Geotechnical Engineering
Our geotechnical engineers work with owners, designers, and contractors to engineer solutions for site development, building and infrastructure projects.
Designing for Earth’s Foundation
Everything on earth relies upon earth for support. Our buildings, roads, highways, airports, schools, hospitals, parks, and infrastructure rely on solid ground. The earth provides the foundation upon which we, and everything in the built environment, exist. Without solid ground, buildings sink, towers lean and cars get stuck in the mud.
At S.W.COLE, our geotechnical engineers investigate, characterize and engineer solutions to ground conditions to support our built environment. We are thinkers, problem solvers and team players to our very core.
Our geotechnical engineers tailor subsurface exploration programs for each specific site to investigate soil, bedrock and groundwater conditions necessary for design and construction of site improvements, and building foundations and infrastructure. Our examination of a site’s soil and rock parameters allow us to make recommendations on foundations, earthwork and pavement.
At S.W.COLE, we understand the economics and performance of foundations. Our goal is to get the most out of your site’s subsurface conditions. Our geotechnical engineers work in collaborative team environments to evaluate foundation alternatives that best fit the subsurface conditions. From spread footings to insulated foundations, to deep foundations and ground improvement, our solutions will help your facility’s foundation start – and remain – on solid ground.
At S.W.COLE, we understand the pressures owners are under when it comes to the condition of their pavement. There are many ways to repair damaged roadways and parking lots – crack sealing, overlay, reclaim and overlay and full depth replacement – and what works for one road or parking lot may not be the most effective method for another. Implementing preventive maintenance techniques before rapid deterioration occurs can help protect pavement investments. S.W.COLE’s pavement management plans can help municipalities, counties, airports, colleges and universities, hospitals and other organizations with large areas of pavement make better decisions about their roads and parking lots, keeping them safe for those who drive on them and reducing both their current and long-term maintenance costs.
Our engineers can help you and your team make smart earthwork decisions that tap the value of your site’s terrain and earthen resources. Our engineers evaluate soil, bedrock and groundwater conditions with a focus toward reusing available resources on-site before considering export of native materials and import of off-site resources. We collaborate with site designers to develop grading and earthwork plans and concentrate on working with the terrain and subsurface conditions of the site to help reduce development and construction costs.
The subsurface conditions in New England are wide and varied – from soft marine clay to bedrock, to urban fills and liquefiable sands. Our engineers go to work to help you and your team engineer a ground improvement solution for your site. Our professionals have a deep understanding of the challenges of soft ground, liquefiable sands and urban fills and how to employ ground improvement techniques such as overexcavation, preloading, prefabricated drains, aggregate piers, rigid inclusions, compaction grouting and deep soil mixing to improve ground conditions for conventional spread footings and on-grade floor slabs.
We’ve all been there … we simply don’t have the financial resources to get to our goal. S.W.COLE considers economy in every solution, but sometimes the project is still over budget or the team is simply trying to understand the value, and risk, of certain aspects of the project. This is where value engineering comes in. We embrace opportunities to work in collaborative environments to brainstorm and evaluate value engineering proposals while clients make informed decisions that consider cost and benefit, whether we provided geotechnical engineering during the design phase of a project or not.
With the benefit of our Seismic Piezocone (SuCPT), our engineers perform geotechnical analysis using CLig software to evaluate a sites liquefaction potential, and if necessary, recommend ground improvements to mitigate liquefaction risk.
When the earth moves, people notice. At S.W.COLE, we know how to arrest unstable ground and expedite permanent engineered solutions to keep the ground from moving again. While slope failures and moving earth can teach great lessons about the stability of the earth, we prefer to keep the ground from moving in the first place. Our engineers design stable earthen slopes and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls to create solutions for unstable ground, or as part of plans that include altering the terrain with a slope, retaining wall or engineered geo-structure.
Our engineers investigate earthen dams for public and private entities to perform stability and seepage analyses in consideration of dam improvements and re-licensing.
Thermal resistance testing performed by S.W.COLE may be performed in a materials laboratory or on a job site, depending on the instrument and the desired data. The testing is used to measure the thermal resistance or conductance of a material, which will vary based on the desired application.
Electrical resistivity testing has a wide variety of applications, including geotechnical interpretation and construction applications. Soil (or rock) electrical resistivity is a measure of how much a material resists the flow of electricity. We measure resistivity using the following methods:
- Wenner Array Field Testing, performed in accordance with IEEE or ASTM procedures, which requires an electrical current to be induced into the material through electrodes. The electrical potential (voltage) is then measured at other electrodes placed at known distances.
- Laboratory Resistivity Testing. Common applications include grounding “touch stone” testing, a specialty method developed to evaluate the “touch stone” placed around wind towers and on substation sites, and soil box (“Miller Box”) resistivity, which is used to evaluate the corrosion of ductile iron pipe or galvanized culverts.
In recent years, sustainable green solutions have understandably gained a foothold as a preferred alternative of low impact development and sustainable improvement to existing sites. As we all work to improve our environment, the built environment has reconstituted the pioneering practices of conserve, reuse and recycle. We are fortunate in New England to have incredible lakes, streams and bogs – and we work hard to protect our natural resources. At S.W.COLE, we understand soil and groundwater conditions and use sensible means to help our clients evaluate stormwater infiltration feasibility, design and construction. Our geotechnical engineering services can help you evaluate the capacity of your site for infiltration of water into the ground.
In New England, construction activities often involve blasting or hammering for bedrock removal to prepare a site for construction. These activities are often performed in close proximity to existing structures, which may be damaged if the work is performed outside approved parameters. We perform both preblast surveys (incorporating high resolution digital photographs and video to document site conditions prior to construction operations) and vibration and blast monitoring (using seismographs to measure the vibrations and conformity to approved construction specifications).
When buildings settle, floors crack, or things just don’t work as expected, people grow concerned. Because we work on projects that span from concept to commissioning, we understand where things can go awry. Our forensic investigation experts will evaluate causative agents, provide expert witness testimony and develop repair schemes to remedy your situation.
At S.W.COLE, we’ve been measuring the ground for decades. We use instruments in and on the ground to measure vibrations, groundwater, slope movement, settlement and many physical and chemical attributes of things geotechnical. Our experts work with your team to design, install, monitor and interpret a geotechnical instrumentation package to suit the needs of your project.
Built on Solid Ground
We understand ground conditions and the challenges of designing, constructing and commissioning facilities in New England. Our geotechnical engineers work shoulder-to-shoulder with owners, designers, regulators and contractors, from concept to commissioning – that’s why the majority of our business comes from repeat or referral clients who have benefitted from our sensible solutions, responsive, professional service and teamwork.
