Subsurface conditions below grade are often as important as surface conditions. This is especially true when new construction is proposed. Southern Engineering offers innovative and cost-effective subsurface exploration services, tailored to your specific property and budget.  Understanding and planning for existing subsurface conditions is crucial for construction of buildings, roadways, parking garages and lots, subsurface utilities and other improvements.  A firm foundation is required for any well-constructed project.  A thorough subsurface exploration can result in a more cost-effective foundation design and can reduce construction delays and contractor change orders caused by unforeseen conditions.  

Quality is an integral part of our approach to geotechnical work.  Principal involvement early on allows us to understand your project needs and to tailor our documents to the specifics of your project.  Principal review of reports, letters and recommendations and our documentation of each project assures that our methodologies and contractual agreements are followed.  Additionally, our conclusions and recommendations are practical and experienced-based and are clearly communicated to our clients.  

Geotechnical Engineering Studies

  • Site visits and existing document reviews
  • Early site selection studies
  • Preliminary and final soil and foundation evaluations
  • Slope stability and design
  • Site preparation recommendations
  • Site work specification review
  • Groundwater level monitoring services
  • Dewatering recommendations
  • Feasibility studies for pond and stormwater management facilities
  • Muck surveys
  • Embankment settlement
  • Vibration studies
  • In-situ geotechnical testing and instrumentation

Foundation & Specialty Geotechnical Engineering Analysis

  • Risk assessment
  • Conventional spread footing design
  • Foundations construction over compressible and expansive soils
  • Subsoil remedial modification and ground improvement technologies
  • Analysis of mid-rise and high-rise building foundations
  • Mat foundation design
  • Construction and permanent dewatering
  • Specialty foundations, such as helical piers and micro-piles
  • Retaining walls and global stability analysis
  • Interpretation of in-situ soil and rock test data
  • Earthen dam analysis
  • Pile and deep foundation design
  • Groundwater studies
  • Infiltration studies for stormwater management
  • Double-ring infiltration testing
  • Design and implementation of groundwater monitoring plans
  • Pavement design services (both rigid and flexible)
  • Geotechnical earthquake engineering
  • Engineering geology
  • On-site and borrow source evaluations
  • Soil stabilization
  • Soil dynamics and machine foundation design

Field & Drilling Services

  • Standard SPT test borings
  • Auger borings
  • Test pits
  • Standard Penetration Tests (SPT)
  • Monitoring well and temporary piezometer installation
  • Continuous sampling
  • Undisturbed thin-walled tubes
  • Groundwater level measurements and sampling
  • Bulk disturbed samples
  • Rock coring services
  • Specialized geotechnical in-situ testing cone penetration (CPT), Dilatometer (DMT) and Borehole Shear (BST) testing
  • Pressuremeter (PMT) testing for soil and rock
  • Geophysical explorations, GPR, ReMi, seismic refraction, electrical resistivity

Laboratory Services

  • Soil classification
  • Organic content
  • Water content
  • Atterberg limits
  • Soil grain-size analysis
  • Wash #200 sieve
  • Hydrometer analysis
  • Shear strength parameters  
  • Consolidation
  • Compaction, standard, modified and DOT methods
  • Permeability testing
  • California Bearing Ratio (CBR)
  • Soil-cement mix designs
  • Lime-soil mix designs
  • Triaxial testing
  • Relative density
  • Specialty geotechnical laboratory tests