Chapter 39 Introduction to Section 4

Site investigation provides a bridge to link the requirements of a specific project with its successful design and execution. Knowledge of the fundamental principles of material behaviour, ground hazards and construction risk are necessary at the outset, and these are discussed in the preceding sections.

In preparing this section, the authors have focussed on providing general guidance on principles, without overly delving into detail. For example, general classifications systems for soils and rock are provided in standard texts such as BS EN ISO 14688 (British Standards Institution, 2002, 2004) and 14689 (British Standards Institution, 2003) and reference to other detailed texts may be required for material-specific classification systems. The emphasis here is on the importance of thought and knowledge to site investigation practice and the section begins with an appeal for its application.