Lecturer-5 (Lecturer-4)

Geotechnical Site Investigation

1. Sampling
 1. Sampling
1. Why is sampling necessary ?
2. What / how are samples to be taken?
3. Boring (soil sampling) procedures
4. Coring (rock sampling) procedures
5. Core box handling (labelling)
6. Writing field borelogs.
7. Important facts
1. Why is sampling necessary ?

Site investigation is compulsory task of any

construction procedures / geotechnical
engineering problems and

sampling is the first step of investigation.

Samples are to be sent to laboratory and test

results are basic & vital information for
foundation design engineers.
Proposed BH locations plan
Proposed BH locations plan
2. What / how are samples to be taken?

Soil samples (undisturbed/ disturbed) &

Rock samples are to be taken

How?? using various drilling methods / rigs

having the capacity to drill the exploratory
boreholes in the sizes /depth and to meet the
termination requirements (criteria) instructed
by the client’s design engineer.

In some cases, water samples may need to

take.
Weathered zone
Borehole termination requirements
(criteria) instructed by the client’s design
engineer.

* By depth
* by SPT N values
* By strata
Boring Methods for Soil Sampling

1. Auger boring
2. Rotary Drilling. (Wash boring)
3. Percussion drilling.
4. Test pits & open cuts
 1. Auger Boring
 It is a simple and cost-effective
boring technique which can be used
for almost all types of soil apart from
gravelly soil and rocks. This
technique encounters difficulty in
gravelly soil and special drilling bits
are needed for rocks.
 Auger boring is used to collect
disturbed soil specimen. It collects
the soil sample from a maximum
practical depth of nearly 35m based
on the available time and equipment
type.
 1. Rotary Drilling (wash boring).

 Rotary drilling method of boring is

suitable for all types of soil including
rocks. It is used to take disturbed as
well as undisturbed soil sample. So,
it is specifically applicable for stiff
soil layers. The practical depth of
sampling is available up to around
70m and greater depth based on the
type of utilized equipment.
 Generally, thin-walled tube samplers
and various piston samplers are
used to collect undisturbed soil
specimen.
 Three Boring rigs
drilling for a project in a
city
 4. Percussion drilling.
 It is used for all types of soils and
rocks including stiff soils and rocks.
Percussion drilling is used to take
disturbed samples. Undisturbed
samples are not that good because
of the heavy blows of the chisel.

 Similar to rotary drilling and wash

boring, the soil specimen can be
taken from a depth of 70m and
more based on the utilized
equipment.
 5. Test pits (trench) and
open cuts.
 This type of soil sample
collection technique is used
for all kind of soils. It is used
to take out disturbed and
undisturbed soil samples from
the earth with a maximum
practical depth of 6m using
power equipment.
Boring machines (rigs)
(Soil & rock ? Water well? Oil and Gas? Tunnel ?)

* A frame rotary rigs (traditional, since 1900s)

* Mobile crawler rig (own hydraulic outrigger)
* Percussion rig (less used )
* Tractor mounted rigs (inclinable)
* Barge boring rigs (sea/river/lake/reservoirs..etc)
A frame boring rig
Mobile crawler
boring rig
Percussion
boring rig
Mobile tractor type
boring rig
Inclinable mobile
coring machines
Hand held coring drill
Boring barge (self elevating)
 3. Boring (soil sampling) procedures.
1. Cable detection (any other subsurface service) must be engaged
according to local rules and regulations, before commencing boring
work.
2. Machine mobilize/ set up / maintenance (safety first).
3. Check levelling / verticality of machine.
4. Trial pit excavation (manually)/ hand augering and preparation for
discharge flush fluid.
5. Prepare proper stand for various pipes
6. Casing pipes installation.
7. Undisturbed sample (tubes) collection.
8. followed by SPT samples collection.
9. Others (Piston/ Mazier) samples collection.
10. Carry out necessary in-situ tests at designed depths.
11. SPT test to conduct finally.
12. Install Water standpipe..etc if instructed.
13. Proper storage of samples.
14. Grouting back the hole.
15. Make proper protection boxes for any installation .
 Casing pipes and drilling rods

Casing (100mm) Drill rods ( 50mm)

Drilling bits
Machinery parts and terms
Machinery parts and terms
 Various sampler tubes
Thin wall UD sampler
(ID=51-76mm)

thin-wall tube is pushed into the soil slowly

by hydraulic pressure or mechanical jacking.
Various sampler tubes

Piston sampler
(ID=75mm)
 Various samplers

Mazier Sampler Split spoon sampler

For Standard Penetration Test
(ID=74mm) (ID=38mm)
Undisturbed samples extracted from
tube at laboratory for relevant tests
 Various samplers (core barrels)

NLMC = 51.94mm diameter core, resulting in a 75.69mm diameter hole.

HMLC = 63.5mm diameter core, resulting in a 99.21mm diameter hole.
 Various samplers (core bits)

Drilling bit

NLMC = 51.94mm diameter core, resulting in a 75.69mm diameter hole.

HMLC = 63.5mm diameter core, resulting in a 99.21mm diameter hole.
Standard Penetration Test
(SPT Samples kept in bottles)
 to show video ( 6min )
Boring work for soil sampling
 S P T Seating Drive
case-1 case-2 case-3
Drive Penetration (mm)
Blow count Blow count Blow count
1st 75mm 5 12 20
150mm 150mm 12 25 25
2nd 75mm 7 13 5
3rd 75mm 10 15 35
150mm 450mm
4th 75mm 12 17 46 100
300mm 55 78
5th 75mm 15 22 19
150mm
6th 75mm 18 24

SPT Blow count 55 / 300 78 /300 100/225

mm mm mm
4. Coring (rock sampling) procedures

After SPT was completed, coring is followed by

changing core bit at the bottom drilling rod.
 to show video ( 6min )
Coring work for core samples
5. Handling (labelling)
core boxes.
Core depths must be immediatelt
written on corebox at site
Core samples properly kept inside the corebox

1. on borelog and
2. on corebox inner cover
Sample core box & labelling
Sample core box & labelling
Core Recovery Parameters
Some abbreviations for Core Run
Description
Fracture Index (no. /m )

FI Numbers of fractures
in one meter length

<2, 2-4, 4-8, 8-16, >16

 Photographing core box
- make sure all info has been written on inner lid
- check other stuff (color chart/grey scale/ruler)
- write depth marks on styrofoam end bars
- write infos on styrofoam for gaps
- rub wet cloth on cores if necessary
- remove plastic layers if wrapped
- put the box on a stand (the angle is around 45 degree)
- no direct sun on the box
- no shadow in the view
- box shape must be pure rectangular in the
view ( no perspective )
- set the date/time in camera
- adjust best focus and light and take the photo
- handle file saving in phone or PC properly
Steel stand for photographing
core box
 6. Writing field borelogs (soil)

1. Granular soil (non-cohesive)

(Sand/ gravel)
2. Non-granular soil (cohesive)
(Clay, Silt)
 Granular (non-cohesive)
& non-granular (cohesive) soils

according to grain-size (dia)

>256mm = boulders (>water melon)

>64mm = cobbles (>tennis ball)
2 ~64mm = gravel (>Indian dal)
0.06~2mm = sand
0.002~0.06mm = silt
<0.002mm = clay
Easy reference using thumb/nail
(for non-granular cohesive soil)
Igneous Rocks
Granite/ Diorite/ Granodiorite/ Dolerite/
Rhyolite/ Basalt / Dacite/ Norite

Sedimentary Rocks
Sandstone/ Siltstone/ Mudstone
Limestone/ Conglomerate/ Shales

Metamorphic Rocks
Slate/ Marbles/ Gneiss /Schist
Blow Count ( SPT N value ) and soil
density relation chart
( granular soil)
Blow Count ( SPT N value ) and soil
consistency relation chart
( non-granular soil)
Major /minor soil classification
percentage reference
 Example-1 (granular)

1st line = strength (consistency or density, bedding..etc)

( Medium dense )

2nd line = main color, sec: color, shape, size, grading

( light brownish yellow )

3rd line = Principle soil type, others

( Silty SAND with traces of shells)

4th line = Stratum name

(Thardugan SANDSTONE )
 Example-2 (non-granular)

1st line = strength (consistency or density, bedding..etc)

( Stiff, fissured )

2nd line = main color, sec: color, shape, size, grading

( light to dark grey )

3rd line = Principle soil type, others

( CLAY , high plasticity, with shells)

4th line = Stratum name

( …………………… )
Field Pocket Penetrometer
Field Pocket Penetrometer
Particle shapes
 SPT N value and
Undrained shear strength (kN/m2)
Relation chart
( non-granular soil)
Cu (kN/m2,
Term SPT N kPa)
Very soft <2 <20
Soft 2-4 20 - 40
Firm 5-8 40 -75
Stiff 9 - 15 75- 150
Very stiff 16 - 30 150 -300
Hard >30 > 300
6. How to write field borelogs (rock)

1. on borelog and
2. on corebox inner cover
Igneous Rocks
Granite/ Diorite/ Granodiorite/ Dolerite/
Rhyolite/ Basalt / Dacite/ Norite

Sedimentary Rocks
Sandstone/ Siltstone/ Mudstone
Limestone/ Conglomerate/ Shales

Metamorphic Rocks
Slate/ Marbles/ Gneiss /Schist
 Termology for Rock Weathering
Classification
Weathering Grade
Termology remark
Igneous Sedimentary
G6 S6 Residual soil soil, SPT
can be
G5 S5 completely weathered taken
G4 S4 highly weathered
G3 S3 moderately weathered
coring
G2 S2 slightly weathered
G1 S1 fresh
Weathering Classification of
Sedimentary Rocks( S )
Weathering Classification of
Igneous Rocks (G)
 RQC (Rock Quality Classification)

RQC (Rock Quality

RQD %
Classification)
< 25 very poor
25 -50 poor
50 -75 fair
75- 90 good

90 -100 excellent
Lecturer-5 (Lecturer-4)
Geotechnical Site Investigation

2. In-situ tests
 2. In-situ tests

In situ tests are tests conducted on or

in the soil at the site. The most
commonly used in situ tests are
1. Standard Penetration Test (SPT)
2. Vane Shear test.
3. Permeability test. (Packer Test)
4. Cone Penetration Test (CPT)
5. Pressuremeter Test. (PMT).
1. Standard Penetration Test (SPT)

Already explained in previous lecture

and also in video.
 2. Vane Shear test
 The vane shear test is to measure the Undrained Shear Strength of
cohesive soil especially soft clays. The test can be conducted in-situ
or (in the laboratory). It is simple, quick, and cost-effective to carry
out. The apparatus for the vane shear test consists of a four-bladed
stainless steel vane attached to a steel rod that is pushed (not
rotated) into the ground. Other items used include a torque wrench,
drive head, extension rods, spanner, and a few different vane sizes.
 3. Permeability test
 In-situ soil permeability
test measures a soil's
ability to allow water to
pass through it.
Permeability [
permeability coefficient
(k) ], can be calculated
by feeding the field
data in below formula.
There are different
types of field
permeability test
(Falling head/ Rising
head/ Constant head/
Packer test)
3. Permeability test
3. Permeability test
 4. Cone Penetration Test
 The Cone Penetration Test (CPT) is a method used
to determine the geotechnical engineering
properties of soils , which was initially developed in
the 1950s and called the "Dutch cone test".
Today, the CPT is one of the most used and
accepted soil methods for soil investigation
worldwide. The test method consists of pushing an
instrumented cone, with the tip facing down, into
the ground at a controlled rate (controlled
between 1.5 -2.5 cm/s accepted). The parameters
(Cone resistance, Sleeve friction, Pore water
pressure, Shear strength) are available during the
etst and test is stopped when the cone reached to
required hard layer.
4. Cone Penetration Test
4. Cone Penetration Test
 5. Pressuremeter Test

The Pressuremeter test is an in-situ testing method used to
determine the stress-strain response of the tested soil. The
test is performed by applying pressure to the sidewalls of a
rubber probe, lowered inside the borehole (at test depth)
and recording the corresponding deformation.

 1. The first component is a read-out unit that remains

above ground. 2. The second component of the pressure
meter is a probe that is inserted into the borehole (ground)
to read the pressure.
5. Pressuremeter Test
5. Pressuremeter Test
 The details of above
5 types of In-situ test will be
presented by the Lecturer.5
tomorrow (22 Aug 2021) (Sunday).

Thank you.