If you’ve arranged for your very first geotechnical site investigation, then you may be wondering what the process involves. Many first time property developers may be under the misconception that all that’s required is a few easy-to-gather soil samples.
The reality is that there’s a lot more to the comprehensive soil testing Melbourne law requires. In some instances, your geotechnical engineering team may be required to drill a borehole to assess vital soil properties that will determine the type of foundation to be built.
Contents
Understanding Tight Access Drilling
When your soil testing requires comprehensive sampling, your engineering team will more than likely make use of a drilling rig. While this may make sense if you have a wide, open space for testing, you may be left wondering what they’re going to do in smaller, more compact spaces.
Fortunately, there’s a top-notch drilling technology available that is highly suited to small and large-scale infrastructure assessments. More commonly referred to as tight access drilling, this process involves using a mini crawler rig to access any part of the proposed building site to gather the necessary soil samples.
These machines are ideal for use in confined, narrow, or hard-to-reach sections and have become a vital aspect of any geotechnical survey. They can also easily be moved to your testing site and can be craned around where necessary.
Perfect Machine for All Types of Geotechnical Work
The geotechnical assessment process makes use of a wide range of gadgets and machinery to retrieve and assess soil samples. It’s essential to note that gathering these soil samples should be done from various depths to get an accurate assessment of the overall ground conditions you’re dealing with.
Comprehensive soil testing is essential to establish what type of foundation is required to create a strong and sturdy structure. With this in mind, our team of experts have compiled a list of the top reasons why you may see your geotechnical team using a mini crawler for your soil testing.
1. Mini Crawlers are Excellent for Tight Access Drilling
If you have a large, open piece of land to assess, it may be easy for your team to use regular-sized machines and equipment to perform all the necessary tests. However, if you’re dealing with narrow spaces or there are overhead obstructions, then you’ll need a machine to match.
Since mini crawler rigs only require a few meters for clearance access, they are simple and effective to use in spaces where you’re dealing with power cables or tree branches. A smaller, more compact machine can easily reach into areas that don’t offer much vertical space. There’s no need to spend extensive time and effort clearing obstacles and obstructions.
2. Perfect for working in Narrow Spaces
Working in a big open space is the ideal situation, but it isn’t always possible. In areas where you want to build next to steep slopes, or between other structures, your team may have limited space to manoeuvre for borehole digging. Luckily, mini crawlers boast a slim design that means the rig can be set up in the smallest spaces.
If testing needs to be performed in a tight space, it may be challenging to get the rig set up in the first place. Fortunately, mini crawler rigs can easily be lifted into space using a mobile crane. Once in position, the rig can easily perform all the extensive soil testing needed to assess the soil conditions for your future build. This option allows for easy testing in spaces such as hills, impassible walls, and ledges.
3. There’s a Significantly Less Environmental Impact
When planning your new build, you may be looking for ways to preserve the natural environment as much as possible. Building in environmentally friendly spaces such as swamps, wetlands, forested areas, and bushland will see you dealing with uneven ground that may be prone to dampness and breaking up as heavy machinery moves across it.
Mini crawler rigs have been designed to be much lighter than many other pieces of digging equipment. This means that these machines will create very minimal ground pressure. There also won’t be any damage in spaces where tunnelling and ruts are required.
This will assure you that testing is done as safely and as eco-friendly as possible. Being able to assess all aspects of your building site will also enable your engineering team to review how existing environmental factors may potentially affect your foundation and the longevity of your structures. Using the right machinery is an essential aspect of this process.
Final Thoughts
Tight access drilling is made significantly easier when your geotechnical team uses nifty machinery such as the mini crawler rig. Not only are these machines ideal for accessing small, narrow, or even tight spaces, but they are also ideal for working in spaces where there are overhead challenges. A lightweight design also ensures that there’s as little damage to the environment as possible. It’s an effective way to get your new build off to a good start.
