THE SCOPE OF GEOTECHNICAL AND MATERIAL

INVESTIGATIONS FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES

M B Mgangira

UACE Training, Kampala

25th September 2013
 Presentation Outline

1. Why carry out Geotechnical Investigations

2. Planning of Geotechnical Investigations

3. Geotechnical Assessment

4. Detailed Geotechnical Report

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 Background
Reason for Geotechnical Investigations:
To obtain a thorough understanding of the subgrade
conditions that will constitute the foundation for support of
the structure
• Identify problem areas at an early stage
• Assess the suitability of the site for the proposed project
• Identify risk and consequence of failure
• Facilitate adequate and economical design
• Identify and advise on the possible need for further investigation during
construction

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What is the probable
cause of this premature
failure

Road less than a year old

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 Planning Geotechnical Investigation
Geotechnical investigation phases:

• Desk Top Study – Pre-Feasibility:

• Output: Initial assessment report, route location report.

• Feasibility/Viability
• Output: Detailed assessment report, preliminary design report.

• Detailed Investigation
• Output: Detailed geotechnical and materials report .

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 Planning Geotechnical Investigation
Dictated by:

• Definition of the total scope and the engineering objective.

• Nature of the proposed project.
• Geology and geomorphology of the site(s) or route for roads .
• Access and remoteness of sites.
• Site topography, vegetation and drainage.
• The nature of adjacent developments (beyond road reserves)

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 Planning Geotechnical Investigation
Dictated by:

• Knowledge and data gathering of previous geotechnical

investigations:
• existing bridge foundations
• opinions and observations from local engineers
• land owners and contractors

• The identification of the various soil and rock types occurring in

the area of the proposed road structure project, and
representative soil profiles.

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 Planning Geotechnical Investigation
Dictated by:

• Evidence of problem soil conditions

 expansive
 collapsible soils
 dispersive soils
 soft clays.
• Localised moisture conditions and ground water levels.

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 Planning Geotechnical Investigation
Dictated by:
• Requirements for the design
 Fills
 Cut slopes
 Bridge and culvert foundations.
Will determine whether planning is required for:
• drilling or augering of trial holes
• test pits excavation
• obtaining undisturbed or disturbed samples for laboratory tests
• in situ testing.

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Purpose of Geotechnical Investigation in each Phase
Pre-Feasibility:
• Collection of available information
• Determination of general geology
• Identification of potential geological or stability problems
• Preliminary indication of foundation conditions
• Preliminary indication of construction material sources
• Identification of alternative sites and alignments
• Interfacing with environmentalists
• Recommendations for further investigations
How?
• Refer to regional topographical, land usage, agricultural and geological
mapping

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Purpose of Geotechnical Investigation in each Phase
Feasibility/Viability:
• Determination of general engineering, geological conditions
• Interface with EIA
• Preliminary design of structures
• Final choice of alternative route locations
• Cost estimate of project
•
How?
• Refer to soil and rock mapping
• Conduct test pitting (sampling)
• Carry out geophysical investigations
• Carry out core and auger drilling (sampling)
• Laboratory testing and material classification
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Purpose of Geotechnical Investigation in each Phase
Detailed investigation:
• Obtain qualitative and quantitative information on:
 foundation conditions
 construction materials
• Interface with Environmental Management Plan (EMP)

How?
• Core drilling
• Borehole tests
• In-situ testing
• Laboratory testing

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Purpose of Geotechnical Investigation in each Phase
Geotechnical investigation during construction:
• Comparison of actual vs predicted conditions
• Attending to ad hoc problems
• Observation of behaviour of structures during Liability Period:

 Anchored bridge foundations

 Anchored or bolted cuttings and fills
 Lateral support systems
How?
• Detailed site records including photos
• Monitoring foundations through instrumentation and surveillance
• Laboratory and in-situ testing

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Geotechnical Investigation for Stability Assessment
Depth to which investigation is carried out is a function of the magnitude of
the applied load, uniformity of the geology and soils in the area and
severity of the problem.

Output of the subsurface studies

• Description of the character and geometry of the underlying layers
• Location of weak, compressible, heaving strata
• Geotechnical parameters from in situ testing in boreholes
• Provide adequate samples for testing geotechnical properties
• In situ moisture, water and seepage data
• Data necessary for preparation of the engineering solution

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 Example of pavement structure assessment

Typical pavement structure as

observed in a test pit during
investigation

Notice variation in layer

thickness and looseness of
basecourse

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 Example of pavement structure assessment

Typical pavement structure as

observed in test pit
investigation

Notice presence of seepage

water at bottom of test pit

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 Material Description
• Site investigation requires the description of what is seen
• This allows for correlation, comparison and calibration
• Carried out during site investigation
• Soil profiling (in test pits or excavations)
• Rock core logging (from rotary drill core)
• Rock chip logging (from percussion boring)
• Standard procedures – change periodically

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 SOIL PROFILING
• Based on original work by Jennings, Brink and Williams (1958
and 1973)
• Revised and updated by Brink and Bruin (1990-1993)
• Available on SAICE Geotechnical Division website

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 SOIL PROFILING
• What is a soil profile?
• Record of vertical succession of different layers of soil at a site

• Described in terms of MCCSSO:

• Moisture
• Colour
• Consistency
• Structure
• Soil texture
• Origin

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 SOIL PROFILING
• What makes up the soil profile ?

• Rock (UCS > 1 MPa)

• Residual soil – in situ decomposition or disintegration of rock
(UCS < 1 MPa)
• Transported soil (water, wind, gravity or ice?) during recent
times (not cemented or become a pedocrete)
• Pedogenic soils – cemented soil (by iron, calcite, gypsum,
silica, etc)
• Scattered nodules or concretions - inclusions

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 Soil Profile

Pebble marker
Gravelly materials separating transported soils from
underlying residual soil

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 SOIL PROFILING
• MCCSSO

• Moisture
• Affects consistency – need to record
• Depends on soil grain size
• Dry (can’t squeeze into a cohesive “ball”)
• Slightly moist (below OMC – little drier than OMC)
• Moist (at about OMC)
• Very moist (needs drying back to OMC)
• Wet (usually below water table)

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 SOIL PROFILING

• MCCSSO

• Colour
• Difficult – depends on moisture and
individual interpretation
• Use a colour card (Munsell) and with
water
• Limit to two colours and then other
effects

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 SOIL PROFILING
• MCCSSO

• Consistency
• A measure of the hardness or toughness – approximate shear
strength
• Cohesive are different from non-cohesive

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 SOIL PROFILING
• MCCSSO

• Structure
• Presence of absence of discontinuities
• Non-cohesive are granular
• Applies really to cohesive soils
• Need to identify spacing and prominence of discontinuities

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 SOIL PROFILING
• MCCSSO

• Soil texture
• Grain size of soil
• Boulders, cobbles and gravel
• Need to describe matrix and relative volume
• Shape of particles (may indicate origin)
• Well rounded (spherical)
• Rounded (oval shaped)
• Sub-rounded (all corners rounded off)
• Sub-angular (corners bevelled)
• Angular (corners sharp or irregular)
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 SOIL PROFILING
• MCCSSO

• Origin
• Identify the origin as far as possible
• Residual soils (below pebble marker) should be easy
• Geological map
• Relict structures
• Full description
• Transported soils – more difficult
• Usually a function of the landform

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 SOIL PROFILING
• MCCSSO(I)

• Inclusions
• Any other features in the profile can be
useful
• Roots (don’t grow below the water
table)
• Termites (stop at water table)
• Gypsum or salt crystals (above
water table)
• Pedocretes

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 ROCK CORE LOGGING

Borehole Log VS Core Log

• Borehole log
• Description of relevant data applicable to drilling of borehole and core
recovered
• Includes information on drilling machine, tools and materials used,
progress, difficulties encountered and test performed
• Part of this is the core log, a description of the recovered core

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 ROCK CORE LOGGING

• Similar to soil profiling – but specifically for rock material and

discontinuities
• Describe properties of interest to civil engineer for design
purposes - factual
• Qualitative descriptions – based only on visual description
(and possibly simple mechanical field tests)
• Have cores for more sophisticated laboratory testing
• Usually includes overlying soil profile

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 ROCK CORE LOGGING
• Must be correctly and
accurately packed and
marked
• Assess core recoveries,
RQD and fracture frequency
before logging

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 ROCK CORE LOGGING
• Must be correctly and
accurately packed and
marked
• Assess core recoveries,
RQD and fracture frequency
before logging

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 ROCK CORE LOGGING
• Rock Quality Designation (RQD)
•
• Percentage of intact core pieces
longer than 100 mm in the total
length of core.
• The core should be at least NW
size (54.7 mm in diameter) and
should be drilled with a double-
tube core barrel.

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 ROCK CORE LOGGING
Rock Quality Designation (RQD)

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 SOIL PROFILING
Other essential information

• Type of hole or exposure

• Whether refusal was encountered
• Signs and/or location of water table
• Types of samples taken and location
• Any other useful information (caving, etc)

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 Aspects of Detailed Geotechnical and Materials
Exploration and Design Report
• Introductory Executive Summary
• Physiography
• Geology
• Road Prism Investigation
• Stability Assessment
• Construction Material
• Pavement Design
• Structures
• Laboratory Test Data
• Subsurface Investigation Data
• Drawings

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 Aspects of Detailed Geotechnical and Materials
Exploration and Design Report

• Construction Materials
• Usable Material from the Road Prism
• Borrowpits
• Sand Sources
• Water Sources
• Rock Quarries
 Position, quality, suitability, method of working

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 Discussion

Comments on the current situation

Who currently plans geotechnical investigations?

What are the current and ideal investigation or testing methods?
Who determines the parameter values for detailed design?
How are the parameter values determined?

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