In-situ soil testing (CPT, plate load)
Static and dynamic penetration testing and plate load tests to determine soil strength and deformation modulus directly in place.
Licensed service · EL-845/2026
Laboratory tests study soil samples, but sampling and transport can partly disturb their natural structure. In-situ tests examine the soil in its natural state, under its own stress and moisture conditions. Their results are therefore considered especially reliable for foundation and pile design, and when combined with drilling they provide continuous information between boreholes.
In a cone penetration test (CPT) a probe with a conical tip is pushed into the ground at a constant rate while cone resistance and sleeve friction are recorded continuously. The results show precise layer boundaries, soil density and strength and allow preliminary estimation of pile capacity. Dynamic probing is used in gravelly and dense soils.
In a plate load test a rigid plate is placed on the ground surface or at the bottom of a borehole and loaded in stages while settlement is measured at each step. This is the most reliable way to determine the deformation modulus directly and is used for important buildings, raft foundations and checking compacted fill. Static load tests on trial piles are carried out where required.
All tests follow the applicable standards (AzDTN/SNiP, GOST), and test points are positioned with GNSS.
When you need it
- Design of pile foundations
- Multi-storey and critical buildings
- Sands and weak soils where sampling is difficult
- Quality control of compacted fill
- Studying soil variability between boreholes
What's included
- Cone penetration testing (CPT)
- Dynamic probing
- Surface and borehole plate load tests
- Static load tests on trial piles if required
- Positioning of test points
- Data processing and graphs
- Correlation with laboratory data
How we work
- Selecting test types and locations
- Mobilising equipment to site
- Performing and recording tests
- Processing and interpreting results
- Delivering the report
Deliverables
- CPT logs and interpretation
- Load-settlement curves from plate tests
- Deformation modulus and strength parameters
- Assessment of pile bearing capacity
