THE IMPORTANT OF SOIL TESTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Introduction
Soil testing is a very important phenomenon in Civil Engineering Construction. Soil testing is the process of collecting information and evaluating the conditions of the soil for the purpose of designing and constructing the foundation for a structure, such as building, plant or bridge. Soil testing in thick subsurface layer of soil that remains below freezing point throughout the year (permafrost) regions is more complex than in southern temperate climate regions because; potential presence of ice within the soil or rock whose properties are temperature and the salt content in the soil (salinity), climate change is warming the ground and thawing the permafrost and the presence of saline soils in coastal areas.
The importance of proper selection and investigation of soil and routes in permafrost areas cannot be overemphasized. an examination of all or part of an area accomplished in sufficient detail to make generalizations about the types and distributions of historic properties that may be present (Reconnaissance survey) and detailed soil and route studies must be made, and environmental considerations and the availability of construction materials must be taken into account. Increased costs of construction, operation and maintenance, as well as unsatisfactory performance of engineering structures, inevitably result when there is a lack of information on conditions and other terrain factors. In the time since the above observation was made, the impact of climate warming on the stability of permafrost has been identified and has to be addressed in a geotechnical site investigation reports. Climate warming includes the ground temperature changes that may occur over the service life of the proposed structure, and foundation design has to be suitable for the final year of the structure. The impact of climate warming on total soil structures founded on permafrost has to be considered.
Soil is one of the most important natural resources and performs many important functions for construction, animals and humans. Civil engineering construction can have an adverse effect on soil and so its impacts need careful consideration as part of the development process.
A soil test is a detailed study of the characteristics of soil within an area. A soil test will:
- Classify the soil according to a standard classification system.
- Record the boundaries of soils on a map.
- Provide predictions about how soils will behave.
Soil test can help inform the appropriate use of land, inform development proposals and predict the impacts of land use on the environment
