CHAPTER 4 PROJECT SUBMISSION STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS

SECTION 4.4 FIELD INVESTIGATIONS AND EXISTING CONDITIONS

SUBSECTION 4.4.2 GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION

2) Geotechnical Investigation for Seismic Design

SBC 301 Sections and 303 provides guidance with respect to the
geotechnical investigation and assessment for seismic design

3) Earthquake Hazard Assessment

For buildings with Seismic Design Categories C and D, the geotechnical
investigation shall address the following potential earthquake hazards:

(a) Slope Instability

(b) Liquefaction
(c) Lateral Spreading
(d) Surface Rupture
4) Seismic Lateral Earth Pressure
For retaining walls assigned to Seismic Design Categories C and D, the
combined static and seismic active earth pressure shall be calculated
using the method outlined in Section 7.2.6 of SBC 303. This design
approach is commonly known as the Mononobe-Okabe method.

6. Codes
a. Refer to Chapter 3 Codes and Standards for a list of applicable Codes.
7. Standards
a. All geotechnical investigations shall conform to the applicable industry Codes,
Standards and Associations.
b. The latest revision of the referred Codes and Standards shall be used whenever
applicable. In case of conflict, the A/E shall propose equipment or methods
conforming to one group of Standards.
1) ASTM D 1143: Standard Test Method for Piles under Static Axial
Compressive Load. American Association for Testing and Materials,
West Conshohocken, PA.
2) ASTM D 1194: Standard Test Method for Bearing Capacity of Soil for
Static Load and Spread Footings (ASTM D 1194). American Association
for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
3) ASTM D 4750: Standard Test Method for Determining Subsurface Liquid
Levels in a Borehole or Monitoring Well (Observation Well). American
Association for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
4) ASTM D 5092: Standard Practice for Design and Installation of Ground
Water Monitoring Wells in Aquifers. American Association for Testing
and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
5) ASTM Environmental Sampling, 2nd Ed., ASTM Standards, Committee
D-18 on Soil and Rock, American Society for Testing & Materials, West
Conshohocken, PA.
6) ASTM Environmental Site Characterization, ASTM Standards,
Committees D-18 on Soil & Rock, D-19 on Water, D-34 on Waste
Management, E-47 on Biological Effects and Environmental Fate, and E-

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50 on Environmental Assessment, American Society on Testing &

Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
7) ASTM D 420: Standard Guide to Site Characterization for Engineering
Design and Construction Purposes. American Association for Testing
and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
8) ASTM D 3441: Standard Test Method for Mechanical Cone Penetration
Tests of Soil. American Society for Testing and Materials, West
Conshohocken, PA.
9) ASTM D 4700: Standard Guide for Soil Sampling from the Vadose Zone.
American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
10) ASTM D 4719: Standard Test Methods for Prebored Pressuremeter
Testing in Soils. American Society for Testing and Materials, West
Conshohocken, PA.
11) ASTM D 6635: Standard Test Method for Performing the Flat Plate
Dilatometer. American Society for Testing and Materials, West
Conshohocken, PA.
12) ASTM D 2573: Standard Test Method for Field Vane Shear Test in
Cohesive Soil. American Society for Testing and Materials, West
Conshohocken, PA.
13) ASTM D 6151: Standard Practice for Using Hollow-Stem Augers for
Geotechnical Exploration and Soil Sampling, American Society for
Testing and Materials. West Conshohocken, PA.
14) ASTM D 1452: Standard Practice for Soil Exploration and Sampling by
Auger Borings. American Society for Testing and Materials, West
Conshohocken, PA.
15) ASTM D 2488: Standard Practice for Description and Identification of
Soils (Visual-Manual Procedure). American Society for Testing and
Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
16) ASTM D 6907: Standard Practice for Sampling Soils and Contaminated
Media with Hand-Operated Bucket Augers. American Society for Testing
and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
17) ASTM D 1586: Standard Test Method for Standard Penetration Test
(SPT) and Split-Barrel Sampling of Soils. American Society for Testing
and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
18) ASTM D 2487: Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for
Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System). American
Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
19) ASTM D 1587: Standard Practice for Thin-Walled Tube Sampling of
Soils for Geotechnical Purposes. American Society for Testing and
Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
20) ASTM D 5778: Standard Test Method for Electronic Friction Cone and
Piezocone Penetration Testing of Soils. American Society for Testing
and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
21) ASTM D 5783: Standard Guide for Use of Direct Rotary Drilling with
Water-Based Drilling Fluid for Geoenvironmental Exploration and the

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Installation of Subsurface Water-Quality Monitoring Devices. American

Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
22) ASTM D 6282M: Standard Guide for Direct Push Soil Sampling for
Environmental Site Characterizations. American Society for Testing and
Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
23) ASTM D 7383: Standard Test Methods for Axial Compressive Force
Pulse (Rapid) Testing of Deep Foundations. American Society for
Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA.
8. References
a. Aas, G., Lacasse, S., Lunne, I., and Hoeg, K. (1986). Use of In Situ Tests for
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Engineers, pp 1-30.
b. Al-Refeai, T. and Al-Ghamdy, D. (1994). Geological and geotechnical aspects
of Saudi Arabia. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, vol. 12: 253-276.
c. Amin, A. and Bankher, K. (2004). Geotechnical Aspects of Loess in in Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia. JKAU: Earth Sciences, vol. 15, pp. 163-179.
d. Baguelin, F., Jezequel, J.F., and Shields, D.H. (1978). The Pressuremeter and
Foundation Engineering. Trans Tech Publication, Switzerland.
e. Bjerrum, L. (1972). Embankments on Soft Ground, Proceedings of the ASCE
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University, Volume 2, pp 1-54.
f. Bjerrum, L. (1973). Problem of Soil Mechanics and Construction on Soft Clays.
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g. Briaud, J.L. (1989). The pressuremeter test for highway applications. Report
FHWA-IP-89-008, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C., 148p.
h. CAPP. 2004. Planning Horizontal Directional Drilling for Pipeline Construction.
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
i. Clarke, B.G. (1995). Pressuremeters in Geotechnical Design. International
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j. Dafalla, M.A. and Shamrani, M.A. (2012). Expansive Soil Properties in a Semi-
Arid Region. Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences 4 (11):
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k. Decourt, L. (1989). The Standard Penetration Test State-of-the-Art Report.
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l. Douglas, B.J. and Olsen, R.S. (1981). Soil Classification using Electric Cone
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m. Driscoll, F.G. (1986). Groundwater and Wells, 2nd ed., Johnson Filtration
Systems, St. Paul, MN.
n. Durgunoglu, H.T. and Mitchell, J.K. (1975). Static Penetration resistance of
Soils, Evaluation of Theory and Implication for Practice. Proceedings of the In-
situ Measurement of Soil properties, Raleigh, NC, ASCE, New York.

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o. Dunnicliff, J. (1993). Geotechnical Instrumentation for Monitoring Field

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Foundation Engineering. Publication No. FHWA HI-97-021, Authors: A. Arman,
N. Samtani, R. Castelli, and G. Munfakh. Federal Highway Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
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NHI-01-031. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of
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Properties. Report No. FHWA IF 02 034. Federal Highway Administration, U.S.
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Characterization. Publication No. FHWA NHI-01-031, Federal Highway
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Report No. FHWA NHI 06 089. Federal Highway Administration, U.S.
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ee. Leroueil, S. (2001). 39th Rankine Lecture – Natural Slopes and Cuts, Movement
and Failure Mechanisms. Geotechnique, Volume 51, No. 3, pp 197-243.
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and recent developments in in-situ testing – Part 1: All tests except SPT.
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dilatometer test. ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal, Vol. 9 (2), 93-101.
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Ground during Earthquakes. ASCE Journal, Geotechnical Engineering Division,
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