The aim of these studies is to give an accurate description of the soils that are to be used during the course of the earthworks engineering operations to gain knowledge of their behaviour characteristics

Box of cores retrieved from soundings (All rights reserved)

The aim of these studies is to give an accurate description of the soils that are to be used during the course of the earthworks engineering operations to gain knowledge of their behaviour characteristics.

To this end, the following are carried out:

* A geotechnical earthworks engineering study of the soils that are to be crossed and possibly reused as embankment infill.

* A geological study of the prime raw material resources emanating from quarries, gravel pits, sand pits and borrows.

* A mechanical study of the soils for the structure foundations.

Recording the boring parameters in rock strata to study the rock structure (All rights reserved)

The geotechnical study begins with a soundings process where samples are taken and water table levels surveyed, as well as rock elevation numbers. The samples taken are analysed in the laboratory (water content, granulometry, identification, compaction testing, load-bearing tests etc.). The results of these tests allow the firms which are to carry out the work to obtain a good idea of the quality of the soils and the manner in which the earthworks engineering has to proceed.

Amongst other things, the geological study allows sites to be found that will be favourable for production of prime quality raw materials needed by the construction site for execution of a wide range of special structures: gravels for the drains, sands for the filters and anti-blockage infills, crushed gravels for road subgrades, riprap for raised bank edges etc.

Soil mechanics studies allow predictions to be made as to the behaviour of the soils in situ.
Based on such soil mechanics testing, the dimensions of the structure’s foundations can be calculated, the road surface thickness, the slope inclines, predicted settlement under the infill embankments, dyke permeability and the flow rates on outfalls etc.

All these tests, analyses and studies are carried out by laboratories and design offices involving whole teams of drillers, laboratory technicians, geotechnicians, geologists and consultant engineers.