees, dams and embankments (particularly those that are used as part of a drainage plan. The information gathered through a drilling operation can help engineers to develop a plan that minimizes risk, improves safety and reduces costs.

For engineers overseeing other projects, such as engineers for an oil company or well company, can also benefit from working with a geotechnical drilling firm as drilling can be used to gather vital data about the location of underground water, oil and natural gas deposits. Mining companies also call upon drilling firms to help evaluate the ground integrity and composition to ensure continuing stability and a maximized return on investment.

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