SITE INVESTIGATION

CIVL451 – Foundation Engineering

Classroom Notes
 Introduction
• “Site Investigation” is a broad term used for various methods
of investigation carried out to identify ground related risks to
a development. A site investigation may involve desk study,
non-intrusive and/or intrusive techniques.

• The general objectives of a site investigation are;

– Study historical development at a site and identify any implications for
the new development from past use of the site.
– Identify ecological and environmental risks.
– Obtain geotechnical design parameters and evoke requirement for
further investigations if required.
 Site Investigation
• Site Investigation may involve the following stages in the order
that they are given, with varying detail in accordance with the
type of planned development;

– Services Search
– Site Visit
– Topographical Survey
– Desk Study
– Ecology Survey
– Non-intrusive and Intrusive Surveys
– Reporting
 Services Search
• A services search should be carried out prior to any construction works to
identify likely positions of all underground services and utilities to avoid
damage.
– Buried services may involve;
• Gas pipes,
• Power cables,
• Fiber optic cables, Telephone cables, cable TV lines,
• Utility pipes,
• Drainage lines, Other land drainage trenches and pipes,
• Any other services (eg. CCTV lines, street lighting power cables etc)
– Available maps may be obtained from the utility companies,
geophysical surveys and intrusive surveys (inspection pits and
trenches) may be carried out to prove and mark out the locations of
any services.
 Site Visit (Site Walkover Survey)
• Prior to carrying out a site visit is usually a brief desk study
using available maps and geological records.
– Survey or street maps, geological maps, historical borehole records.
– Know where you are going, plan a walking route, check any features
on map and try to prove or observe any features on site.
– Take a lot of photos and mark their positions by GPS or sketch on map.
• The following are some of the important outcomes of a site
visit.
– Superficial characteristics of the ground (hardstanding, concrete cover,
manholes and drainage locations, utility locations, services locations)
– Access locations, assessment on the need for traffic management, site
security.
– Surface features such as sloping ground, erosion, ponded/standing
water, invasive plants, ground contamination.
 Site Visit (Site Walkover Survey)

Visual inspection of a bridge site for

planning ground investigation.

Mapping of slope features in sitewalkover survey.

 Site Visit (Site Walkover Survey)

Typical sketch of notes in a sitewalkover survey.

 Site Visit (Site Walkover Survey)
• Prior to carrying out a site visit is usually a brief desk study
using available maps and geological records.
– Survey or street maps, geological maps, historical borehole records.
– Know where you are going, plan a walking route, check any features
on map and try to prove or observe any features on site.
– Take a lot of photos and mark their positions by GPS or sketch on map.
• The following are some of the important outcomes of a site
visit.
– Superficial characteristics of the ground (hardstanding, concrete cover,
manholes and drainage locations, utility locations, services locations)
– Access locations, assessment on the need for traffic management, site
security.
– Surface features such as sloping ground, erosion, ponded/standing
water, invasive plants, ground contamination.
 Topographical Survey
• Site levels are crucial for earthworks and foundation design.
Determination of cut and fill volumes requires site topography
to be accurately obtained prior to design.
• It helps determination of geometry of existing slopes for
stability assessments.
• The accurate position of services can also be located on
topographical surveys.
 Desk Study (Geoenvironmental
Desktop Study)
• A desk study is key to design of geotechnical surveys as well as
foundation design. It involves the following studies results of
which feeds information to various aspects of the designs for
the overall development;

– Geology (superficial deposits and bedrock).

– Environmental risk assessment.
– Flood risk assessment.
– Land sensitivity assessments; aquifers, water abstractions, surface
water features.
– Historical maps, aerial photos, other land use and contamination
issues (locations of licensed landfill sites, contaminative land use etc).
Desk Study (Geoenvironmental
Desktop Study)
 Desk Study (Geoenvironmental
Desktop Study)

Şekil 4. Fotoğraf ile gözlemlenebilen ilk kapsamlı dolgu inşaatının parsellere göre yaklaşık alanı
 Ecology Survey
• Ecology surveys are required for all sites unless it is proven by
inspection or with previous reports that the existing habitat at
the site is not going to be affected significantly by the planned
development.
• At sites where it is suspected that there are protected plant
and/or animal species, long periods of monitoring,
observation and measurements may be required to identify
plans for preserving these during and after any construction
works (including ground investigations).
• Actions for preservation may involve from simply netting and
protecting these species from entering to the site of
development to moving them to a new site.
 Ecology Survey

Example calendar for ecology surveys (courtesy of www.wildfrontier-ecology.co.uk).

Ecology Survey

With the courtesy of;

www.keyenv.co.uk, www.jtaylorecology.co.uk, www.countrysideinfo.co.uk
 Non-intrusive surveys
• Geophysical Surveys
– Geo-Electrical Resistivity Survey;
measures the electrical resistivity of the
ground by applying a small electrical
current into the ground along a row of
electrodes (receivers) and correlating
the data measured to physical
characteristics of the ground such as
particle size and water content. It can be
used with a certain degree of certainty
for differentiating superficial deposits
from bedrock in shallow investigations.

(with the courtesy of http://www.wittenberg.edu/academics/geology/facultystaff/zaleha.html)

 Non-intrusive surveys
• Geophysical Surveys
– Ground Probing Radar Survey; measures
the reflecting radar waves back from the
shallow deposits. This method is usually
applied to locate buried services.

(with the courtesy of igs.indiana.edu, www.lordcivil.com)

 Intrusive Surveys
• Intrusive Surveys involve excavation or drilling and sampling.
Intrusive surveys may be carried out just for inspection of
buried services or existing buried features such as foundations
of an exisitng building or remnant foundations from a
development.
• The two main categories of intrusive surveys are;

– Shallow investigations.
– Deep investigations.
 Shallow Investigations
• Observation pits and trenches; for proving the location and
depth of buried services.

• Inspection pit; for investigating buried parts of structures and

foundations.

• Trial pits and trenches; for investigation and sampling of

superficial deposits (typically limited to a depth of 3.5m below
ground level).
Shallow Investigations
Shallow Investigations
 Deep Investigations
• Deep investigations comprise drilling and sampling. There are
several methods of drilling, the following are the most common
methods of drilling when disturbed and undisturbed sampling are
required for laboratory testing.
– Percussion Drilling
• Dynamic Percussion, windows or windowless sampling rig.
• Cable Percussion rig.
– Rotary Drilling
• Rotary Coring rig
• Auger Drilling rig
– Sonic (Resonance) Drilling
 Percussion Drilling
• Windows or windowless sampling rig; is used to carry out investigations
typically up to 10m depth below ground level. This type of drilling provides
continuous samples (disturbed) of ground for visual inspection and
laboratory classification tests. Undisturbed sampling cannot be carried
out.
Watch video at;
https://youtu.be/Ld2OeYe2iFY?t=
156
With the courtesy of,
http://www.dando.co.uk/geotechnical/terrier-
site-investigator
Percussion Drilling
• a modified version of the small rigs is also
available, can be used for almost any type
of ground conditions; sufficiently
powerful for investigation of deeper
strata, can also carry out rotary coring.
Disturbed and Undisturbed sampling can
be carried out.

With the courtesy of, http://www.dando.co.uk/,

 Percussion Drilling
• Cable percussion rig (Shell and Auger); is a traditional type of drilling method,
can be used for almost any type of ground conditions; soil to very weak to
weak rock to obtain continuous samples (disturbed) of ground for visual
inspection and laboratory classification tests. Undisturbed sampling can also
carried out using shelby tubes.

Watch video at;

https://youtu.be/yK4j5SIaGhE?t=63
With the courtesy of, http://www.dando.co.uk/, http://www.consallen.com/
 Rotary Drilling
• Rotary coring; is a traditional type of drilling method for rocks, cannot be
used for soils. Rock cores can be drilled and sampled using single or double
barrel sampling tubes.

Watch video at;

https://youtu.be/28z-4D7_a_Y?t=55
With the courtesy of, http://www.dando.co.uk/, en.wikipedia.org
 Rotary Drilling
• Sonic drilling; is a new type of drilling method for soils, still being developed.
Due to vibration created during drilling, it is not used for undisturbed
sampling of soils.

With the courtesy of, soundcoredrilling.com

Borehole Logs
 Standards for Ground Investigations
• The following European Standards are available for use in ground
investigations;

– EN 1997-2
– EN ISO 22475-1
– EN ISO 22475-2
– EN ISO 22475-3
 Design of Ground Investigation
• Design of a ground investigation requires the following;

– Layout of the proposed development on site.

• The layout of the development will affect the location of the exploratory holes.
• The location of the development; hillside, lakeside, city centre.

– An assessment of geological maps for the site.

• The geological assessment will determine the method of investigations; trial pits,
percussive drilling, rotary coring.

– Type of development.
• Road construction, slope stabilisation, underpinning of an existing building , tunneling,
skyscraper.
• The type of development will determine whether an extensive but shallow exploration
or concentrated and deep exploration or a little bit of both is needed.
 Design of Ground Investigation
• Minimum depth of boring and approximate spacing.
 Reporting
• The following reports are normally expected to be delivered;
– Geoenvironmental Desk Study Report (including site visit records, by
Engineering Geologist or Geotechnical Engineer).
– Ecology Survey Report (by Ecologist).
– Factual Ground Investigation Report (by the Ground Investigation
Contractor).
– Ground Investigation Report (interpretative report on ground model and
a summary of cautious estimate of geotechnical parameters, by
Geotechnical Engineer, preferably Geotechnical Designer).
– Geotechnical Design Report (live report to be updated as the project
progresses, by the Geotechnical Designer).