Geotechnical boring with hollow steam augers is less accurate, less efficient, and more expensive than Cone Penetration Testing (CPT)
If you want a dependable way for site testing that reduces your risk and makes your projects successful, you need to look at cone penetration testing equipment rather than a hollow stem auger.
When selecting a method for subsurface investigation and testing, you are presented with different options.
There are many options to consider, from the Standard Penetration Test (SPT), a Geotechnical Soil Boring to Cone Penetration Testing (CPT). Each provides certain advantages over the other. Today we’re going to compare Geotechnical boring to CPT.
Geotechnical boring is a method of drilling which is performed for site investigation. Geotechnical boring drilling technique is most commonly used to obtain information on soil and rock’s physical properties under a foundation.
Geotechnical boring information helps determine the foundation’s depth, ensure the site is safe, and determines if structural compensations will be needed.
This also ensures that the foundation, caissons, and various supports are built in the right place.
Hollow Stem Augers
One type of geotechnical boring using a hollow stem auger is the Standard Penetration Test.
As its name suggests, a hollow stem auger is a drilling tool that enables you to capture soil samples in the drill’s hollow portion to retrieve the surface.
One advantage of this approach is that you have actual soil samples you are working with. Identifying the presence, location, and depth of specific types of contaminants can be useful.
Cone Penetration Testing
Though geotechnical boring seems like a reliable option for site subsurface investigation, geotechnical boring doesn’t provide the accuracy and efficiency that Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) can offer.
Geotechnical Boring has the advantage that it uses many of the skills of conventional well drilling. Because the Boring operations and technical analysis, such as laboratory tests, are separate, Geotechnical boring can require less skilled operators on-site than CPT.
However, a price is paid in efficiency as often the site samples are sent to a separate lab for testing. This costs additional time and money while increasing earthen waste.
Though both Geotechnical Boring and CPT provide suitable options for obtaining useful information, there are many more benefits to using CPT over geotechnical drilling.
CPT is not only a cost-effective option, but it also provides immediate electronic data for review.
You’ll find that as you embark on CPT, that your customers value the immediacy of the results, you can provide them, as well as your ability to sample more locations more quickly than Geotechnical boring rigs can, often at an increase of 3 : 1.
Not only is CPT a better option for proficiency, but it’s usually a lower-cost solution while delivering more data.
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General FAQs
What is geotechnical boring?
Geotechnical investigations are performed to learn about the physical properties of the rocks and soil near locations considered for construction in various situations.
What are boring geotechnical rigs?
Vertek’s S4 Push rig helps you extracting underground data to determine soil parameters to provide foundation requirements efficiently.
Who sells cone penetration testing rigs?
For more than 40 years, Vertek has provided world-class Cone Penetration Testing tools for geotechnical and environmental industries.
What is geotechnical testing?
Geotechnical testing is performed by geotechnical engineers, geotechnical technicians, or engineering geologists to understand the characteristics, such as the physical properties that exist underneath a work site.
CPT platforms designed for Cone Penetration Testing.
Vertek CPT has one goal. To make your business a success.