http://drilling.

my/services/construction/site-investigation/#LabTest

SITE INVESTIGATION
Foundtest Drilling Site Investigation Works

Site Investigation, S.I (or commonly known as Soil Investigation in Malaysia) are crucial in all
construction projects. Site Investigation is usually performed by drilling Boreholes into
ground to obtain information on the physical properties of soil and rock around a site for the
purpose of earthworks and foundation design of the proposed structures. The soil
investigation techniques are also applicable for repair of distress to earthworks and
structures caused by subsurface conditions.

To obtain information about the soil conditions below the ground, some form of subsurface
exploration is required. Methods of observing the soils below the surface, obtaining samples,
and determining physical properties of the soils and rocks include test pits, boring and in situ
tests.

Test Pits can be carried out by manual hand dug with shovel or machine excavated up to
4.5m deep for the purpose of soil sample collection and observing soil condition. This
technique is usually applicable only for low rise developments where it does not involve
deep foundation.

For deep soil boring, the most commonly used technique is Rotary Wash Boring, where our
drilling rig can bore up to 100m depth, depending on site condition. Disturb and Undisturbed
soil samples can be collected by Split Spoon (SPT Sampler), Piston Sampler, Thin wall tube,
Mazier, etc. When a rock layer is reached, coring method can be used to core through the
rock and collect rock samples.

1
In situ test which were commonly carried out during soil testing includes Mackintosh Probe
Test, Standard Penetration Test (SPT), Vane Shear, Dynamic Cone Penetration (DCP) and Cone
Penetration Test (CPT)
All the results and findings obtained from the Site Investigation Works would be presented in
Factual Geotechnical Report which consist of Borelog (with Soil Descriptions, In-Situ test
result) and also Laboratory Test results.

Here are some detailed description of few typical terms and techniques which is commonly
used in Site Investigation works:
Soil Boring (Rotary Wash Method)

Rotary Wash Soil Boring

Rotary Wash Boring is one of the most common method used to drill a borehole during Site
Investigation work. Drilling Fluid (Usually water) is used to flush off soils to create borehole
in ground with steel casing which is rotated by the Drilling Machine. The purpose of drilling a
borehole is to allow for access into deep ground to carry out other in-situ test, sampling and
installation of monitoring instrument at designated depth. This method is capable of drilling
up to approximately 80-100m depth depending on ground condition.

JKR / Mackintosh Probe Test

JKR / Mackintosh Probe Test is a quick and economical way to estimate the Bearing Capacity
of Soil layer by co-relating the cone penetration resistance to the bearing capacity. It can
goes up to a maximum depth of 15 m and is recommended only for shallow foundation. This
method is not able to collect any soil or rock samples and unable to report on type of soil as
well. Its also not suitable for rocky areas.

2
Hand Auger
Hand Auger drilling is carried out by using hand held auger which is manually drilled into
ground to obtain soil samples. The drilled depth is very limited (usually less than 5m) due to
the limitation of human power. This method would only being considered under special
circumstances, such as drilling fluid is not permitted, or borehole location is inaccessible to
drilling machines, etc. It doesn’t gives any soil resistance value, and also unsuitable in sandy
or high water table area, because the open auger hole will tend to collapse.
Trial / Test Pit
A test pit is carried out by excavating the ground to the designated depth (not more than 5m
deep) to observe the soil profile underneath and collect bulk samples.

Standard Penetration Test (SPT)

Standard Penetration Test (SPT)

Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is one of the most common field test to determine the
driving resistance in soil strata. This method is done in accordance to BS 1377:1990,
“Determination of the penetration resistance using a split barrel sampler and a self tripping
hammer of approved design”. The result is presented as SPT-N value which indicates blow
count per 300mm penetration.

SPT equipment consist of a 63.5kg hammer, hammer fall guide, anvil, automatic hammer
release system and a split barrel sampler. The SPT is carried out by repeatedly driving the
split barrel sampler into the ground at the desired depth level (usually at 1.5m interval) using
the automatic hammer release system that would free fall the 63.5kg hammer with a drop
height of 0.76m. Number of blow counts to achieve a penetration of 75mm into ground is
recorded. The same procedure is repeated for 6 times for a total of 450mm penetration.

3
The first 2 layer of 75mm penetration each is considered as seating drive and not counted in
reporting the SPT-N value. The total number of blow counts within the final 300mm
penetration (separately recorded for every 75mm penetration) would be taken as the SPT-N
value.

The Soil samples recovered from the split barrel were preserved as disturbed samples for
subsequent testing in laboratory.

Rock & Soil Sampling

Rock & Soil Sampling is one of the most important scope in Site Investigation work. It
provides an in-depth understanding on type of the material and its characteristic behavior in
substrata.

Soil Samples can be obtained using various techniques depending on soil condition and can
be classified into Disturbed (D) or Undisturbed (UD) samples. Disturb samples is usually
collected by using SPT split barrel while Undisturbed samples can be extracted using Block
Sampler Box, UD Tube, Piston Sampler & Mazier Sampler. The samples collected would be
used as specimen in laboratory test later for various classification, strength, consolidation
and chemical content test.

Rock Samples can be extracted from deep ground using Diamond Core Bit with Core Barrel.
The Core Recovery Ratio (CRR) and Rock Quality Designation (RQD) would be reported for
each core run.

Disturb Soil Sampling

4
 Core Sample

Rock & Cavity Probing

Rock & Cavity Probing is carried out to determine the exact depth of bed rock and existence
of cavity. This information is very useful during the piling stage and it could have huge
impact on the cost and design of piling foundation, especially when a development is carried
out on a limestone area. Cavity Grouting could be carried out for area where cavities is
encountered.

Laboratory Test

Geotechnical Laboratory
Being a One Stop Geotechnical Soil Investigation contractor, Foundtest Drilling also provides
laboratory testing services as well. All construction materials, soil samples (disturb &
undisturbed) and rock samples collected on site can be further tested in our associate labs
according to the client or design engineer’s requirement.

5
LABORATORY SOIL TESTS BS1377 : 1990
MOISTURE CONTENT Part 2, Method 3.2
ATTERBERG LIMITS ( LL, PL, PI ) Part 2, Method 4 & 5
LINEAR SHRINKAGE LIMITS Part 2, Method 6.5
BULK DENSITY Part 2, Method 7.2
SPECIFIC GRAVITY ( PARTICLE DENSITY ) Part 2, Method 8
PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION – COARSE GRAINED. Part 2, Method 9.2 & 9.3
PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION – FINE GRAINED. Part 2, Method 9.5
UNCONFINED COMPRESSION TEST ( UCT ) Part 7, Method 7.2
38mm diameter, 1 specimen
50mm diameter, 1 specimen
70mm diameter, 1 specimen
UU TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION TEST WITHOUT P.W.P. Part 7, Method 8
38mm diameter
50mm diameter
70mm diameter
CU TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION TEST WITH P.W.P. Part 8, Method 7
38mm diameter
50mm diameter
70mm diameter
CD TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION TEST WITH P.W.P. & VOL. Part 8, Method 8
38mm diameter
50mm diameter
70mm diameter
ONE DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION TEST Part 5, Method 3
e vs log pressure, Mv & Cv, t90 graphs
e vs log pressure, Mv & Cv, t50 & t90 and c-alpha
LABORATORY PERMEABILITY TEST
Falling Head Permeameter ( k>E-04 m/s ) [ KH Head, Vol.2 – 10.7.2 ]
CHEMICAL TESTS ON SOIL / WATER
pH value Part 3, Method 9
Total / soluble sulphate Part 3, Method 5
Chloride content Part 3, Method 7
Organic matter Part 3, Method 8
Total dissolved solids Part 3, Method 9
Salinity Test Part 3, Method 10
DIRECT SHEAR STRENGTH ( 60 x 60mm samples ) Part 7, Method 4
Soaked – Consolidated Drained ( 3 specimen )
ROCK TEST
Unconfined compressive strength [ ASTM D2938-79 ]
UCT with Young’s Modulus & Poisson’s Ratio [ ASTM D3148-80 ]
Point Load Strength [ Broch, E & Franklin, JA ]

6
Monitoring: Inclinometer , Standpipe Piezometer
Inclinometer: To monitor horizontal movement of soil layer to prevent any soil erosion and
other construction problems. Inclinometer track would be installed in the borehole along
the required depth and reading would be taking periodically to ensure the soil stability.
Standpipe Piezometer: To monitor ground water table or water pressure for foundation
design or other research purpose.

JKR / MACKINTOSH PROBE TEST

Foundtest Drilling Mackintosh Probe Test

The Mackintosh Probe development was based on the principles stated by Hvorslev (1948)
for drive rods for sounding and sampling and recommended methods for static and dynamic
sounding by European Group Subcommittee (1968). The probe consists of a cased screwed
onto the lower end of the rod. The rods are of 16mm diameter HY steel each of length 120
cm. The rods are connected to each other by 25 mm outer diameter couplings. These
couplings provide the lateral support to the rods so as to prevent buckling during driving.
Driving is performed with a small hammer of 5 kg in weight and falling vertically through a
fixed height of 30 cm along a guide rod. The total number of blows required for the pointer
to penetrate a distance of 30 cm is recorded and used as a measure of the consistency of
cohesive soil and the packing of granular soil.

The relationship between Mackintosh Probe and Safe Pressure is as follows: –

P = (2860 + 550 (R – 40)1/2) x 0.04788 kN/m2 (Blow Counts above 40)

P = Refer Chart for blows (Blow Counts below 40)

Where,

P = safe pressure (kN/m2)

R = Mackintosh Probe Penetration resistance in blows/0.3m

7
8