Screw driving sounding test; a new technology in soil investigation work particularly for soft soil

Abstract

Screw Driving Sounding (SDS) test has been developed in Japan as the improved version of the Swedish Weight Sounding (SWS) test. The development of SDS is to reduce the drawbacks of the SWS with the integration of rod friction estimation. Deep boring with Standard Penetration Tests (SPT) together with soil sampling for laboratory tests have been the common procedure for determining the subsurface soil profile and geotechnical engineering properties. However, the SPT which is associated with deep boring, uses high fossil fuels, needs high skilled workers and expensive. This paper presents the SDS technology and the SDS test results in comparison with the existing SPT data from six (6) selected sites in Malaysia. Results show that there is a strong correlation between SPT and SDS data, and the soil profile is better identified using SDS than the SPT. It is predicted that SDS test has the potential to replace conventional soil investigation methods, particularly in soft soils area. It is not just fast, cheap and does not require highly skilled workers but SDS tests supports green technology and sustainability in construction. Quality results are guaranteed from the usage of Industrial Revolution 4.0 technology through automation in testing and making use of the cloud computing to manage the data.