Ten tests, one site: a sequenced approach linking ground data and pile testing
Geointec has just finished the geotechnical investigation and pull out testing for a 200 MW solar farm in the Isaac Region, Central Queensland, Australia. The campaign combined a full programme of ground characterization with pile pull out tests, so that the data collected in the field informed each decision on site.
A full ground investigation programme
The program covered:
- Trial pits and in-situ strength tests
- Boreholes with SPT
- Plate lead tests
- Panda2 DPT
- Infiltration tests
- Electrical and thermal resistivity
- MASW seismic testing
- Pile pull out testing
Together, these tests provide a complete picture of the ground conditions at the site.
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Sequencing: the real value of the campaign
The real value of this geotechnical investigation and pull out testing programme was in the sequencing. The pull out testing was run back-to-back with the geotechnical works instead of as a separate campaign later, so ground date fed straight into the pile testing. This approach meant that:
- Test location could be adjusted in real time as the soil and rock profile became clear.
- Locations and embedment depths could be changed on the day
- Every pile test went where it would add the most information, not just where a grid said to put it.
In practice, this means pile testing is based on the ground conditions actually encountered, rather than on assumptions made before fieldwork began.
Planning a geotechnical investigation for your project? Contact with our regional experts📩📲
- Australia & APAC : John Byers
- Iberian Peninsula & LATAM : Daniel Jiménez
- UK and Ireland : Francisco Parra
- France & Europe : Marko Isailovic
