Category: Foundations

Among different types of soils spread over the Indian Peninsula, only six major deposits have been identified, viz., marine deposits, black cotton soils, lateritic soils, alluvial deposits, desert soils and boulder deposits. 1. Marine Deposits They are generally formed in seawater areas. These deposits cover a narrow belt of tidal flats all along the coast…

Weathered materials have been moved from their original location to new locations by one or more of the transportation agencies, viz., water, wind, gravity and glacier and deposited to form transported soil. Such deposits are further classified depending on the mode of transportation causing the deposit. For example, soils that are carried and deposited by…

Weathering (due to climatic effects) and leaching of water soluble materials in the rocks are the geological process in the formation of these soils. The rate of rock decomposition is more than the rate of erosion or transportation of weathered material, and results in the accumulation of residual soils.

Based on the method of formation, soil may be categorised as residual and transported soils. Residual soils have formed from the weathering of rocks and practically remain at the location of origin with a little or no movement of individual soil particles. Transported soils are those that have formed at one location (like residual soils),…

Methods of exploration are indirect methods, semi-direct methods and direct methods of exploration. 1. Indirect Methods Indirect methods consist of geophysical and sounding methods. In these methods, depths to the principal strata are established based on some physical properties of the material, and the measurements are made on the ground surface. No samples are obtained…

The ground investigation, irrespective of the magnitude of the project, consists of four phases, which are discussed below. 1. Available Information This is the first phase in which the collection of published geological and topographical information of the area, hydrological data, details of load regulations for construction activity, etc., are made. 2. Reconnaissance At this…

Ground investigation refers to the methodology of determining surface and sub-surface features in the proposed construction area. Information of surface conditions is necessary for planning the accessibility of the site, for deciding the disposal of removed material, for removal of surface water in waterlogged areas, for movement of construction material and equipment and other factors…