This document provides the results of a geotechnical investigation conducted at a proposed check dam construction site in Batase, Kavre. Field investigations included drilling three boreholes and conducting standard penetration tests. Laboratory tests characterized soil properties and included natural moisture content, specific gravity, grain size analysis, and Atterberg limits. Engineering analysis determined allowable bearing pressures for shallow foundations. The investigation aims to evaluate subsurface conditions, determine foundation suitability, and provide design recommendations.

2. Table of Contents
1. Introduction........................................................................................................................3
2. Purpose of study.................................................................................................................3
3. Site Location ......................................................................................................................3
4. Geo-Technical Exploration................................................................................................4
4.1 General ........................................................................................................................4
4.2 Field Investigation.......................................................................................................4
4.2.1 Standard Penetration Test (SPT)..........................................................................4
4.2.2 Sample collection.................................................................................................5
4.3 Laboratory Investigation .............................................................................................5
4.3.1 Natural moisture content......................................................................................5
4.3.2 Specific gravity....................................................................................................5
4.3.3 Grain size analysis ...............................................................................................5
4.3.4 Atterberg Limits...................................................................................................6
5. Engineering analysis ..........................................................................................................6
5.1 Shallow foundation Analysis ......................................................................................6
5.1.1 Analysis of Allowable bearing pressure ..............................................................7

3. 1. Introduction
For the safe and economic infrastructural development, it is important that subsoil conditions
at any proposed civil engineering site be properly investigated prior to commencement of the
final design or construction activities. Generally, the overall investigation should be detailed
enough to provide sufficient information for the geotechnical engineer to reach conclusions
regarding the site suitability, design criteria and environmental impact. Both laboratory and in
situ or field techniques are routinely used to obtain information about engineering properties
of rocks and soils. This report focuses on the standard penetration test (SPT) which is one of
the relatively cost-effective and informative field techniques most commonly used in
subsurface exploration.
This report presents the results of geotechnical investigation conducted, laboratory results and
recommendation for the proposed construction site i.e. check dam at Batase, Kavre. This
report covers boreholes drilled at various locations including three boreholes. To determine
how compact the soil layers were in the field, Standard Penetration Tests (SPT) and Dynamic
Cone Penetration Tests (DPCT) were carried out as efficiently as possible at 1.5m depth
intervals. Report is limited to defining parameters and specifying safe bearing capacity.
2. Purpose of study
Following are the purpose of site investigation:
 Evaluate the soil and rock properties at proposed site.
 Determine the site’s suitability for construction a check dam
 Identify potential issues that could affect the stability and safety of dam.
 Develop recommendations for the design and construction of the dam structures.
 Determine the type of foundation that would be suitable for the site,
 Identify suitable materials to be used in construction.
 Provide guidance for the design and construction.
3. Site Location

4. 4. Geo-Technical Exploration
4.1 General
Geotechnical exploration are performed by the engineers or geologist to obtain information
on the physical properties of soil and rock formations at a particular site. This exploration
process typically involves a combination of field and laboratory exploration. The
geotechnical exploration process typically begins with a site visit and visual inspection of the
area to be explored. This is followed by a detailed site investigation, which may include
drilling and sampling of soil, conducting geophysical surveys and collecting data on
groundwater levels. Laboratory testing is then performed on the samples collected during the
investigation, to determine their physical and chemical properties. The results of the
geotechnical exploration are then analyzed and interpreted by engineers and other
professionals to develop the recommendations for the site design and construction.
4.2 Field Investigation
The proposed geo-technical investigation was performed to characterize the subsurface
condition at the site, to evaluate the bearing capacity of foundation soil and to recommend
safe bearing capacity for different type of foundation.
Field investigation work was carried……………. Drilling works were carried out. The sides
of the boreholes were lined with 150mm casing pipes. For the site, three boreholes BH1, BH2
and BH3 was drilled.
4.2.1 Hand Auger
An auger is a device that is useful for advancing a bore hole into the ground. Augers may be
hand operated or power driven. The auger is advanced by rotating it while pressing into the
soil at the same time. As soon as the auger gets filled with soil and is taken out. The
boreholes were first initiated to drill through posthole auger.
4.2.2 Standard Penetration Test (SPT)
Standard Penetration test (SPT) were carried out in the boreholes at average depth intervals of
1.5 m. Spilt spoon sampler of 35mm internal diameter and 50 mm external diameter coupled
with a standard cutting shoe at its lower end was driven into the ground at the base of the
borehole by means of a 63.5 kg hammer falling from a height of 760 mm. After an initial 150
mm seating penetration the sampler was driven to a further depth of 150mm twice to reach
the final depth. The sum of the number of blows required to reach the two-last final 150 mm
depth was recorded as the N- value.

5. Figure
4.2.3 Sample collection
The samples obtained in the split spoon barrel of SPT tube during SPT tests were preserved
as representative disturbed samples. The disturbed samples recovered were placed in air-tight
transparent plastic bags, labelled properly for identification and finally sealed to avoid any
loss of moisture. Only then the samples were taken to the laboratory for the further
investigation.
4.3 Laboratory Investigation
All the requisite laboratory tests were carried out in accordance with IS standard
specifications. Standard laboratory test was carried out to characterize the soil strata. The
laboratory test includes the following tests: Moisture Content, Specific Gravity, Sieve
Analysis and Atterberg Limits.
4.3.1 Natural moisture content
The natural water was determined from samples recovered from the split spoon sampler. The
samples were kept in an oven for 24 hrs after which the weight of sample was measured
again to determine the water content present in the soil.
4.3.2 Specific gravity
The specific gravity test is made on the soil sample which was grounded to pass 2.0mm IS
sieve. Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the weight of a given volume of soil particles
in air to the weight of an equal volume of distilled water at a temperature of 20o
C. It is
important for computing most of the soil properties e.g. void ratio, unit weight, particle size
determination by hydrometer, degree of saturation etc. This method covers determination of
the specific gravity of soils by means of a pycnometer.
4.3.3 Grain size analysis
Grain size distribution was determined by dry sieving process. Sieve analysis was carried out
by sieving a soil sample through sieves of known sieve size (e.g. 4.75mm, 2mm, 1.18mm,
425, 300, 150and 75 microns) by keeping one over the other, the largest size being at the top
and the smallest size at the bottom. The soil is placed on the top sieve and shake for 10
minutes using mechanical shaker. The soil retained on each sieve was weighed and expressed
as a percentage of the weight of sample.

6. 4.3.4 Atterberg Limits
The physical properties of fine-grained soils get affected with water content. Depending upon
the amount of water present in a fine grained soil, it can be in liquid, plastic or solid
consistency states. The Atterberg Test was used for determining the consistency of a cohesive
soil. The sample to be used was passed through the 425 μm. The dry soil was mixed with
distilled water using a palette knife on a glass plate and thus formed a thick paste was kept in
oven dry for 24 hr to determine moisture content on it.
5. Surface and Surface conditions
5.1 Properties of Ground materials
From the field investigation, a generalized subsurface soil characteristic data visualized from
the three borehole is presented in table below:
Borehole Depth Soil characteristics of borehole
BH1
5.2 Groundwater Table
Determination of the location of ground water table is an essential part of any exploratory
programme as the groundwater level affects the pore water pressure and hence the shear
strength pf soil. The position of groundwater can be estimated through observations of open
wells at the site or in the vicinity. Boreholes can also be used for recording water levels by
allowing the water in boring to reach equilibrium level. It is easy in sandy soils as water gets
stabilized very quickly within few hours. But in clayey soil it might take many days. The
readings should be made at least 12 to 24 hrs after boring and compared with water levels in
the wells existing in that area.
6. Engineering analysis
6.1 Shallow foundation Analysis

7. 6.1.1 Analysis of Allowable bearing pressure
Allowable bearing pressure is the maximum pressure on the foundation of the soil or bed at
which the foundation soil or bed neither fails in shear and nor gives excessive settlement.

8. KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Department of Civil Engineering
Dhulikhel, Kavre
Specific Gravity Test
Project:- Geotechincal Investigation for check dam
Location:- Batase, Kavre
Weight of pycnometerfilledwithwater(gm)
2.50
BH2
Dam Axis-1
0.83
520
552
1570
1550
2.67
2.69
Specific Gravity
1560
BH1
Dam Axis-1
0.71
495
570
1585
1540
Weight of pycnometer,soilandwater(gm)
Description
BH1
DamAxis-2
0.86
525
560
1582
Weight of drypycnometer+ soil(gm)
Depth(inmeters)
Weight of cleananddrypycnometer(gm)

9. KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Department of Civil Engineering
Dhulikhel, Kavre
Grain Size Analysis (IS: 2720 (Part 4)-1985):
Project:- Geotechincal Investigation for check dam Borehoe:- BH1
Location:- Batase, Kavre Sample:- Dam Axis-2
Depth:- 0.86m
Sieve
%
passing
4.75 mm 99.66
2 mm 93.38
1.18 mm 86.89
1 mm 85.63
0.6 mm 82.52
0.425 mm 80.90
0.3 mm 77.64
0.25 mm 77.39
0.15 mm 67.81
0.075 mm 18.32
Clay/SILT Sand Gravel
18.32% 81.34% 0.34%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.01
0.1
1
10
%
Passing
Particle Size, mm

10. KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Department of Civil Engineering
Dhulikhel, Kavre
Grain Size Analysis (IS: 2720 (Part 4)-1985):
Project:- Geotechincal Investigation for check dam Borehoe:- BH1
Location:- Batase, Kavre Sample:- Dam Axis-1
Depth:- 0.71 m
% passing
4.75 mm 63.74
2 mm 58.70
1.18 mm 35.54
1 mm 35.44
0.6 mm 29.84
0.425 mm 27.56
0.3 mm 24.09
0.25 mm 21.85
0.15 mm 21.72
0.075 mm 15.55
Sieve
Clay/SILT Sand Gravel
0.07% 63.67% 36.26%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.01
0.1
1
10
%
Passing
Particle size, mm

11. KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Department of Civil Engineering
Dhulikhel, Kavre
Grain Size Analysis (IS: 2720 (Part 4)-1985):
Project:- Geotechincal Investigation for check dam Borehoe:- BH1
Location:- Batase, Kavre Sample:- Dam Axis-
Depth:- 0.83m
Clay/SILT Sand Gravel
7.61% 86.62% 5.77%
% passing
4.75 mm 94.23
2 mm 76.02
1.18 mm 56.77
1 mm 52.09
0.6 mm 44.54
0.425 mm 38.52
0.3 mm 28.74
0.25 mm 24.69
0.15 mm 14.65
0.075 mm 7.61
Sieve
%
Passing
Particle Size, mm
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.01
0.1
1
10

12. KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Department of Civil Engineering
Dhulikhel, Kavre
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
Project:- Geotechincal Investigation for check dam Borehoe:- BH1
Location:- Batase, Kavre Sample:- Dam Axis-2
Depth:- 0.86m
29%
From graph, Liquid Limit
1 2 3
22.77 22.96 22.94
41.62 33.23 32.38
37.34 31.02 30.28
29.38 27.42 28.61
28 48 24
Test No:
Description
Mass of container, W1
Mass of container + wer soil, W2
Masss of container+ dry soil, W3
Moisture content, %
Number of blows, N
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Moisture
percent
No. of Blows

13. KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Department of Civil Engineering
Dhulikhel, Kavre
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
Project:- Geotechincal Investigation for check dam Borehoe:- BH1
Location:- Batase, Kavre Sample:- Dam Axis-1
Depth:- 0.71 m
Description
Test No:
1 2 3
Mass of container, W1 22.42 20.66 20.61
Mass of container + wet soil, W2 30.25 31.89 33.28
Mass of container+ dry soil, W3 28.53 29.43 30.57
Moisture content, w 28.15 28.05 27.21
Number of blows, N 13 26 36
From graph, Liquid Limit 27.8%
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Moisture
percent
No. of Blows

14. KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Department of Civil Engineering
Dhulikhel, Kavre
LIQUID LIMIT TEST
Project:- Geotechincal Investigation for check dam Borehoe:- BH 2
Location:- Batase, Kavre Sample:- Dam Axis-1
Depth:- 0.83 m
1 2 3
23.11 22.42 22.68
34.25 29.23 33.17
31.51 27.66 30.91
32.62 29.96 27.46
15 20 35
Mass of container, W1
Mass of container + wet soil, W2
Masss of container+ dry soil, W3
Moisture content, w
Number of blows, N
Test No:
Description
From graph, Liquid Limit 29.58%
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Moisture
percent
No. of Blows