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The Inner Workings of Geotechnical Drilling | The Driller

The Inner Workings of Geotechnical Drilling Column Helps Drillers, Consultants Improve Drilling Operations Geotechnical drilling is a compelling field. With The Underground Network, we aim to help drillers, assistant drillers, consultants and others navigate its complexities. Welcome to The Underground Network, a new column designed unravel the inner workings of geotechnical drilling. I aim to provide candid, constructive insights for experienced drillers, assistant drillers just starting out and environmental consultants alike. I hope to make this column a must-read for enhancing your knowledge and improving your drilling operations. Why should you read The Underground Network? In this first edition, I outline the topics I plan to cover and offer a couple of starter bits of advice. Practical Techniques and Tips: Geotechnical drilling is a compelling field, and it’s important to stay up-to-date on new techniques and tips that can improve your everyday drilling efficiency onsite. I can provide practical insights, proven approaches and fresh ideas you can apply directly to your everyday work onsite. These tips can complement your existing skills, minimize downtime and ultimately improve the outcomes of your client’s projects. What kind of tips? How about this: Looking to be a better driller? Baroid IDP has conducted drilling fluid trainings for over 50 years, offering field and classroom seminars and demonstrations for rig personnel, contractors, engineers, geologists and regulatory personnel. These seminars, held annually in Houston, consist of five-day courses covering basic drilling fluids technology as well as operational applications such as water well drilling, diamond coring for minerals exploration and construction-trenchless technology. I can guide you through the sign-up process. Industry Updates and News: Success in our drilling industry requires you to stay informed about the latest trends and developments. I plan to deliver important industry updates, including new technologies, drilling rig advancements and regulatory changes. By [...]

By smadi66|July 7th, 2024|Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical, Drilling, Drilling, Drilling Indiana, Drilling Illinois, Drilling Ohio, Drilling Kentucky, Geotechnical Indiana, Drilling Michigan, Drilling, Drilling Missouri, Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical Ohio, Geotechnical Illinois, Cone Penetration|0 Comments

BUILD Grant Geotechnical Work Kentucky

BUILD Grant Geotechnical Work Kentucky Leads to Schultz Park Temporary Closure. To design the BUILD grant's riverboat landing facility, a portion of Schultz Park will be closed for crews to conduct geotechnical drilling. A section of Schultz Park along Paducah’s riverfront will be closed to the public for geotechnical crews with Bacon Farmer Workman Engineering & Testing, Inc. to access to the park. The floodwall opening at the Jefferson Street and Water Street intersection will be closed to the public. However, this work will not affect the parking area facing the Ohio River near the transient boat dock. The public will be able to access those parking spaces and the adjacent park from the floodwall entrance at North Second and Madison streets. The four geotechnical borings will provide soil data that will be used in the design of the new riverboat landing structure included in Paducah’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant award. Mayor George Bray said, “This geotechnical work is an exciting milestone for the BUILD grant. We are moving from the environmental assessment phase, which has taken significant time due to requirements by the regulatory agencies, to the design phase. We are grateful for the generous BUILD grant funds and look forward to improving the passenger experience for riverboat visitors to downtown Paducah and to enhancing downtown’s transportation elements.” Source: BUILD Grant Geotechnical Work Leads to Schultz Park Temporary Closure | City of Paducah

By smadi66|July 7th, 2024|Elizabethtown, Louisville, CPT Blog, Lexington, Cone Penetration, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Hopkinsville, Richmond, Florence, Georgetown, Drilling Kentucky, Covington, Geotechnical Kentucky|0 Comments

Louisville VAMC project reaches milestone > Louisville District > Kentucky News Stories

At times there were multiple drill rigs working on the site of the Louisville VA Medical Center to prepare the earth for drilled piers. Louisville, Ky. – For most construction projects, progress can be visually measured as structures start to come out of the ground and begin to take shape. This would not be possible without the foundations that transfers the loads of the vertical structures to the soil safely. Part of that foundation work can include the installation of drilled piers. The Louisville VA Medical Center project recently achieved the completion of a major feature of work by reaching the milestone of “bottoming out” with the installation of the last of 1,057 drilled piers across the site. The drilled piers ranged from 24 to 72 inches in diameter and from five to 35 feet in depth. All buildings have some type of foundation. Most residential buildings have what is called shallow foundations which generally include spread footings to prevent the building from settling. Drilled piers are a type of deep foundation, which is generally utilized for larger buildings, like the Louisville VA Medical Center, said David Garvin, geotechnical engineer. “Drilled piers connect structures directly to the bedrock - keeping the building in place by minimizing settlement and lateral loads from outside forces such as wind loads, seismic loads, etc.,” he explained. “Since drilled piers are below the building, they are advanced from the top of the ground until bedrock is reached, with rebar and concrete placed, then the pier is tied into a column or grade beam.” “Once the drilled pier is tied into the column or grade beam, the steel beams will be placed on top of it. After all steel beams are placed the loads from the entire building will transfer down to the drilled piers and [...]

By smadi66|July 7th, 2024|Florence, Georgetown, Drilling Kentucky, Geotechnical Kentucky, Louisville, Lexington, Covington, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Owensboro, Cone Penetration, Hopkinsville, Richmond|0 Comments

Geotechnical Testing happening for U.S. 51 Ohio River Cairo Bridge Replacement Project in Kentucky

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) announced last week that geotechnical testing for the project was to start at the end of June. The testing includes field work and drilling in the river upstream from the existing bridge. According to the release, crews are driling and testing soil samples from ground level to as deep as 400 feet below the riverbed. Drilling is taking place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the work is complete. “Because of the area’s complex river conditions, a lift boat will be used to minimize the impact on passing Ohio River towboat traffic,” the release stated. “The geotechnical work is expected to take a couple of months, but the schedule is dependent on river levels. The geotechnical testing will provide a better analysis of the soils under the river and existing geological conditions, which will give engineers the information necessary to design the foundations for a new bridge.” The work will have no impact on vehicle traffic crossing the existing bridge. The geotechnical work comes as the U.S. 51 Bridge Project Team has scheduled a meeting to update the public on planning for construction of a new bridge. Among other things, the team plans to share the bridge design type for the new structure that could start construction in 2028. Photos and display materials will be available online at https://us51bridge.com/ after the public meeting. The existing U.S. 51 Ohio River ‘Cairo’ Bridge serves as a north-south connector for U.S. 51 and an east-west transportation corridor for U.S. 60 and U.S. 62. The bridge carries about 5,400 vehicles per day between Kentucky and Illinois. About 43 percent of the traffic is commercial trucks. The bridge crosses the Ohio River at navigation mile point 980.4 and carries U.S. 51, U.S. 60, and U.S. 62 [...]

Geologists and Geotechnical engineers provide flood risk management

Source: DVIDS - News - Geologists and Geotechnical engineers dig deep to provide flood risk management At the Arcadia flood risk management project, in Arcadia, Wisconsin, geotechnical staff are gathering data using a unique method of subsurface exploration. The Cone Penetrometer Test, or CPT, is one method used to identify and characterize soils. The CPTs were conducted with assistance from the Savannah District geotechnical and geology branch. “We benefited from their expertise and cooperation,” said Greg Wachman, senior geotechnical engineer. In CPTs, a device with a conical tip and metal sleeve measure penetration resistance as it’s pushed into the ground. Those measurements are used to characterize the soils’ engineering properties. For example, the forces on the device as it’s pushed through a soft clay are very different from those as it’s pushed through a dense sand, Wachman said. The device also records pore water pressure, which aids in understanding soil permeability and groundwater characteristics. CPTs vs. soil borings A CPT is most useful when used together with standard soil borings, Wachman explained. A soil boring drills into the ground to retrieve physical samples. In contrast, with a CPT, the soil is never seen. CPTs are significantly faster than standard borings and provide continuous test data with depth. With a soil boring, samples are collected about every 5 feet, or change in material, so it’s possible to miss important information. One limitation of the CPT, due to excessive friction, is that it may not be extended to the same depth as a soil boring. The CPTs at Arcadia are being pushed to approximately 60-70 feet, whereas a soil boring can be performed in excess of 100 feet. “By doing some CPTs next to soil borings – where we know what the soils are – we can increase the likelihood that we [...]

By kk42|December 13th, 2021|CPT Data, Cone Penetration, Geotechnical Arizona, Geotechnical California, Geotechnical Texas, Geotechnical Wisconsin, Geotechnical Florida, CPT Blog|0 Comments

UNF first in Florida to conduct large-scale lab testing on sinkholes

Source: UNF first in Florida to conduct large-scale l | EurekAlert! Jacksonville, Fla. – University of North Florida researchers will be the first in Florida to conduct large-scale laboratory testing of sinkhole mechanics. Dr. Ryan Shamet, civil engineering assistant professor, was recently awarded a Florida Department of Transportation project grant for “Validation and Update of the Sinkhole Index,” a project that will aim to better understand the potential of sinkhole formation prior to any collapse at the surface. This joint project between UNF and University of Central Florida includes $90,259 for UNF and new equipment coming to UNF labs. The new equipment consists of a large-scale soil box that will allow UNF researchers to recreate and monitor the geotechnical and hydraulic mechanics of sinkholes forming in north and central Florida. The researchers at UNF and UCF will collect data from active sinkhole sites throughout the state and then refine and update analysis techniques for varying geologic conditions or regions based on their data. This analysis technique will allow engineers to quantify a location’s relative vulnerability of conditions favorable to sinkhole collapse when raveling conditions are encountered using an investigation test called the Cone Penetration Test (CPT). CPTs are a common subsurface investigation tool used by geotechnical engineers to identify soil layers and measure the strength of the soil within a project location. Through quantifying the raveling phenomenon, local engineers can better discern which mitigation techniques, such as compaction grouting or road closure, should be performed to lower the associated risk of sinkhole collapse.

By kk42|September 24th, 2021|Geotechnical Mississippi, CPT Blog, Cone Penetration, Geotechnical South Carolina, Sinkholes, Geotechnical Georgia, Geotechnical Alabama, Geotechnical Florida|0 Comments

Why Are There So Many Kinds of CPT Rigs?

As you look through our website, you'll see that there are a number of different types of CPT Rigs. As you can imagine, they each have their purpose, or 'application'. In order to understand why different types of CPT Rigs exist, it's helpful to remember how CPT works in the first place. Cone Penetration Testing The goal of Cone Penetration Testing is to drive a hardened cone vertically into the the ground and to keep it moving at a specific rate of progress. The force that it takes to maintain the cone moving downward at a defined rate is an indicator of how hard the soil is at a given depth. The friction the cone sleeve encounters along the way gives us an indication of the make up of the soil. Deciding Between CPT Rigs As you can imagine, as the cone progresses further downward and encounters different types of soils, sands, clays and rocks it can take a substantial amount of pressure to keep it moving! One of the first factors that influences the design of CPT Rigs is the maximum amount of pressure that will be required to perform a specific test, to a specific depth in a given geological area. As much as 20 tons of downward force may be required to perform a broad enough range of tests to make a given rig viable for a market. For every ton of downward pressure on the test cone through the rod system, you have to have a reaction force equal to this to keep the Rig from lifting up. This means that either the Rig has to be heavier than the maximum push force, plus a safety margin, or it needs to be anchored down in some way as to reliably resist the upward force generated by [...]

By smadi66|December 5th, 2019|Introductory, Cone Penetration, Geotechnical Colorado, Geotechnical Delaware, Geotechnical Indiana, Geotechnical Idaho, Geotechnical Illinois, Geotechnical Georgia, Geotechnical Connecticut, Geotechnical Florida, Geotechnical Iowa, Geotechnical Kansas|0 Comments

The Importance of Proper Soil Quality

Sometimes it's hard to imagine how important designing the proper foundation support for a structure can be. The public may assume that the ground we are standing on is pretty much stable and should be able to hold whatever we build on it, without consideration of soil quality. However, there are examples throughout history of structures that were built upon soil conditions that were not suitable for their weight. Perhaps the most famous is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. With better soil quality, it may have been known today as the Tower of Pisa Unfortunately for the constructors, the Tower was built upon a patch of soil that was too soft on one side for the pressure the structure would exert as it's height climbed. The Tower actually had begun leaning during the construction process and had quite a tilt before it was even completed. Over time, builders began to realize that in order to build magnificent structures, and to have them endure over time, they had to understand the geology they were building on. They had to be able to translate an understanding of the soil quality that is not able to be seen into foundation designs that would support even the tallest skyscrapers we build today. Through lots of experimentation, science, engineering and creative solutions, we've been able to evolve our understanding of how to perform a variety of soil tests and how to link that to solid design and construction methods that will support structures as varied as highway bridges and high-rise buildings. As you explore the resources that we've provided in our CPT University, you'll learn about a variety of soil tests and the advantages of each. Tests such as Standard Penetration Tests (SPT), Cone Penetration Tests (CPT) and other forms of testing all have their [...]

By smadi66|December 5th, 2019|Geotechnical Louisiana, Geotechnical Maine, Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical Massachusetts, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Montana, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Maryland, Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Mississippi, Introductory, Cone Penetration, Soil Testing|0 Comments

Why Are There So Many Kinds of CPT Rigs?

As you look through our website, you'll see that there are a number of different types of CPT Rigs. As you can imagine, they each have their purpose, or 'application'. In order to understand why different types of CPT Rigs exist, it's helpful to remember how CPT works in the first place. The goal of Cone Penetration Testing is to drive a hardened cone vertically into the the ground and to keep it moving at a specific rate of progress. The force that it takes to maintain the cone moving downward at a defined rate is an indicator of how hard the soil is at a given depth. The friction the cone sleeve encounters along the way gives us an indication of the make up of the soil. As you can imagine, as the cone progresses further downward and encounters different types of soils, sands, clays and rocks it can take a substantial amount of pressure to keep it moving! One of the first factors that influences the design of CPT Rigs is the maximum amount of pressure that will be required to perform a specific test, to a specific depth in a given geological area. As much as 20 tons of downward force may be required to perform a broad enough range of tests to make a given rig viable for a market. For every ton of downward pressure on the test cone through the rod system, you have to have a reaction force equal to this to keep the Rig from lifting up. This means that either the Rig has to be heavier than the maximum push force, plus a safety margin, or it needs to be anchored down in some way as to reliably resist the upward force generated by the test (or 'sounding'). Depending upon the [...]

By smadi66|December 5th, 2019|Geotechnical Idaho, Geotechnical Indiana, Geotechnical Louisiana, Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical Illinois, Geotechnical Georgia, Geotechnical Florida, Geotechnical Iowa, Geotechnical Kansas, Introductory, Cone Penetration, Geotechnical Delaware|0 Comments

Ensuring That Your CPT Data is Correctly Reported and Interpreted

It is important to understand when interpreting CPT data the physics of how the data is produced. This will lead to a better appreciation of where CPT data should be validated with other types of tests in order to ensure that it is being correctly reported and interpreted. In CPT (Cone Penetration Testing), when the tip of the cone is being advanced, there is pressure exerted on the tip itself. This pressure is created from the resistance to downward force by whatever soil is resisting on the cone tip. However, this pressure is not simply exerted from the ground immediately in front of the tip. Rather, the cone forces the ground immediately in front of it to compress. This compression forces the ground in front of it to 'fail' that is, the soil cohesion is not sufficient to resist the tip load, and the soil compresses further down or moves out of the way down, sideways or a little bit away from the cone itself, upwards. Because of this movement and compression, the pressure exerted back on the cone tip is generated from a large area of soil below, around and a bit behind the cone tip itself. This means depending on soil stratification that the instruments in the tip sense soil resistance from around 5 or more cone diameters ahead and around the tip of the cone. Using a cone of 1.5 inches in diameter means that you are actually taking an average cone resistance measurement. This is sometimes called a 'tip influence zone'. If you are pushing through a sub-surface feature, such as a landslide slip face or a layer of softer clay that is a foot or less, it is quite possible to miss this feature entirely. In engineering speak, you might read something like 'exercise caution [...]

By smadi66|December 5th, 2019|Geotechnical Connecticut, Geotechnical West Virginia, Cone Penetration, Soil Testing, Experienced, Geotechnical Arizona, Geotechnical Arkansas, Geotechnical California, Geotechnical Colorado, Geotechnical Wisconsin, Geotechnical Delaware, Geotechnical Alabama, Geotechnical Wyoming|0 Comments