Hello I'm Professor Kitch.

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Welcome to my series of geotechnical engineering webcasts.
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This web cast is an introduction to drilling and sampling.
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The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of common soil drilling
and sampling
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techniques.
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It is intended to supplement presentations using photographs or videos or drilling
and
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sampling operations.
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While photos and videos of drilling and sample operations can show you equipment
being used,
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they can't show you what is going on below ground.
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This presentation uses animations of drilling and sampling operations to
demonstrate what
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happens below the ground.
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At the end of this video, I'll provide some links to other videos that show
actually drilling
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and sampling being done in the field.
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The presentation will cover common types of drill rigs
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The four most common drilling techniques Solid stem auger-open hole method
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Hollow stem auger method Wash boring method
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the casing method It will also cover the basics of pushed and
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driven samplers There are a number of types of drill rigs
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available.
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Some of the most common are Large truck mounted rigs, sometimes called
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a highway rigs Off road track mounted rigs
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Trailer mounted portable rigs Different rigs are suited for different site
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conditions and different drilling and sampling methods
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The large truck mounted rig, is the most versatile and one of the most common rigs
used.
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However, it can only be used in situations where it can be driven onto the site.
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The process of drilling is similar regardless of the type of rig used.
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First we positioned the rig over the location where we wish to drill.
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Then we erect the drilling boom, or mast, and make sure it is vertical.
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A drill head mounted on the boom is the mechanism used to perform the drilling and
sampling
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operation.
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The drill head provided two motions to aid in drilling.
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A torque can be applied to rotate drill bit.
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And a vertical thrust can be applied to raise and lower drill bits and other
equipment.
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There are many different drilling and sampling techniques we can use to investigate
subsurface
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conditions.
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One of the simplest is the open hole method using a solid stem continuous flight
auger.
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The flights on a continuous flight auger run the full length of the auger.
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At the tip of the auger is a cutting bit.
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The inset photo show two different diameter solid stem augers with two different
types
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of cutting bits.
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The auger is rotated and pushed into the ground by the drill head.
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The bit at the tip of the auger loosens soil at the bottom of the hole and the
flights
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carry the cuttings to the ground surface.
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An engineer or geologist can estimate when new soil layers are encountered by
observing
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changes in the cuttings as they are brought to the surface.
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These cuttings can be collected as bulk samples.
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However, they are low quality samples because they are completely disturbed by the
cutting
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process and because soil from upper layers can contaminate soil from lower layers
as
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the cuttings are carried up the auger flights.
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When the boring reaches a depth where a higher quality sample is desired,
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the auger is removed from the hole to make room for the sampling equipment.
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In the this method the bore hole must be able to stand open without support, which
is why
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we call it the open hole method.
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When we wish to take a sample, we replace the auger bit with a sampling tool,
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or sampler.
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Nearly all soil samplers consist of some sort a hollow tube which is inserted into
the soil
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to retrieve a sample.
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There are many different designs of samplers to suit different soil conditions, but
the
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basic process of sampling is similar for most of these samplers.
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The sample tool is lowered to the bottom of the boring.
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And then pushed into the soil below the bottom of the boring.
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When the sampler has reached its full depth, the rods are twisted to shear off the
bottom
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of the sample, and the sampler containing the soil sample
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is retrieved from the boring.
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The sample is then stored for later analysis and testing.
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The sampling tool is then replaced with the auger
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and the auger is lowered back down the hole.
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Augering continues until we reach a new layer where we wish to take another sample.
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The auger is again retracted from the hole, and replaced with the sampling tool.
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Another sample is taken using the same process.
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When the soil is very stiff or dense, it is not possible to use a push-type
sampler.
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In these circumstances we use a heavy walled sampler that can be driven into the
soil using
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a drop hammer.
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The process is similar to retrieving a push type sample, but uses different
equipment
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and a different sampler.
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The open hole method only works when the soil is stiff enough and strong enough to
remain
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open after the augers are removed.
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While it is often possible to use the open hole method, many times the soil is not
able
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to maintain an open hole for sampling.
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If the soil is soft, it may squeeze into the boring when the augers are removed.
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This often happens is soft clay layer.
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If the soil is a clean sand with little or no cohesion, the soil at the side of the
hole
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may cave or fall into the boring.
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This is particular problem when drilling in sands below the water table.
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When squeezing or caving conditions occur we must use a drilling method that will
support
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the bore hole during the sampling process.
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One method that can be used in caving or squeezing conditions it the hollow stem
auger method.
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In this method, we use a continuous flight auger as the open hole method, but in
this
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case the auger stem is hollow.
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The bit in the center of the auger is retractable and can be removed through the
hollow stem.
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The inset photo shows a hollow stem auger and its retractable center bit.
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For illustration purposes the center bit has been removed and is shown next to the
hollow
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stem auger.
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During drilling the center bit is inserted inside the hollow stem.
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The augering proceeds in the same fashion as with the open hole method.
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When we reach a depth at which we wish to take a sample, we stop the auger,
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detach the center drill bit from the auger and remove it.
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The auger remains in the ground and supports the hole.
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We can now acquire a sample through the open hollow stem.
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The sampling process is the same as we showed before.
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After sampling the center drill bit is replace and auguring continues.
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The rotary wash boring is another common drilling method.
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Instead of using an auger to remove cutting from the hole,
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this method uses a slurry or drilling mud to flush cuttings out of the hole.
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The drilling mud or slurry is a mixture of either bentonite and water,
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or a polymer and water.
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The purpose of the bentonite or polymer is to increase the viscosity of the slurry
which
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makes it easier for the slurry to carry the cuttings to the surface.
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Special equipment is needed to handle the drilling mud including a
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holding tank a pump
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and a swivel head.
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The pump circulates the drilling mud from the holding tank through the swivel head
into
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the top of the drilling rod and then down the hollow inside of the drill rod toward
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the toward the cutting bit.
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The boring is advanced using a drill bit at the bottom of the hole
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The drill bit or cutting bit is turned by the drilling head an loosens soil at the
bottom
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of the hole The drill bit contains ports that allow the
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drilling mud being pumped down the hollow drill stem to exit out the side of the
bit
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into the annular space outside the drill rod.
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The mud flows up the annular space and carries cuttings away from the bit and out
the top
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of the hole The cuttings settle out of the drilling mud
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in the holding tank and the clean mud is recirculated back down the drill rod.
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Driving the drill bit of a rotary wash boring takes much less energy than driving a
long
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continuous flight auger.
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Therefore rotary wash borings can be advanced very quickly and reach depths much
greater
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than auger borings.
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In addition to flushing cuttings from the boring, the drilling mud also provides a
hydrostatic
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pressure along the sides of the drill hole.
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This can help to stabilize the hole and allow drilling in moderate caving
conditions.
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When we reach our desired sampling depth, drilling is stopped and all of the
cuttings
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are flushed out of the boring.
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The pump is then shutdown, the hose disconnected from the swivel, and the drill rod
removed
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from the hole.
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The drilling equipment is replaced with sampling equipment
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and a sample is taken directly through the drilling mud.
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Another method that can be used to advance a boring in caving or squeezing
conditions
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is the casing method.
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In this method a large diameter pipe is driven into the ground below the depth of
the boring
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. The hole is then cleaned out using either
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the auger method or rotary wash method The casing supports the hole and samples can
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be taken in the undisturbed soil below the casing
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So let's summarize.
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There are many type of drilling and sampling methods.
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In this presentation we have presented a few of the most common methods: the solid
stem
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auger method with an open hole, the hollow stem auger method, and the rotary wash
boring
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which can be used with or without a casing.
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Each method has it pros and cons.
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There is no one best method.
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The drilling method selected will depend on a number of factors including.
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Location and accessibility of the site.
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Type of project and its objectives.
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Soil conditions Samplers can either be driven in with a drop
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hammer of pushed into the soil.
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Here are some references and links to drilling and sampling videos online.