It’s rare to find a site that is exactly the same as another. With each geotechnical or environmental investigation there is always something unique we find or specific for that location and the history that’s played apart on or in that soil. We’ve captured some of our field investigations on video and the photos to show some of the differences in the soils that our customers build on. Compare the soils on the videos with the list of soils in the site classification table below that relate to AS 2870-2011.
Australian Standard AS 2870-2011 highlights the different site classifications based on the level of soil reactivity and the procedure to identify them. Below are the classifications and their soil make up and potential for movement.
| Site Class | Foundation | Characteristic surface movement (ys) mm |
|---|---|---|
| A | Most sand and rock sites with little or no ground movement from moisture changes | |
| S | Slightly reactive clay sites, which may experience only slight ground movement from moisture changes | 0 - 20mm |
| M | Moderately reactive clay or silt sites, which may experience moderate ground movement from moisture changes | 20 - 40mm |
| H1 | Highly reactive clay sites, which may experience high ground movement from moisture changes | 40 - 60mm |
| H2 | Highly reactive clay sites, which may experience very high ground movement from moisture changes | 60 - 75mm |
| E | Extremely reactive sites, which may experience extreme ground movement from moisture changes | > 75mm |
| P | Sites which include filled sites (refer to AS 2870-2011), soft soils, such as soft clay, silt or loose sands; landslip; mine subsidence; collapsing soils; soils subject to erosion; reactive sites subject to abnormal moisture conditions; tree affected; fill containing deleterious materials (wood, metal, plastic) or in a marine environment. |
Below are a some onsite and laboratory videos the Ideal team has started shooting to show customers how tests are performed.
We will also be uploading videos of interesting soils as we come across them in the field or back at the lab. Expect to see the below video collection grow.