HomeMy WebLinkAboutSoils Report 08.18.2020CIVCO Engineering, Inc. Civil Engineering Consultants P.O. Box 1758 365 West 50 North, Suite W-1 Vernal, Utah 84078 August 18, 2020 Shawn Ruse Clayton Homes 671 23 Road Grand Junction, CO 81505 Dear Shawn, Subject Sop investigation — Bishop Residence at TBD CR 301, Parachute, CO I am writing to report the findings of a soil investigation that was conducted at the proposed site for the Bishop residence at TBD County Road 301, Parachute, Colorado. The investigation entailed the analysis of one soil sample that was taken at approximately the location and bearing depth of the proposed foundation. Testing of the soil sample included a sieve analysis and Atterberg Limits testing. The results of the soil testing were used to classify the soil sample as 'CL - Sandy Lean Clay' according to the Unified Soil Classification System. A copy of the soil data is included with this letter. CL soils are inorganic clays of low to medium plasticity. In addition to clay particles, CL soils may contain a fair amount of gravel-, sand-, and silt -sized particles. The sample tested contained a sizable proportion (32.3%) of particles that are sand -sized (#200 Sieve) or larger. Literature suggests that medium to stiff CL soils are likely to have bearing capacities in the range of 4,000 psf. Recognizing that no specific bearing capacity testing was performed, 1 recommend that a more conservative bearing capacity of 2000 psf be used for design purposes. Over the years, a number of studies have been conducted in an effort to correlate soil expansiveness to atterberg limit data. According to one study, soils with Liquid Limits less than 50% and Plasticity Indices that less than 25%, generally have a low potential for expansion (Snethen, Johnson, and Patrick, 1977). The soil sample tested was found to have a Liquid Limit of 31% and a Plasticity Index of 10%. Thus, according to the referenced study, the soil in question is anticipated to have a low expansion potential. It should be noted that Attertierg Limits testing does not address mineralogy and thus may have a limited ability to reliably predict soil expansion potential. CL soils often are susceptible to frost heave. Methods should be implemented to lessen the likelihood of frost heave. Foundations should extend to below frost depth or be frost -protected by some other means. Water should be kept away from the foundation. Walkways, driveways, and ground surfaces should be graded to flow away from the foundation. Gutter down -spout outlets should be kept at least five feet away from the foundation. Vegetation requiring significant watering should not be planted near the foundation. No testing was done to determine the soil's collapse potential. In my experience, foundation failures due to soil collapse are generally even more catastrophic than failures due to soil expansion. In every instance of soil collapse failure that I have investigated, the damaged home was boated at the mouth of a pronounced drainage, such as a canyon or gully where the soil has been deposited alluvially by intermittent runoff water flows. Alluvially-deposited soils are typically not very dense and derive their strength from mineral bonds that form between soil particles. When these soils become wet, the mineral bonds dissolve, allowing the soil particles to consolidate (collapse) under any load that is in excess of that which existed when the mineral bonds originally formed. Phone (435)789-5448 * Fax (435)789-4485 Email: vancekingeocivcoengineering,com • Page 2 August 18, 2020 Verify that the project site is not at the mouth of any obvious drainage. The aforementioned methods for lowering the risk of frost heave are also key to lessening the risk of soil collapse failure. In summary, the soil under the foundation was not specifically tested to determine its expansiveness but results of atterberg limits testing suggest that the soil has a low expansion potential. Likewise, the soil was not specifically tested to determine bearing capacity but was found to be of a type having characteristic bearing capacities in the range of 4000 psf. For design purposes, a 2000 psf bearing capacity is recommended. No specific testing was performed to determine the collapse potential of the soil. The homeowner should make every effort to keep moisture from being introduced to the soil near the foundation. Any future purchaser of the home should be apprised of the underlying soil characteristics and the importance of keeping moisture away from the foundation. This concludes my report. Please note that this investigation was performed for the purpose of providing general information regarding the soil underlying the proposed home and makes no prediction of foundational performance. This report should not be regarded as documentation of a geotechnical investigation as I am not a geotechnical engineer and this study was not conducted to any generally accepted standard of geotechnical engineering practice. Please contact me if you have questions regarding this report. Sincerely, Vance V. King, PE Engineer CIVCO Engineering, Inc. Enclosure Cc: Project File Q. C. Testing. Inc 2944 S 1500 E VERNAL, UTAH 84078 Phone (435) 789-0220 Fax (435) 781-1876 Project No. or Client: Material Type: Distance from CL: SIEVE ANALYSIS AND ATTEBERG LIMITS CIVCO Engineering - Bishop residence Q_ C_ TESTING 7 native - unified soil classification Stations: Depth: Date Sampled AASHTO T-27 Coarse Gradation Sieve Size Weight T Ret. % Ret. % Total Passing Sieve Size Specs 3" (75mm) 3" 2" (somm) 2" 1.5" (37.5mm) 1.5" 1"(25mm) 0 0 100 1" 3/4" (iemm) 31.5 8.9 91.7 3/4" 1/2" (125mm) 1/2" 3/8" (9.5mm) 3/8" #4 (4.75mm) #4 4/4 (4 75mm) WET WT. -#4 (4.75mm) DRY WT. Total MF= Tested By 138 Fine Gradation Size Weight Ret. % Ret. % Pass #4 (4 75mm) #8 (2 38mm) _ #10 (2 omm) 2.7 0.8 90.3 #16 (1 ism) #20 (85opm) 9.6 2.7 87.6 #30 (s0o).n) ft40 (425 vn) 19.1 5.4 82.2 .450 (3ooi.n) f160 (25ojn) .480 (isownl I/100 (1sopm)_ I/200 51.4 14.5 67.7 4/200 (75um) 239.0 67.8 Total Remarks SOIL CLASSIFICATION (unified) Date Tested: 8/13/2020 UNIFIED Atterberg Limit Uo,id Limit 31 Plastic Unw 21 Plastic Index 10 Classification CL - sandy lean clay 4/4 Moisture Data Wel WI. 364 Dry WI. 353.3 H2O Wt. 10.7 H2O% 3.0 Washed Dry Wt. 122.2 LIQUID AND PLASTIC LIMITS TEST REPORT 60 50 40 z V30 - 20 10 - Dashed line indicates the approximate upper limit boundary for natural soils / --7 1 / / / / / / 0 a 33.6 33.2 32.8 32.4 1- w 32 z chi 31.6 Q 31.2 30.8 30.4 10 20 • 0ti ML or OL 30 40 50 60 LIQUID LIMIT 70 MH or OH 80 90 100 110 • • • 30 29.6 5 • 6 7 8 9 MATERIAL DESCRIPTION native NUMBER OF BLOWS LL 31 PL 21 PI 10 20 • 25 30 40 %<#4o Project No. Client: Civco Project: Soil Classifications Location: Bishop residence QC TESTING, INC. Remarks: o%<#2oo Figure usCs Tested By: TD