Every foundation, retaining wall, and earthworks project stands or falls on what lies beneath the surface, yet ground conditions are often the least understood variable in a construction plan. This Arab British Fellowship Training Academy course puts geotechnical site investigation at the centre, then builds the soil mechanics knowledge engineers need to interpret what that investigation reveals.

Participants move from field practice, sampling, in-situ testing, and investigation planning, into the mechanics that make sense of the results: soil classification, shear strength, settlement behaviour, and permeability. The course closes with how modern geophysical and remote-sensing tools are changing site characterisation, leaving engineers with a practical, decision-ready view of subsurface risk.

Who Should Attend?

• Geotechnical and civil engineers responsible for site investigations and foundation design.
• Engineering geologists and field technicians collecting subsurface data.
• Construction managers and supervisors overseeing ground works.
• Consultants and contractors delivering geotechnical scopes of work.

Knowledge and Benefits:

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Plan a geotechnical site investigation, from desk study through borehole and sampling strategy.
• Apply standard and advanced in-situ tests (SPT, CPT, plate load, vane shear) and interpret their results.
• Classify soils and evaluate their index, compaction, and shear strength properties.
• Analyse stress distribution and predict settlement for foundation design.
• Turn laboratory and field data into reliable geotechnical reports and design inputs.
• Recognise where geophysical and remote-sensing methods add value to a site investigation.

Module 1: Planning the Investigation Before You Touch the Ground

• Objectives and phases of a geotechnical site investigation
• Desk studies and preliminary data review
• Planning borehole locations and a testing strategy

Module 2: Getting Soil Out of the Ground: Sampling and In-situ Testing

• Disturbed vs undisturbed sampling, and sample preservation
• Sampling tools: hand augers, Shelby tubes, and piston samplers
• Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and Cone Penetration Test (CPT)
• Plate load tests and vane shear tests

Module 3: What Is Soil, Really? Composition and Classification

• Soil composition, phase relationships, and classification systems
• Particle size distribution and Atterberg limits
• The effective stress principle and permeability

Module 4: Strength and Compactability of Soil

• Compaction principles and moisture-density relationships
• Shear strength parameters and Mohr-Coulomb theory
• Laboratory and field shear strength tests

Module 5: Will It Settle? Stress and Settlement Prediction

• Boussinesq and Westergaard stress theories
• Types of settlement and prediction methods
• Factors influencing settlement and mitigation approaches

Module 6: From Samples to Numbers: Laboratory Testing

• Classification tests: grain size and Atterberg limits
• Strength tests: triaxial, direct shear, and consolidation
• Data processing and geotechnical report preparation

Module 7: Making the Data Useful: Interpretation and Risk

• Correlating field and laboratory results
• Groundwater considerations and slope stability basics
• Risk assessment and design input parameters

Module 8: New Tools for Site Characterisation

• Geophysical methods: resistivity, seismic, and GPR
• Remote sensing and GIS applications
• Advances in monitoring and instrumentation