CHAPTER 2

 Determine the nature of

soil and its stratification

 Recover soil samples for

visual identification and
appropriate laboratory
testing
 Determine the location of the groundwater table

 Observe drainage conditions from and into the site

 Assess any special construction problems with respect

to existing structures nearby
1. Background Literature Search
 Compilation of existing information regarding the
structure (location, dimensions, intended use, etc.)

 Collection of existing information for the subsoil

condition (geologic survey maps, soil survey maps,
existing soil exploration reports, etc.)
2. Field Reconnaissance
 Inspection of site and surrounding area which may
reveal obvious concerns not evident in literature
search.
3. Subsurface Exploration and Sampling
 Heart of site investigation
 explore the subsurface conditions
 obtain representative soil samples

 Techniques:
 Auger Boring (Hand Auger, Power Auger Drilling)
 Wash Boring
 Rotary Drilling
 Percussion Drilling
“IS: 1892-1979—Code of Practice for Subsurface
Investigation for Foundations”:

For a compact building site covering an area of

about 0.4 hectare, one bore hole or trial pit in each
corner and one in the centre should be adequate.

For smaller and less important buildings even one

bore hole or trial pit in the centre will suffice.
“IS: 1892-1979—Code of Practice for Subsurface
Investigation for Foundations”:

For very large areas covering industrial and

residential colonies, the geological nature of the
terrain will help in deciding the number of bore
holes or trial pits.
“IS: 1892-1979—Code of Practice for Subsurface
Investigation for Foundations”:

Cone penetration tests may be performed at every

50 m by dividing the area in a grid pattern and
number of bore holes or trial pits decided by
examining the variation in penetration curves. The
cone penetration tests may not be possible at sites
having gravelly or boulderous strata. In such cases
geophysical methods may be suitable.
According to IS: 1892-1979:

“The depth of exploration required depends upon

the type of the proposed structure, its total weight,
the size, shape and disposition of the loaded area,
soil profile and the physical properties of the soil
that constitutes each individual stratum.
 Simplest method
 Samples obtained are disturbed but can
be used for laboratory testing
 For soft to stiff soils near the
soil surface (3 to 5 meters)
 Auger is connected to drill rods and
torque will drive the auger into the
ground
 Casing about 2 to 3 meters long is driven to the
ground

 Water is forced through the drilling rod and exits at

a high velocity through the holes at the bottom of
the chopping bit
 Rapidly rotating drilling bits attached to
the bottom of drilling rod cuts and grind
the soil and advance the borehole
 Suitable for hard soil
and rock

 Uses tools suspended

on a wire rope, which
are lifted and dropped
to break and remove
material from the
bottom of hole
 Objective:
 To obtain soils of satisfactory size with minimum
disturbances for observations and laboratory tests

 Disturbed Sample
 Only the properties of the soil grains can be
accurately determined

 Undisturbed Sample
 The condition of the sample is very close to the
condition in-situ such that laboratory test can
estimate the structural properties of the soil.
Split Spoon Sampler
 A non-sealed soil
sampling tool that is
split longitudinally
Thin-walled Shelby tube
 Protects the sample
during extraction and
transport
Piston Sampler
 The piston at the tip of
the tube prevents
distortion in the sample
by neither letting the
soil squeeze into the
sampling tube very fast
nor admitting excess
soil
 Classification,
Weight-Volume and
Index Tests:
 Water Content Test
 Atterberg Limit Test
 Sieve and Hydrometer
Analysis
 Shear Strength Tests:
 Direct Shear Test
 Triaxial Shear Test
 Consolidation Tests
◦ Oedometer Test
 Cone Penetration Test
 classify the materials in a soil profile and estimate
their engineering properties
 Borehole Shear Test
 determine the shear strength parameters of soil at
a given depth
 Vane Shear Test
 measure the undrained shear strength of saturated
clay and silt soils
 Borehole Pressure Meter Test
 measure the stress-strain modulus of soil
 Standard Penetration Test
 determine the standard penetration resistance, N.
 A thick-walled sample tube(outside diameter of 50mm,
inside diameter of 35mm, length of around 650mm) is
driven into the ground at the bottom of a borehole by
blows from a slide hammer with a weight of 623 N falling
through a distance of 760mm.

 The sample tube is driven 150mm into the ground and

then the number of blows needed for the tube to
penetrate each 150mm up to a depth of 300mm is
recorded.
 The number of blows required to achieve the final 300mm
penetration is the standard penetration resistance, N.

 In cases where 50 blows are insufficient to advance it

through a 150mm interval, the penetration after 50 blows
is recorded.
1. Scope and limitations of investigation

2. General description of the proposed structure for which the exploration

has been conducted

3. Geologic conditions of the site

4. Drainage facilities at the site

5. Details of boring

6. Description of subsoil conditions as determined from the soil and rock

samples collected

7. Groundwater table as observed from boreholes

8. Details of foundation recommendations and alternatives

9. Any anticipated construction problems

Graphic representations:
 Site location map
 Location of borings with respect to the proposed
structure
 Boring logs
 Laboratory test results
 Other special presentations
Graphic
representation of
all the details
gathered from
each boreholes