Regional Geotechnical Mapping Employing Kriging on Electronic Geodatabase

Muhammad Usman Arshid,M A Kamal

doi:10.3390/app10217625

Abstract

A regional geotechnical map was developed by employing kriging using spatial and s geostatistical analysis tools. Many studies have been carried out in the field of topography, digital elevation modeling, agriculture, geological, crop, and precipitation mapping. However, no significant contribution to the development of geotechnical mapping has been made. For the appraisal of a geotechnical map, extensive field explorations were carried out throughout the geotechnically diversified plateau spread over an area of approximately 23,000 km2. In total, 450 soil samples were collected from 75 data stations to determine requisite index properties and soil classification for the subsequent allowable bearing capacity evaluation. The formatted test results, along with associated geospatial information, were uploaded to ArcMap, which created an initial input electronic database. The kriging technique of geostatistical analysis was determined to be more feasible for generating a geotechnical map. The developed map represents the distribution of soil in the region as per the engineering classification system, allowable bearing capacity, and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) subgrade rating for 1.5-, 3.0-, and 4.5-m depths. The accuracy of the maps generated using kriging interpolation technique under spatial analyst tools was verified by comparing the values in the generated surface with the actual values measured at randomly selected validation points. The database was primarily created for the appraisal of geotechnical maps and can also be used for preliminary geotechnical investigations, which saves the cost of soil investigations. In addition, this approach allows establishing useful correlations among the geotechnical properties of soil.

Highlights

Geotechnical investigation is considered to be a pre-requisite for any civil engineering project.It ensures the safe execution of the project and improves its feasibility, planning, and design phases.There is an increasing challenge for geotechnical engineers to quantify ground properties by considering potential variability between the sampling points
The database was primarily created for the appraisal of geotechnical maps and can be used for preliminary geotechnical investigations, which saves the cost of soil investigations
Analysis, and interpretation of the collected soil samples led to the development of a collection of nine geotechnical maps, including three maps for engineering soil classification, three maps for Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) subgrade rating, and three maps for bearing capacity at 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5-m depths

Summary

Introduction

Geotechnical investigation is considered to be a pre-requisite for any civil engineering project.It ensures the safe execution of the project and improves its feasibility, planning, and design phases.There is an increasing challenge for geotechnical engineers to quantify ground properties by considering potential variability between the sampling points. Geotechnical investigation is considered to be a pre-requisite for any civil engineering project. It ensures the safe execution of the project and improves its feasibility, planning, and design phases. There is an increasing challenge for geotechnical engineers to quantify ground properties by considering potential variability between the sampling points. This study was meant to be an aid by providing an electronic geodatabase and ready-to-use geotechnical map for an economical preliminary investigation. This approach may reduce the cost and time required for such investigations and provides reasonable accuracy.

Methods

Results

Conclusion