Friday, December 16, 2016

An Overview About The Boring Methods Involved In A Subsurface Investigation

By Daniel Murphy


A geotechnical investigation is one process in which several tests and methods are performed in order to obtain information on rocks and soils physical properties. The methods are done in some particular sites for the design of foundations and the earthworks of proposed structures and of distress repair for structures and for earthworks which are caused by specific conditions. The people conducting the investigations are engineering geologists or geotechnical engineers.

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. The first method involves the rotation of bits and are attached to the rods and where in the pumping of fluid mud occurs. The mud will then be returned into the surface by annular space in between rods and holes. The rods are added successively in the assembly while lowering the holes.

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. A structural drilling is aiming on recovering the undisturbed core where in structural features are being measured. Achieving the process is either done through using large diameter or multiple tube core barrels. Geophysical methods. The process helps in the location, mapping, and characterization of subsurface features by measuring the surface in order to respond to chemical, physical, and electrical properties.

Seismic methods. The seismic measurements include on measuring seismic waves which are traveling in the surfaces. Sometimes, some properties like material, stratigraphy, and structure are assessed in these methods. Electrical resistivity. Measuring the electrical resistivity is done by putting 4 electrodes that are in contact to the rock and the soil.

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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