Geotechnical and Construction Applications

Geophysical measurement and characterization to assess soil stability is a critical element for many new construction projects as well as for evaluating changes that could impact the safety and/or long-term stability of existing structures.  Here again, magnetic resonances (NMR) plays a key role in helping engineers make these determinations based on direct and unambiguous data.

For construction, determining soil properties can be critical for assessing the viability and cost of creating foundations for a wide range of structures such as buildings, bridges, dams, off-shore wind turbine anchors, and many more.  Also methods for accurately determining soil properties are critical for the planning, management and assessment of risk for underground structures such as tunnels, aqueducts, etc.

The properties of particular importance are associated with key questions such as:

  • How strong are the soils for supporting the planned project?
  • How difficult will it be to deal with and remove the soils?
  • How will existing groundwater be impacted by and/or impact the project?
  • What is the liquefaction potential of the soils?

The above areas are related to hydro-geophysical factors such as porosity (void ratio), permeability, pore size distribution, clay content, etc. that can be directly and accurately determined using advanced NMR tools.

Virtually the entire range of Vista Clara NMR tools have applicability for various aspects of geotechnical and construction applications.

Here are two examples of real-world applications:

Detailed information on applicable Vista Clara NMR tools can be found via the links below.

Contact Vista Clara for more information