The Differences Between Soil Investigation and Geotechnical Drilling

Meta Description: It is important to not confuse geotech drilling with other

drilling jobs, especially soil testing, as they are two different concepts.
Amongst the wide array of drilling services offered by different contractors,
one of the most popular is geotech drilling. There are many applications
wherein such will be needed. However, it should be also kept in mind that
not all drilling services are the same. Geotechnical drilling, for instance, is
different from soil investigative drilling. They may require different
approaches and techniques, and most importantly, the end results
anticipated will also be different. In the rest of this article, you will learn more
about their specific applications to have an understanding of how the two
differ from each other.
What is Investigative Soil Drilling?
In the simplest form, investigative soil drilling is all about the examination of
the physical and chemical properties of a soil. A sample is drilled within a
specified depth and it is studied in a laboratory setting in order to specify its
properties. This is geared towards being able to determine what is in the soil
and how it can possibly change as a result of the construction or external
factors, which is commonly performed by geologists and engineers.
In the case of soil testing, the sampling method is used, which requires the
need to mix soil samples from different levels for a more comprehensive
understanding of its properties. Some of the properties being looked upon
include the moisture content texture of the soil, and the level of the
contaminants present in such.
If the sampling job is not going to be too demanding, the drilling contractor
can just make use of a backhoe or hand auger. On the other hand, if the
samples need to be extracted deeper on the ground, there is a need to use
an auger or other advanced machineries with the capability to penetrate
deeper on the ground to get hold of the sample needed.
What is Geotechnical Drilling?
On the other hand, geotech drilling is needed to be able to determine the
structure of the soil, which will require deeper borings. In this kind of drilling
job, the geotechnical drilling contractor would need to make a bore hole,
while making sure that there are no significant disturbances made on the
soil.
More often than not, this kind of drilling activity is required in the
construction of buildings and in being able to find the depth of groundwater.

In the past, most of the clients requiring this kind of service needs the result
into order to determine soil bearing pressure, position of groundwater table,
characteristics of soil layers, and the active soil load, among other things.
Some of the most common techniques employed to achieve its purpose
include piston samplers and long split spoon.
Choosing Which One Is The Best
It is impossible for me to give you an upfront recommendation on which one
is going to be the best. There are different factors that should be taken into
consideration, such as the extent of the job and the purpose of such. At the
end of the day, the only thing I can recommend is to work with trusted
geotechnical drilling companies. They have the expertise needed to
determine which type of drilling is going to be more appropriate for your
objective.