toxxnoni:

Foreign Or Local Affairs You Must Understand This If You Don't Want Your building to fail due to unstable soil then This is an eye opener for you.

Let me share a little story
In the world of infrastructure (buildings, roads, bridges, etc) there is something called Geotechnincal investigation (Soil test), this soil test has a son called Pile foundation born in an unstable soil. Funny enough this soil test is the cheapest when it comes to constructions of buildings, roads, bridges etc but yet the most ignore.(which is bad, and it is the no.1 failure of your structure).
Before any structure is been lied on the surface of the earth this test needs to be done because it give birth to any information that needs to be known about the soil of your site and these help in make proper plan or decision on what to do in order to avoid future failure of the project due to the soil materials.

The soil is the most important yet most
neglected in a construction project. All
structures, buildings, roads, bridges, dams and
even life itself is based on the soil. The soil is
the natural foundation that supports all
structures and investment. Most clients see soil
investigation as a waste of fund despite being
the cheapest in the construction process, hardly
is the cost of soil test up to one percent of the
cost of construction. Some contractors too,
ignore the importance of proper soil investigation
and analysis and base their design on assumed
bearing capacity and rate of settlement.
Soil test helps to determine varying physical and
chemical characteristic of soil, which can vary
from place to place and from layer to layer even
within the limits of the proposed structure. Soil
characteristics can change considerably within a
small area. Weather, climatic changes, and site
management can in the future affect the bearing
qualities of the soil, if the foundation is not
designed properly to the bearing capacity of the
soil, then they will fail and so will the building.
This is as important as the entire project itself
that may cause long term complications and may
result to loss of life and property, endanger
residents, tenants and damage other neighboring
properties. The extent of exploration depends on
whether the area is built up or not and size of
the structure.
The soil investigation help to determine the
following:
1. Bearing capacity of the soil which determine
the load sustenance capability of the soil,
2. Rate of settlement of the soil which affect the
rate at which any structure placed on it settles,
3. To select a type and depth of foundation,
4. To select suitable construction technique ,
5. To predict and resolve probable foundation
problems,
6. To determine if the land can be subjected to
subsidence and cause sinking of the building,
7. To determine water table which affects
humidity within the foundation and greatly
affects the character of a soil which varies
considerably with water content, mineral or
chemical component of the soil that might affect
the choice of construction materials. For
example if the soil found to contain sulphur it
can attack our foundation, therefore sulphur
resisting cement must be used in the foundation
in such soil.
Whether you're working in peat, gravel, clay,
silt, sand, or loam soil, understanding the soil
properties of your site help you make good
construction decisions leading to success of the
project. The structural engineers can efficiently
and accurately design the structural elements
required based on the results of the soil test
analysis so that for long term viability and
soundness of the project. The result also helps
to determine whether there is need for soil
stabilization and the foundation depth to attain
the required bearing capacity.
All intending property owners or real estate
investors should note that for a small sum of
money you can protect, possibly the largest
investment of your life. Without soil investigation
buildings can collapse or rendered non functional
for intended purpose. Why risk the expense for
the cost of a soil test? Being aware of any
problems will enable you to determine future
costs and help you to make vital decisions about
the suitability of the land for building. The design
will match the site conditions, give you peace of
mind yet will reduce the risk of over design thus
saving you money.