Sunday, December 18, 2016

Subsurface Investigation And Its Involved Boring Methods

By Daniel Murphy


Geotechnical investigations are processes which involve performing some methods or tests so that soils and rocks physical properties information will be obtained. The methods will take place in a particular site where in designs for earthworks and foundations are made for proposed structures and for distress repair of earthworks and structures that are caused by unnecessary conditions. Geotechnical engineers or engineering geologists are those that will conduct the investigations.

The subsurface information that they need to get must be both accurate and complete because this information is important for projects in civil engineering. The most common cause of failure for structures is due to a misleading and an inadequate data of subsurface. One method that is used for subsurface investigation is auguring. This involves putting down some holes in to a soft sediment. Penetrating greater depths are made through making bore holes.

Percussion drilling. The bit in this method is being suspended from cables or from rods, being jumped up and down as well so that the rocks will be broken. Bits are kept cooled and make slurry through adding water to the hole. The removal of debris is done through using a boiler. Chips are recovered for identification. The pounded rocks will be mixed into water from slurry. The costs and the rates are based on the hardness.

Rotary drilling. In the previous method, rotating the bits is involved, attaching these to rods. This is where the fluid mud is being pumped. And in this rotary process, the mud is being returned to surface through an annular space located in between the holes and the rods. Then next is adding the rods successively to an assembly while holes are lowered.

Core drilling. A tabular bit having a lower cutting edge is being used and rotated in a hole. A bit is consist of different available forms and the two most common forms are diamonds and hard abrasives in which rocks are penetrated. A diamond drill is considered as the most common form being used in exploratory bore and in sampling.

Core barrels. Structural drilling aims on recovering an undisturbed core in which the structural feature measurements are being made. The process may be achieved through the use of either multiple tube core or large diameter barrels. Geophysical methods. This will help in locating, mapping, and characterizing the subsurface features through making some measurements in the surface for responding to electrical, chemical, and physical properties.

Seismic methods. Measuring of a seismic would involve the measurement of seismic waves that will travel through subsurfaces. The assessment of structure, stratigraphy, and material properties may be done in a seismic method. Electrical resistivity. An electrical resistivity measurement is made by placing 4 electrodes as contact to the soil and rock.

Magnetic. This method is using two primary applications including the location and mapping for buried ferrous materials and also mapping structures in geology. Micro gravity. A survey in micro gravity can provide some change measures on subsurface density. Natural variations in a density include faults, large fractures, dissolution, buried channels, and lateral changes.

Ground penetrating radar or GPR. This utilizes high frequencies of electromagnetic waves for acquiring a subsurface information. The radiation of energy is directed downwards from transmitters and reflected back into the receiving antenna. The reflected signals will be recorded, producing some shallow subsurfaces conditions.




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