Ground
Ground investigation and monitoring
Most ground problems show in one place and start in another. We survey the ground before we treat it, to find the wet, soft or hollow zones that explain what is happening at the surface, and survey it again afterwards to measure the change.
When to call us
The signs
- Settlement with no obvious cause.
- Planning a grouting or stabilisation job.
- Proving the result of a treatment to an owner.
- Watching an active slope or a structure that is moving.
- 1Note 1: ERT electrodes map wet, low-resistivity ground.
- 2Note 2: MASW geophones and a hammer source map shear-wave velocity: how stiff the ground is.
- 3Note 3: GPR finds voids and layer changes close to the surface.
- 4Note 4: The weak, wet zone under the track shows up in both surveys.
- 5Note 5: Boreholes and laboratory tests confirm what the surveys show.
- 6Note 6: Piezometers and inclinometers watch water pressure and movement.
- 7Note 7: The survey is repeated after treatment to measure the change.
How we do it
Method, step by step
ERT
Electrical resistivity tomography maps wet, low-resistivity ground and water paths.
MASW
Multichannel analysis of surface waves maps shear-wave velocity, a direct measure of stiffness.
GPR
Ground-penetrating radar finds voids and layer changes near the surface.
Boreholes and laboratory tests
Confirm what the surveys show and give design values.
Monitoring
Piezometers, inclinometers and movement monitoring.
Repeat after treatment
The same survey repeated to measure the change.
What we use
Instruments, not grout
Surveys are carried out with our own engineers and instruments, before and after treatment.
Quality
Checks and proof
- Survey lines and depths set for the question being asked.
- The same lines repeated after treatment, for a like-for-like comparison.
Questions
What clients ask
Why survey after the treatment as well as before?
Because grout take tells you what went into the ground, not what changed. On T-46 P2 a second MASW survey after grouting confirmed the gain in ground stiffness.
Which survey do I need?
It depends on the question: ERT for water, MASW for stiffness, GPR for voids near the surface. Two are often combined. On T-46 P2, MASW showed low-stiffness zones exactly where the settlement was greatest.
Related services
Often used together
Track and slab re-levelling
Settled ballastless track and slabs lifted back to level by PU injection, on live lines.
Slope stabilisation
Soil nails, anchors, mesh, drainage and rockfall barriers for slopes above roads, railways and towns.
Permeation and chemical grouting
Weak, loose or wet ground strengthened and sealed by resins and gels that fill it without moving it.
Seeing this on your site?
Send us what you see, where, and the access or traffic window. An engineer reviews it and replies with the next step.