GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATIONS
While our experience has shown that the most appropriate scope of a geotechnical investigation will vary from site to site, it also enables us to properly develop an approach that adequately addresses pertinent concerns in an efficient and cost-effective manner. EnviroTrac’s qualified field personnel and registered professional engineers conduct investigations to evaluate the physical properties of the subsurface through various exploration techniques in order to develop geotechnical engineering recommendations for project design and construction purposes. In general, this work involves the collection of samples in the field and the field and laboratory testing of those samples to determine the physical properties of soil and rock. These tests are performed in accordance with applicable ASTM standard methods or with accepted geotechnical engineering laboratory practices, where ASTM standard methods do not exist.
Methods employed to conduct these evaluations include test pit excavation and trenching, soil borings and in-situ testing. Exploratory borings are advanced using manual or machine assisted techniques depending on the depth of testing and nature of the soil/rock material and the samples required. A wide variety of devices are used to collect samples including shovels, augers, split-barrel samplers, and thin-walled (Shelby Tube) samplers.
Based on the testing conducted an engineering analysis is performed on the results of the field study and laboratory results in order to prepare a report containing recommendations for subsequent activities such as site preparation, foundation design, general earthwork, and foundation construction. The report is generated in accordance with any guilines set forth by state and local building authorities.
