Subsurface Investigation—Integrated and Modern Approach

Abstract

Subsurface exploration is an indispensable component of any project and requires understanding of the engineering and geologic properties of the soil and rock strata and groundwater conditions that could be useful for the new design project and evaluate performance of the existing project for the retrofitting. Conventional way of drilling borehole, logging subsurface layer information with Standard Penetration Test N values measurement, and arriving at soil properties through laboratory experiments are useful for simple project up to some extent, but may not be always effective for subsurface investigation for unusual cases. This article presents problem associated with conventional practice of surface exploration in unusual cases in a modern geotechnical world. It also explains the integrated and modern approach that has been adopted to estimate required properties for the design and performance assessment by using advanced subsurface exploration methods available at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.