Geotechnical interpretations using visual tactile methods

Every engineering project has a scope, timeframe and budget. The budget or scope for a geotechnical investigation is generally a fraction of the entire project’s budget. For small projects, due to limited time frames and budgets, the scope at each site can be limited to only one borehole with in situ testing and materials to be logged using visual tactile methods by a trained engineer/geologist. Using limited investigation data presents challenges to determine geotechnical design parameters and the engineering design of foundations. This paper presents a process for establishing geotechnical design parameters in the absence of laboratory testing for small projects such as telecommunication towers. Geotechnical design parameters are derived using established correlations and engineering experience.