A Borehole is deep vertical hole with smaller diameter drilled into the ground to obtain SPT N- Value and soil samples for soil investigation required for the construction of suitable foundation for the planned structure.

Mackintosh Probe development was based on the principles stated by Hvorslev (1948) for drive rods for surrounding 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 other by 25mm outer diameter couplings. These couplings provide the lateral supportto the rods so as to prevent buckling during driving.

Driving is performed with a small hammer of 5 kg in weight and falling ve(ically through a fixed height of 30cm along a guide rod. The total numbers of blows required for the pointer to penetrate a distance of the consistency of cohesive soil and packing of granular soil.

Concrete cores are used for testing of actual properties of concrete in existing structure in order to test density and strength, chemical analysis and etc.

A Schmidt Hammer. also know-s as a Swiss Hammer or Rebound Hammer or Concrete Hammer Test. is a device to measure the elastic propefties or Strength of concrete or rock. mainly surface hardness and penetration resistance.

The California Bearing Ratio or CBR test is performed in construction to evaluate the skength of soil subgrades and basecourse materials.

A Trial Pit (or Test Pit) is an excavation of ground in order to study or sample the composition and structure of the subsurface, usually dug during a site investigation, a soil suruey or geological survey. Trial pits are dug before the construction.

Soil resistivity testing is the process of measuring a volume of soil to determine the conductivity of the soil.The resulting soil resistivity is expressed in ohm-meter or ohm centimeter. Soil resistivity testing is the single rnost critical factor in electrical grounding design.

A Piezometer or pore pressure meters are the pressure transducers that are installed beneath the ground to measure the sub-surface piezometric level within groundwater level, soil, or rock.

Proper evaluation of pore pressure helps in monitoring the behavior after construction and indicates potentially dangerous conditions that may adversely affect the stability of the structure, its foundation and appurtenant. It also provides basic data for design improvement that will promote safer and more economical design and construction. The Casagrande piezometer is considered as the simplest form of piezometer. It consists of a Casagrande tip connected to the lengths of the extension pipe. The water level inside the pipe is measured using the diameter. However, the vibrating wire piezometer is most commonly used because of accurate results and higher reliability

Piezocone Testing (CPTu) is used to determine the groundwater pressure and measures excess pore pressure generated during a CPT. A dissipation test can also be conducted (at any depth) of a CPTu test

Geology laboratory maintains the ability to serve our client’s needs related to geotechnical engineering. Significant contributions to testing in recent year have been follow from International Standards (BS 1377: 1990). Geology Laboratory has been associated and committed to supplying quality complying with test specifications. The satisfactory solution ofproblem with required the use of standald method by trained and qualified engineers and technicians.

MOISTURE CONTENT
A sample of soil is dried to constant dry weight at a temperature of 105 degrees centigrade and the moisture content determined.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY
The ratio of the unit weight of a material to the unit weight of distilled water at 4oC is a common definition of specific gravity. Soil specific gravities, however, are normally referred to the weight of water at20″C.In itself the specific gravity is not an index property of a soil. It is, however, required for determination of the unit weight of a soil and in many computations.

ATTERBERG LIMIT TESTS
This is a valuable ciassification test in which an arbitrary procedure is used to determine the moisture contents at which a soil changes from a liquid through a plastic to a solid state and gives an indication of the clay quantities present in the soil. The results are used to assess soil properties, swelling and shrinkage potential, frost succeptability and earthwork suitability.

ARTICLE SIZE ANALYSIS (SEIVE & HYDROMETER)
In this test a riffled sample of soil is washed over a series of sieves and the percentages passing each sieve are determined and shown graphically on grading charts. This provides a method of determining the proportions of coarse, medium and fine silt and clay in a soil sample. The rate of fall of particles in water are proportional to their diameters, and their specific gravity. The time intervals are selected such that all particles of a specified size (eg silt size) have fallen past the sampling depth. The mass of suspended matter in the samples is determined by weighing and is used to determine the percentage of soil in the specimen which is finer than the specified size. In this way, the percentage of silt and clay fractions is calculated.

In this test a sample of 75 mm diameter and 20 mm thickness is subjected to a uniform load over its surface and the rate and amount of movement recorded. When movement has ceased, the load is increased and similar recordings are taken for a number of loads. The results are used in the estimation of magnitude and rate of settlement. Fine-grained soil is tested in long-term compression over two weeks to determine volume change behavior under load.

Over time, water pressure decreases and load is carried by the soil structure itself. When a saturated soil mass is subjected to an increase in load (such as a new building), it is carried initially by in creased pore water pressure. The resulting “excess hydro static pressure” causes water to drain from the soil pores, shifting the load to the soil structure.

The volume of the soil also decreases (equivalent to the volume of water drained) causing settlement. The process is known as consolidation. Three important soil properties found using a consolidation test are: The coefficient of consolidation, CV, obtained from deformation-time curve data and an equation. It indicates the rate of compression under a load increment. The pre consolidation stress, s’p, obtained graphically from a log stress-void ratio curve. It indicates the maximum past effective stress the soil has been subjected to. The compression index, Cc, also obtained graphically from the 1og stress-void ratio curve. It indicates the compressibility of the specimen

The objective of the unconfined compression test is to determine the UU (unconsolidated, undrained) strength of a cohesive soil in an inexpensive manner. Shear characteristics of the soil are obtained by the undrained triaxial test. In this test, 38 mm diameter or 100 mm diameter samples were tested in compression under a series of varied lateral pressures, and the angle of shearing resistance and apparent cohesion obtained

Fine-grained soil is tested in compression. Undisturbed specimens cut from tube samples and disturbed specimens are loaded in compression, recording load and deflection measurements. In this test a set of three 38 mm diameter samples are consolidated under the proposed cell pressure, with back pressure applied to ensure the samples are fully saturated.

In this test normal stress is applied to a soil sample 60 x 60 x20 mm in thickness and the sample is then sheared under a lateral stress. During the test the volume change occurring during shear, the peak shear stress, and the normal stress are obtained. Three tests are carried out, each under a different normal stress, and the failure envelope and shear strength parameters are determined.

This test is an indirect method to determine compressive strength of a sample. The point load strength index, Is (50) by using correlation UCS :20 X Is (50) to determine compressive strength. The sample can be categcrised based on the point load strength index.