Photo By Michael Ariola | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District’s geotechnical drill team began...... read more read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District drill team recently began conducting penetration tests at Hunter Army Airfield, to obtain soil samples.
The soil samples will provide critical data for future construction projects on the installation.
“Today we are performing geotechnical investigations,” said Jack Kulaga, a geologist with the District’s Geotechnical and Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Branch of Engineering Division.
“We are drilling into the soil, conducting standard penetration tests to determine the soil competence.”
In the context of construction, soil competence refers the ability of the soil to support structures. The results of the SPT are used in geotechnical engineering to design foundations and other structures, ensuring they can safely support the intended loads.
“It is critical for engineers to understand what is underneath the ground when designing buildings and infrastructure,” said Kulaga.
The team conducted the testing using a Geoprobe drilling rig. The rig penetrates the ground with an auger creating a borehole to a specific depth, depending on how deep the soil needs to be evaluated. Then a tool called a split-barrel sampler is lowered into the hole to collect a core of the soil.
"We are conducting 24 borings total at multiple sites on the installation, drilling to depths of 10, 25, and 50 feet below the surface," said Kulaga. " The depth of the borings is determined by the estimated weight of the structure intended to be built on the surface. For lighter structures, like a parking lot, we drill to 10 feet, while heavier buildings require drilling to 50 feet."
As the team obtains samples in the field, they describe them based off characteristics they can observe, explained Kulaga. An engineer then selects several of the samples to be sent to a laboratory for quality control testing to ensure the team has described them correctly.
The samples are sent for laboratory testing at the USACE Savannah District Environmental and Materials Unit in Marietta, Georgia. The laboratory can determine soil properties such as strength, liquidity, plasticity, and permeability.
The Savannah District provides geotechnical investigation expertise for other districts and various state and federal agencies throughout the nation.
“Our district is one of only several districts to have a drill team and is unique within USACE for its ability to deploy up to four drill crews simultaneously,” explained Kulaga. “The Savannah District is also the only district to have a sonic drill rig.”
The sonic drill rig provides increased capability to penetrate through all soil types and most rock. It causes minimal disturbance to drilling areas, reduces investigation-derived waste, and provides increased speed and maneuverability in challenging terrain and difficult subsurface conditions where traditional rotary drilling proves less effective.
| Date Taken: | 03.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.06.2025 00:02 |
| Story ID: | 494667 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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