geotechnical engineering/Soils Engineering

A soils report, geotechnical report, or in the case of the City of San Diego a Preliminary Geotechnical Investigation is a comprehensive document which provides the soil parameters for a project. 

A typical soils report consists of: 

• An evaluation of the existing site conditions relative to the proposed      construction (i.e. determine if the proposed slopes, height of walls,      proposed construction, will create a geotechnical issue).
• Literary research: as a 40+ year old geotechnical engineering firm in San Diego, we  have a comprehensive library of prior soil reports. We use our prior studies to correlate nearby soils reports with current projects to render our engineering opinions.
• Review historical aerials, and topographic maps. An understanding of the prior usage and topography provides useful information in determining future causes of failures.
• Geologic  maps – review geologic maps. Underlying geology and deposition aids in geotechnical design.
• Exploratory study: We perform subsurface exploration and obtain soil samples representative of the soils that will support the proposed structure.
• Geotechnical analysis: Laboratory tests are performed to determine material properties of the obtained samples.
• Conclusions and Recommendations to be used for the construction of the proposed project.

Typical Geotechnical Services:

• Preliminary Geotechnical Investigations/ Soils Report
• Slope Stability Analysis
• Landslide Evaluations
• Fault Studies
• Liquefaction Studies
• Forensic Studies
• Soil Laboratory and Materials Testing