Many engineering projects, especially major ones, entail excavations into water-bearing soils. For all such excavations, appropriate system(s) for the management and control of the groundwater and surface water run-off should be planned before the start of each project. In practice, this can only be done with knowledge of the ground and groundwater conditions likely to be encountered by reference to site investigation data. The control of groundwater (and also surface water run-off) is invariably categorized as ‘temporary works’ and so is often regarded by the client and their engineer or architect as the sole responsibility of the contractor and of little or no concern to them. In many instances, this philosophy has been demonstrated to be short-sighted and ultimately costly to the client <...>

The purpose of this guide is to provide a concise resource for the application of the CPT to geotechnical engineering practice. This guide is a supplement and update to the book ‘CPT in Geotechnical Practice’ by Lunne, Robertson and Powell (1997). This guide is applicable primarily to data obtained using a standard electronic cone with a 60-degree apex angle and either a diameter of 35.7 mm or 43.7 mm (10 or 15 cm2 cross-sectional area).

The SP is a passive measurement of very small electrical voltages resulting from electrical currents in the borehole caused by the differences in the salinities (resistivities) of the formation connate water (Rw) and the drilling mud filtrate (Rmf), and by the presence of ion selective shale beds. The voltage changes are measured by a downhole electrode relative to a surface ground. Unlike other logging tools which are displayed on a specific scale with a specified reference value, the SP has no specified origin and values used for computation are referenced to deflection from the nearby shale baseline established by the interpreter. <...>

In recent years there has been a steady increase in geo-environmental projects where geotechnical/geological engineering has been combined with environmental concerns. Many of these projects involve some form of ground contaminant which can take the form of vapors, liquids and solids. Hence, there has been a change in site characterization techniques to accommodate these environmental issues related to contaminants.