WorldWide Drilling Resource

Tunneling by: Colorado School of Mines Tunneling Fundamentals, Practice, and Innovations October 15-18 ~ Golden, CO phone: 303-384-2690 www.csmspace.com Water Utilities by: Buried Asset Management Inst. Four-Part Series in Asset Management Anytime ~ ONLINE phone: 330-467-7588 www.conference.com/Benjamin/ CTAM/CTAM_Home.html Education Connec. cont’d from page 30. 34 SEPTEMBER 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® A Testing Tool for the Digital Age of Drilling Adapted from Information by MARL Industries, Inc. The standard penetration test (SPT) is the most widely used test in geotechnical drilling. However, the test is far from standard. It yields unpredictable, widely divergent results, and is mistrusted by the geotechnical engineers who use it to determine the properties of the soil. While other technologies such as cone penetration tests (CPT) and dilatometers have emerged in recent decades, the SPT hasn't changed since the 1950s, or even much from its origins in the early 1900s. Despite its limitations, it has remained popular because there have been few alternatives, and the test is relatively inexpensive. To compensate for the limitations of the SPT data, engineers often err on the side of caution and overdesign foundations, which in- evitably ends up adding cost to a project. Design engineers at MARL Technologies identified the various factors limiting the ac- curacy of conventional SPT testing. Using their extensive knowledge of digital drill control systems, they created the MARL eSPT ® . Although it has all of the components of a traditional SPT system, it also features state-of-the-art sensor systems and is fully digitally-controlled. The hammer drop is also precisely measured and controlled, while sampler advancement is measured and moni- tored to within a tenth of an inch. If a client does not wish to use the eSPT ® , the drill oper- ator can simply turn off the software and conduct the test without it. For the first time, geotechnical engineers and project owners have the ability to reliably and accurately acquire in-situ SPT data which conforms to industry (ASTM) standards. Test results are uploaded upon completion of each test, for online viewing. This gives proj- ect managers faster and more complete project situation awareness, aiding the real-time management of drilling programs. The system completes the test automatically, incorpo- rating all aspects of the ASTM standards into the system logic. Using the eSPT ® system enables geotechnical engineers to begin collecting the high-quality data called for in new and emerging professional design standards. If unusual results occur, engineers can quickly rule out whether the test was conducted properly. With confidence in the results, they can provide better value to clients in founda- tion designs. Additionally, historical drilling data is easy to recall for future site investiga- tions, another feature engineers find valuable. Initially designed for MARL M-series drills, the eSPT ® system can be installed on most brands of drills, giving system owners a strategic advantage over the competition. MARL Technologies is based in Littleton, Colorado, and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. MARL offers drills and products for auger, rotary, geotechnical, environmental, sonic, geothermal, water well, CPT, mining, and construction drilling, including its customizable M Series drills, as well as rotary drills from Italian manufacturers FRASTE and Ripamonti. C&G