In addition to thorough investigation by probing, drilling and analysis, also monitoring

Substantiated soil condition advice for infrastructure projects requires more than just probing, according to Aad van der Burg, director of Geosonda. "Soil mechanical research in the infrastructure sector consists of several components: probing, drilling and lab research. Despite this combination where you get a much better and substantiated result, monitoring and adjusting the execution is essential for the desired result."

Geosonda distinguishes itself with a wide range of services. As part of the ABO Group, Geosonda is able to take on the entire spectrum of soil testing and consulting in-house. "Besides probing, we also make soil borings, take undisturbed soil samples and have them analyzed in our own laboratory in Breda," says Aad. "Especially in infrastructure projects, combined research is essential to indicate the right parameters for settlement calculations or sheet piling calculations, for example. We used to outsource the lab research, but we've been able to do that in-house for several years now. And that benefits speed. Moreover, this way we can also say just a little bit more about the quality."

Combination of disciplines

Probing is Geosonda's core business. "No probing is too crazy for us," says Aad. "We have an extensive fleet of machinery, ranging from several demountable units for indoor probing, in confined spaces or hard-to-reach locations, a trio of mini-trackers around 2 tons, a trio of mid-trackers of 11 tons and a large tracker of 20 tons weight for standard work. We also have a fleet of the 'familiar' tracktrucks. Basically, we can handle all probing jobs. In addition, we can use the expertise of our sister companies Sialtech, specialized in mechanical soil drilling with pulse and sonic drilling rigs, as well as ABO Environmental Consult, specialized in environmental soil testing." In addition to research, Geosonda is increasingly hired to monitor implementation. Using professional measuring equipment, our own surveyor accurately measures pocket beacons, elevation bolts, etc. Geosonda also has data loggers for recording water pressures in the soil or water levels in monitoring wells.

N211

In its in-house laboratory, Geosonda is able to perform quality geotechnical tests and analyses. "Among other things, our specialists here provide compression tests, tri-axial tests, examine grain distributions, permeability and volume weights and other minor soil parameters," Aad explains. "The broad expertise means that we not infrequently work for different clients on a project. A good example is the reconstruction of the N211 where new structures are being built and intersections are being modified. Two years ago we conducted soil surveys here for the province of South Holland, while this summer we started working for the contractor. We provide all probing, drilling and laboratory testing. We recently started monitoring the pore water pressure in the soil under the embankments that have been installed. Thus, the contractor has only one point of contact for all soil testing and monitoring."