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Geotechnical Investigations

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Geotechnical Ground Investigation
Onshore and Offshore

Mechanical Boreholes

Geocontrole owns a comprehensive set of drilling equipment, with several characteristics, using drilling methodologies appropriate to each kind of intervention.

  • Rotary drilling with continuous coring recovery.
  • Rotary auger drilling with hollow stem augers.
  • Wireline coring system (NQ to PQ diameters).
  • Destructive drilling with down the hole hammer or hydraulic hammer.

For geotechnical ground characterization, in situ tests are carried out, in the course of drilling operations.

  • Standard Penetration Tests (SPT).
  • Menard Pressuremeter Tests.
  • Marchetti Flat Dilatometer.
  • Shear Vane Test (field vane tests).
  • Instantaneous Diagraphy.

To perform geotechnical investigations in aquatic environment, Geocontrole has several support equipment (floating platforms, pontoons and jack-up barge) to carry out jobs in fluvial environments and in nearshore areas.

 
Undisturbed Sampling 

  • Shelby Tube samplers.
  • Proctor-Moran samplers.
  • Triplex & Thick-walled samplers.
  • MOSTAP Soil Sampler.

 
Hydrogeological Testing

  • LeFranc Test.
  • Lugeon Test.

 
Penetrometer Tests

  • Dynamic Penetrometers – Light Weight, Heavy Weight and Super-Heavy Weight.
  • Cone Penetration Testing – CPT/CPTu. Option measurement Seismic Shear Waves (SCPTu).
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Geotechnical Consultancy
and Design

Based on geotechnical characterization and ground investigation results, we provide geotechnical consultancy services in different sectors of civil and environmental engineering.

 

Transport Infrastructures

  • Roads and Highways.
  • Railways.
  • Bridges and Viaducts.
  • Airports.
  • Underground system.
  • Maritime Ports.

 

Reservoirs and Dams

  • Concrete Dams, Embankment Dams (Earthfill and Rockfill dams).
  • Surface and Underground Reservoirs.
  • Water Tunnels.

 

Geotechnical Structures

  • Tunnels and underground works.
  • Earth Structures.
  • Special Foundations.
  • Slope Stabilization.
  • Retaining Walls.

 
Environment

  • Soil and Groundwater Contamination Assessments.
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Soil and Rock
Mechanics Laboratory

Geocontrole is equipped with a Soil and Rock Mechanics, Water and Building Material Laboratory, since its founding in 1975, this constituted one of the basic pillars of its development.

The Laboratory’s gradually growing two-way relationship with the market has been achieved through sustained growth, the result of a future-oriented strategy and an investment policy which, although careful, has always reacted significantly to market competitive forces.

A strong response of Geocontrole to engineering design meant that laboratory gave primacy to soil testing. Over the last years, the suitability of national normative to european standards has shown greater development in the components of synthesized materials.

The need for an adequate response to new demands for transport infrastructures, roads and railways, with emphasis on the design of platforms for high-speed trains, lead to a rehabilitation in the Laboratory’s strategy.

  • Soils.
  • Soil-Cement.
  • Rocks.
  • Aggregates.
  • Water.
  • Mortars and Concrete.
  • Bituminous Mixtures.
  • Dynamic Tests.

 

List of main tests Geocontrole carries out in its laboratories:

SOILS

  • Determination of volume mass (bulk density).
  • Determination of water content.
  • Determination of organic matter content.
  • Ph determination.
  • Soil Particle Density.
  • Atterberg Limits.
  • Sulfate, chloride and carbonate contents.
  • Methylene blue test (stain test).
  • Particle Size Analysis by sieving and sedimentation.
  • Sand equivalent.
  • Coefficient of friability of sands.
  • Compaction tests.    

CBR

  • Free Expandability in oedometer. 
  • Expansion potential in oedometer.
  • Collapse index.
  • Permeability in permeameter or triaxial chamber.
  • One-dimensional consolidation.
  • Uniaxial compressive strength.
  • Triaxial Tests UU; CU and CD.                                             
  • Direct Shear tests UU; CU and CD. 

ROCKS

  • Bulk density and water absorption.
  • Volume mass: real, apparent, porosity and water absorption with vacuum saturation.
  • Fracture stress in uniaxial compression and modulus of elasticity.
  • Diametral compression (Brazilian test).
  • Point load test, PLT.
  • Marsal and Resendiz Crushing Strength Test.
  • Degradability and fragmentability coefficients.
  • Slake Test.                     
  • LOS ANGELES Abrasion test.
  • Micro-Deval coefficient.

AGGREGATES AND INERT

  • Dry Density and void volume.
  • Particle Size Analysis.
  • Methylene blue test.
  • Sand equivalent.
  • Bulk density of sands.
  • Bulk density and water absorption.
  • Surface and total water content.
  • Volumetric index.
  • Crush resistance test.
  • Fine particle content and soluble materials.
  • Shell content, partly damaged particles and completely broken particles content.
  • Lamellarity and elongated indexes.
  • LOS ANGELES Abrasion test.
  • Micro-Deval coefficient.
  • Determination of chloride content.

WATERS

  • Determination of alkalinity.
  • Ph determination.
  • Determination of chloride, sulfate and magnesium contents.

BITUMINOUS MIXTURES

  • Determination of bitumen content.
  • Particle size analysis.
  • Marshall compression: density, fracture force and deformation.
  • Determination of apparent density.
  • Determination of theoretical maximum density.
  • Determination of adhesivity.