The determination of the physical and chemical characteristics of a site is a key step in any mining, civil construction or infrastructure project. The suitability of the soils for their prospective use and what steps may be required to bring them up to the required standard must be defined before design, budgeting or construction can begin. In many cases there will be legislative requirements that must be satisfied before permits can be obtained or transfer of title can take place.

Since 1994, Construction Sciences has been performing soil assessments throughout Australia. They take pride in not only helping their clients maintain regulatory compliance but aiding them in foreseeing any future risk or issues that could arise, and advising them on potential engineering solutions that might be available.

More than just a NATA-certified lab, Construction Sciences is an Environmental, Construction and Geotechnical consulting firm. Their soil testing protocols meet or exceed all Australian Governmental regulatory requirements and they have a sterling reputation for providing quality services, data security and innovative engineering solutions.

The Australian Soil Classification is a general-purpose hierarchical system that categorizes various soil types according to their “morphological, physical, chemical and mineralogical properties and their biological characteristics”, (Birkeland 1984).

In practical terms when soil has been fully classified all of its pertinent characteristics are defined. Construction Sciences’ geo techs have a wealth of experience classifying soils from every region of Australia. Their technical capabilities backed by practical experience gives them not only the ability to properly classify soil types but determine their suitability for your proposed project.

Compaction is the densification process where the particles are packed closer together and thereby air voids are reduced. Compacted soil suffers less deformation when loads are applied and thus has a higher soil bearing capacity.

The Building Code of Australia (BCA) mandates 50kPa capacity under-slab footings and 100kPa for underpad and strip footing systems at a minimum for 1-2 story structures with higher requirements for construction of greater complexity. Some soils that are sandy or wet have difficulty meeting these standards without expensive remediation being required. Meeting this requirement must be verified in a geotechnical or soil report.

Permeability is the soil’s ability to allow water to pass through it. Over the majority of Australia, local authorities require a soil permeability study to be performed and results are included as part of the ‘soils report’ on any unsewered land.

A soil penetration test is an indirect way to determine the strength of the soil not only at the surface but in the strata below the surface. High-strength soils are generally more stable and resistant to deformation, or shear failure. Assessing the strength of the soil is a necessary step that must be taken before a proper footing design can be established.

Soils can move with changes in moisture content. They can swell and contract. A soil’s tendency to change or move with changes in moisture is termed its reactivity. Some soils such as soft clay or silt may be so reactive they are unsuitable for construction. Even in seemingly stable soil, its reactivity must be taken into account if the footings for a foundation are to be properly designed and structural damage avoided in the future.

Soil stabilisation is any process that is used to take native soil and transform it into a form suitable for a particular engineering purpose. It can involve using mechanical, physical, chemical, (or combined) methods. Commonly, the goal is to increase the bearing capacity, tensile strength, permeability, or stability of the in-situ materials.

Construction Sciences technicians are experts in soil testing and geotechnical consultancy, who can perform all of the tests and provide the needed reports that are required by regulatory authorities. Construction Sciences is a complete engineering consulting laboratory, able to leverage off its considerable experience to help you identify and mitigate potential problems before they occur.