GEOTECHNICAL

SITE INVESTIGATION
REPORT

SEC-A, IQBAL BOULEVARD, PHASE-II, DHA, ISLAMABAD

Prepared for:
First Option for Construction Management Co.
Prepared by:
SHAKIRULLAH CONSTRUCTION LAB:
GROUP MEMBER:

23-05-2009
 M-s/1st option for construction management:
Ref: 50/360
Date: 23-05-2009

Project- SEC-A, IQBAL BOULEVARD, PHASE-II, DHA, ISLAMABAD

Subject - Site Investigation Report

Dear Sir,
With reference to your request (50/360 on 23/05/2009, shakirullah Construction
Labs (SCL] is pleased to submit this report of the site investigation carried out
for the proposed construction site of the above mentioned project.

The investigation ended up with conclusions and recommendations relevant to

the findings. Those, in addition to the laboratory test results and engineering
recommendations are herewith attached.

We look forward for further cooperation and would like to take this opportunity
to highly considerate your confidence in our laboratories. For any clarification
concerning this report, please contact us at your convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Sami A. SCL General Manager

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Geotechnical Investigation for construction of Sec-A, Iqbal Boulevard, Phase-ii,

DHA, and Islamabad Was carried out in order to determine geotechnical
parameters of subsurface deposits. Scope of work included drilling of three
(03) boreholes up to 6.5 meters depth. Soil samples were collected during
field investigation. Laboratory testing of these samples has been carried out
in the area.
The deposition of the area mainly consists of medium dense to very dense fine to
coarse grained sandy gravel. Groundwater table was not encountered up to
the maximum explored depth of 6.5 meters below the existing ground level in
any of the boreholes drilled at the site during the time of investigation.

Keeping these conditions under consideration:

Allowable bearing pressures have been given for shallow foundations

at a depth of 1 meter below the existing ground level.
Seismic soil profile has been taken as SC for the foundations in
accordance with UBC-97.

The exposure of underground concrete to aggressive chemicals is found to

be negligible for sulphates and chlorides which have influenced the selection
of cement for underground concreting and it is recommended to use Ordinary
Portland Cement for all underground concrete works.
 CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL
1.2 PURPOSE AND SCOPE

2. SITE CONDITIONS
2.1 DESCRIPTION
2.2 SUBSURFACE CONDITIONS
2.3 GROUND WATER

3. FIELD EXPLORATION AND SAMPLING

3.1 DRILLING
3.2 SAMPLING

4. LABORATORY TESTING
4.1 TESTS CARRIED OUT
4.2 SUMMARY OF LABORATORY TEST RESULTS

5. BEARING CAPACITY ANALYSIS

6. SELECTION OF FOUNDATION TYPE

7. SETTLEMENT ANALYSIS

8. ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATIONS

9. A P P E N D I C E S

APPENDIX A: BOREHOLE LOCATION PLAN

APPENDIX B: BOREHOLE LOGS
APPENDIX C: LABORATORY TEST RESULTS
 1.1 GENERAL
This report presents the outcome of the site investigation carried out for the
proposed construction site of Sec-A, Iqbal Boulevard, Phase-ii, DHA, and
Islamabad

1.2 THE SITE:

The project site is located in, Sec-A, Iqbal Boulevard, Phase-ii, DHA, and
Islamabad Pakistan...

The topography of the plot is plain with no major changes in elevation observed
across the site. Figure shows the google image of the site
 1.2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project consists of the construction of about 1000 m2 steel structure
building (sport hall).
1.3 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Investigation of the underground conditions at a site is prerequisite to the
economical design of the substructure elements. It is also necessary to
obtain sufficient information for feasibility and economic studies for any
project.
In general, the purpose of this site investigation was to provide the
following:
1. Information to determine the type of foundation required (shallow or
deep).
2. Information to allow the geotechnical consultant to make a
recommendation on the allowable bearing capacity of the soil.
3. Sufficient data/ laboratory tests to make settlement and swelling
predictions.
4. Location of the groundwater level.
5. Information so that the identification and solution of excavation
problems can be made.
6. Information regarding permeability and compaction properties of
the encountered materials.
7. Information regarding cavitation and other kinds of geological
weaknesses within the construction site.
8. This was accomplished through the close cooperation of SCL's
geotechnical engineer and the technical staff of its Geotechnical
Department
 2. SITE CONDITIONS

2.1 DESCRIPTION
The site is located in Sec-A, Iqbal Boulevard, Phase-ii, DHA, and
Islamabad at the location of the recently demolished slaughterhouse. It is
bordered by roads from north, south and east .No high voltage, electrical
or telephone poles, sewer or water pipes were observed within the depth
of the drilled boreholes.

2.2 SUBSURFACE CONDITIONS

The study area on the date of field investigation consisted of different
elevations with approximate difference between the higher and lower
elevations of about 7-8m. However, the formation within the depths of the
drilled boreholes consists mostly of sand silt medium to fine brown color
clay, fine medium coarse gravel, sand, clay silt to the full depth of
exploration covered by different depth fills. Light to medium brown low
plasticity, sandy silty, clay (cl-ml)
The drilled boreholes for this study reflect the described above general
conditions. They are discussed in more detail in the subsequent sections
of this report. Borehole logs with description of soil and rock formations are
attached in the Appendix.
Borehole No. Depth
(meter)

BH-01 0.0-1.0
BH-02 0.0-3.0
BH-03 0.0-6.0

2.3 GROUNDWATER AND CAVITIES

Ground water was not encountered within the depths of the drilled boreholes and
no ground water table was observed. No cavities or other kind of weaknesses
were noticed within the drilled depths of boreholes.

3. FIELD EXPLORATION AND TESTI

3.1 DRILLING

Upon the Client's request, the site investigation program included the exploration
of site subsurface conditions at the construction area through the drilling of three
borehole one to a depth of 1 m and two depth of 3.0 m and third one 5.0m
below the existing ground level.

Drilling has been carried out utilizing a Percussion or Augur drilling with the
possibility of continuous sampling at different depths and at each lithological
change of the strata. And also used SPT for drilling with hammer weight 56.6kg
and drop the hammer from 76cm

3.2 SAMPLING

Two types of samples were collected:

Disturbed samples suitable for identification and index property testing

purposes at various depths.

Undisturbed rock samples for strength tests.

Representative samples were placed in sealed plastic bags and

transported to the laboratory for further testing.

In our opinion the obtained sample are of good good quality

FIELD TESTING

Field testing carried out at the site includes standard penetration test with cone.
Disturbed samples were collected from all the boreholes with the help of core
barrel for all types of rock.

STANDARD PENETRATION TESTS

The standard penetration tests (SPT) were carried out at interval of 1.5 meter
in the overburden above the bedrock. The standard penetration test was carried
out by Safety type sliding hammer. Split-spoon sampler was used in cohesive
and fine granular soils to conduct SPT.
SAMPLING
Sampling forms an essential part of the geotechnical investigation process
and good sampling is essential for proper laboratory testing of samples for
determining strength and compressibility characteristics of soil.

SPT SAMPLES
Samples were recovered from standard penetration testing. The samples were
recovered in split-spoon sampler and then stored in plastic bags. The storage of split-
spoon samples in bags ensured retention of natural moisture of the samples which
were later tested for gradation, consistency and chemical characteristics

4. LABORATORY TESTING

. Laboratory testing was carried out on retrieved samples. The

following section enlists and gives details of relevant tests carried out
on selected samples as required for determining the subsurface
conditions and correlating with the information obtained from field
testing and sampling

4.1 TESTS CARRIED OUT

The following tests were performed to evaluate the engineering properties of the
soils and rocks influencing the performance of the proposed structure:

NATURAL MOISTURE CONTENT

Natural moisture content is the quantity of water contained in a soil or rock

sample. It is the ratio of the weight of water to the weight of solids in a
given volume of soil or rock sample. Natural moisture content of ten (10)
samples was determined in accordance with ASTM 2216-05.

DENSITY

The weight per unit volume of the solid portion of soil is called particle
(dry) density. Whereas, the oven dry weight of a unit volume of soil
inclusive of pore spaces is called bulk (wet) density. The bulk density of a
soil is always smaller than its particle density. Density of ten (10)
samples was determined in accordance with the procedure described in
ASTM D 7263-09.
 SPECIFIC GRAVITY

Specific gravity (Gs) is defined as mass of material in air divided by

mass of water displaced by material. This quantity is used for
calculation of void ratio, in hydrometer test, etc. Specific gravity of five
(05) samples was determined in accordance with the procedure
described in ASTM designation C 127-81.

Atterberg limits

Atterberg limits (Liquid and Plastic) in accordance with ASTM D-4318.

Liquid and plastic limit tests were conducted on the powder of the obtained
samples and the plasticity index (PI) was determined.

.
GRAIN SIZE ANALYSIS:

This test is performed to determine the percentage of different grain sizes

contained within a soil. The mechanical or sieve analysis is performed to
determine the distribution of the coarser, larger-sized particles, and the
hydrometer method is used to determine the distribution of the finer particles.

Standard Reference: ASTM D 422 - Standard Test Method for Particle-Size

Analysis of Soils
 6. SELECTION OF FOUNDATION TYPE

According to the nature and characteristics of the materials encountered in the drilled
boreholes as described in (hard to medium hard marlstone), we recommend to consider
isolated footings with tie beams at any depth after cleaning all debris and loose fill materials.

7. SETTLEMENT ANALYSIS

With footings designed and constructed on the described above rocky formation, the
settlement is negligible.

8. ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATIONS

As a result of field and laboratory activities carried out and the analysis of the available data
and test results, the following engineering recommendations can be made:

8.1 ALLOWABLE BEARING CAPACITY

According to the analysis of the materials encountered (hard to medium hard marlstone) and
the laboratory test results, the recommended allowable bearing capacity is 3.5 Kg/cm2 for
shallow foundations assuming that foundations will rest on the described marlstone formation
after cleaning of all loose inclusions.
 8.2 DRAINAGE OF THE SITE

It is recommended to design an effective rainwater drainage system to get rid of the

consequences of the rainwater percolation into the layers. The site should be graded so as to
direct rainwater and water away from all planned structures.

8.3 MATERIALS FOR BACKFILL COMPACTION CRITERIA

Materials encountered in the drilled boreholes are satisfactory for using for backfilling
purposes. In general, materials for the backfilling should be granular, not containing rocks or
lumps over 15 cm in greatest dimension, free from organic matter, with plasticity index (PI)
not more than 10. The backfill material should be laid in lifts not exceeding 25 cm in loose
thickness and compacted to at least 95 percent of the maximum dry density at optimum
moisture content as determined by modified compaction test (Proctor) (ASTM D-1557).

8.4 SEISMIC CONSIDERATIONS

As far as the seismic activity in the region has not witnessed any serious earthquakes
in the last 70 years, but only 2005 in Islamabad which is 5.5 magnitude but onwards this not
such major earthquake are encountered .

TYPE OF CEMENT

Tests on samples obtained from the boreholes indicate negligible exposure to sulphate
and chloride. Under these conditions it is recommended to use Ordinary Portland
Cement (OPC) for all underground concrete works.

CONCLUSIONS

Geotechnical Investigation for construction of Sec-A, Iqbal Boulevard, Phase-ii, DHA, and
Islamabad t was carried out in order to determine geotechnical parameters of
subsurface deposits. Three (03) boreholes were drilled as a part of the field
investigation. Soil samples were collected during the field investigation. Laboratory testing
on these samples has been carried out in the lab and includes determination of index
properties through specific gravity, density etc. Chemical characteristics of soil and water
 samples have also been assessed through determination of total dissolved solids,
sulphate content, chloride content and pH.
Keeping in view, the results from field and laboratory tests and the expected
loads being transferred to the founding stratum, allowable bearing pressures
for shallow foundations at a depth of 1.5 meters are given. Exposure to chloride
and sulphate salts is negligible, therefore, Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
should be used for underground concreting

Borehole Location Plan

Borehole Logs
 Laboratory Test Results
GRAIN SIZE ANALYSIS:

1M 3M 6.5M 8M
0.076
0.25
2.2
CU #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 28.95 #DIV/0!
CC #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0.37 #DIV/0!

BH Sample Depth LL PL PI M.C Description

No. No. (m) (%)
BH-1 S-1 1M 25 14 11 11.38 LIGHT TO MEDIUM BROWN CLAYEY GRAVEL WITH SAN
(GC)

BH-1 S-2 3M 24 14 10 14.85 LIGHT TO MEDIUM BROWN LOW PLASTICITY, SANDY LE

CLAY (CL)

BH-1 S-5 5M N N N LIGHT TO MEDIUM BROWN POORLY GRADED GRAVE

P P P 14.56 WITH SILT AND SAND (GP-GM)

Mass of Soil
Sieve Diameter Mass of Soil Soil
Sieve & Soil Retained
Number (mm) Sieve (g) Retained (g) Passing (%)
(g) (%)
#4 4.75 512.38 538.25 25.9 5.2 94.8
#10 2.00 464.38 520.68 56.3 11.3 83.5
#20 0.85 411.99 545.41 133.4 26.8 56.6
#40 0.43 368.57 536.42 167.9 33.8 22.9
#60 0.25 528.66 593.34 64.7 13.0 9.9
 #200 0.075 340.89 385.07 44.2 8.9 1.0
Pan 374.07 378.97 4.9 1.0 0.0
TOTAL: 497.2 100.0

100
90
80
70
60
50
% Passing
40
30
20
10
0
10.00 1.00 0.10 0.01

Particle Diameter (mm)

 Grain Size Distribution Curve Results:
% Gravel: 5.5 D10: 0.25
% Sand: 93.8 D30: .43
% Fines: 1 D60: .85

SPT REUSLTS: