MACKINTOSH PROBE TEST

GENERAL
One of the most common types of probing is Mackintosh Probe. The purpose of Mackintosh
Probe is to determine bearing capacity of the soil to withstand the loading. The Mackintosh
prospecting tool consists of rods which can be threaded together with barrel connectors and
which are normally fitted with a driving point at their base, and a light hand-operated driving
hammer at their top. The tool provides a very economical method of determining the thickness of
soft deposits such as peat. The driving point is streamlined in longitudinal section with diameter
of 25mm. The drive hammer has a total weight of about 4.5kg. The rods are 1.2m long and
13mm diameter. The device is often used to provide a depth profile by driving the point and rods
into the ground with equal blows of the full drop height available from the hammer: the number
of blows for each 0.3m of penetration is recorded. When small pockets of stiff clay are to be
penetrated, an auger or a core tube can be substituted for the driving point. The rods can be
rotated clockwise at ground level using a box spanner. Tools can be pushed into or pulled out of
the soil using a lifting/driving tool. Because of the light hammer weight the Mackintosh Probe is
limited in the depths and materials it can penetrate.

OBJECTIVE
Mackintosh Probe test is carried out to determine the bearing capacity of soil. The result obtained
from the test provides a rough estimation of the soil layer at a point.
 APPARATUS :

- Extension / Boring rod - Wrench

- Rod coupling
- Diving Head - Drop Hammer

- Chalk - Ruler
WORK PROCEDURE

1) Mark with each of the road with distance of 0.3m.

2) Join driving head at the end of boring rod.

3) Join drop hammer above of boring rod.

4) Place the rod at land and make sure that the rod is straight.

5) Raise and release 5kg drop hammer with specified height.

6) Record the number of blow every penetration of 0.3m. This test will end
as if :
i ) Had achieve its maximum blow
ii) Had achieve penetration of 12m
DATA AND RESULT

Depth(m) No. of blow/0.3mCumulative no. of

blow
Group 1 Group 2 Group 1 Group 2
0.0-0.3 82 67 82 67
0.3-0.6 59 76 141 143
0.6-0.9 51 68 192 211
0.9-1.2 65 90 257 301
1.2-1.5 127 89 384 390
1.5-1.8 93 155 477 545
1.8-2.1 136 176 613 721
2.1-2.4 132 47 745 768
2.4-2.7 141 65 886 833
2.7-3.0 82 200 968 1033
3.0-3.3 63 1031
3.3-3.6 110 1141
3.6-3.9 134 1275
3.9-4.2 62 1337
4.2-4.5 39 1376
4.5-4.8 50 1426
4.8-5.1 60 1486
5.1-5.4 45 1531
5.4-5.7 100 1631
5.7-6.0 30 1661

Discussion:

1. Calculate number of blow/0.3m:

Number of blow= Total of blow from A to B/Total of interval from A to B

For group 1

Number of blow=1661/20

=83.5

For group 2

Number of blow=1033/10

=103.3

2. Determine the value of bearing capacity by referring to the graph of standard

bearing capacity versus number of blow/0.3m (APPENDIX).
 CONCLUSION
Mackintosh Probe test is carried out to determine the bearing capacity of soil. The result obtained
from the test provides a rough estimation of the soil layer at a point. As for the test that our did,
there are a part when it has harder soil but the deeper we did the test (hammering the rod) the result
(soil) become smoother. The best of our result (harder soil) is at 1.8m to 2.7m depth. Referring to
the graph, the value of bearing capacity was determined. The main objective of our test is achieved.