The soil exploration report is also known as the soil investigation report or geotechnical investigation report.
Soil investigations are done to examine the condition of the ground before the construction of the foundation. It is very important to predict the soil bearing capacity, rock bearing capacity, skin friction, types of soil, etc. for designing the foundations.
Doing the construction without adequate information could lead to failure of foundations, excessive settlement of structure, uneven settlements, consolidations settlements, etc.
Therefore, before the construction, it is advisable to carry out soil exploration to get a soil exploration report.
The following information is included in the soil investigation report.
Soil Investigation Report
- Scope of the investigation report
- Description of the soil investigation work and purpose of investigation
- Site location, sub surface condition, especial feature of the land, etc.
- Soil investigation information such as type of investigation, method of investigation, number of boreholes, etc.
- General description of the site based on the soil investigation data.
- Ground water table information
- Arsement of the investigation data and any relevant data to be considered for the recommendation.
- Foundation recommendation, type of foundation, special recommendation on ground improvements if required, alternatives for foundation design, etc.
- Areas to pay special attention during the design and construction
- Annexures of soil investigation data such as borehole logs, test reports, etc.
In addition, the following information shall be included to the report.
- Site location map
- Borehole location plan indicated in a drawing with dimensions
- Borehole logs
- Laboratory test reports
- Othe information relevant to the investigation
The designer shall not solely rely on the soil exploration report. He shall use his experience and judgement to make sure the interpretation and borehole log data are reasonably accurate.
Since the soil investigations are done by a third party and design are done by yourself, it is your responsibility on the foundation design. Therefore, soil investigation data could be used with much care.
