Geotechnical

A division of Central Industrial Services, Inc. provides geotechnical-consulting services for both public and private interests in Puerto Rico. The company performs geotechnical investigations and consulting services, geological and hydro-geological studies, environmental assessments, geo-environmental drilling, monitoring well installation, soil and concrete testing services and quality control of earthwork construction.
Our laboratory is currently accredited by AASHTO and validated by US ARMY Corps of Engineers. These certifications qualify us for the participation in infrastructure projects requiring AASHTO and COE laboratory validation

Geotechnical Engineering Services Geotechnical services engineers are knowledgeable in foundation recommendations for a wide variety of structures ranging from residential to high-rise buildings, as well as public infrastructure projects, also analyze a wide range of foundation problems.
Geotechnical Engineering Services Include:

• Bearing Capacity
• Axial and Lateral Pile Capacity, including Drilled Shafts
• Pile Driving Recommendations (Wave Equation and Dynamic Analysis)
• Slope Stability Analysis, Recommendations and Remediation of Landslides
• Liquefaction Analysis and Mitigation
• Settlement Analysis (Elastic and Consolidation)
• Stability of Retaining Systems and Recommendations
• Location of Subsurface Cavities that can Develop into Sinkholes and Sinkhole Remediation Recommendations
• Ground Improvements Techniques
• Finite Element Analysis
• Temporary Retaining Systems for Excavations (Stability and Design)

Laboratory Services Our firm maintains a fully equipped soil and concrete testing laboratory. All physical testing of soil and aggregates are performed in accordance with ASTM, AASHTO, PRHWA, UBC, ACI or other applicable testing specifications. Skilled technicians utilizing state-of-the-art equipment assure that high quality standards are maintained. A quality assurance program that provides for regular review, update of staff skills and training, schedule of routine maintenance and calibration of laboratory equipment is maintained. A computer system facilitates precise computation and presentation of laboratory data. Soil Testing Laboratory Services Include:

• Moisture Content of Soils
• Atterberg Limits
• Sieve Analysis-Grain Size Distribution
• Unconfined Compressive Strength
• Hydrometer Analysis
• Standard and Modified Proctor Compaction Test (Automated Compaction Equipment)
• One Dimensional Consolidation Tests
• Direct Shear Strength Tests
• Triaxial Cell Tests
• Hydraulic Conductivity Tests (Permeability)
• California Bearing Ratio (CBR)
• pH Measurement
• In-place Density/Moisture (Nuclear Methods)
• Soil Expansion Potential (Swelling)
• Potential Volume Change Test
• Unit Weight Determination
• Falling or Constant Head Permeability
• Specific Gravity Determination
• Organic Content Determination
• Other Tests on request.

Concrete Testing Laboratory Services Include:

• Casting Concrete Cylinders
• Casting Concrete Beams Specimens
• Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens
• Flexural Strength Testing (Cast Beams)
• Unit Weight, Entrained Air Content, Slump
• Obtaining and Testing Drilled Concrete Cores
• Aggregates Sieve Analysis
• Specific Gravity (Fine and Coarse Grained Aggregates)

Geophysical Investigations

Geophysical investigations at sites with the presence of sinkholes and/or cavities are very common to us, typically in the Northern Karstic area of Puerto Rico. Several works have been executed for the pharmaceutical industry in the area of Vega Baja, Manatí, Barceloneta and Arecibo where subsoil is typically of karstic nature. We have vast experience performing Electrical Resistivity (ER) Surveys in order to locate subsurface anomalies, which can develop into sinkholes.
Other geophysical investigations such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Seismic Refraction (SR) can be arranged to satisfy client needs. The ground penetrating radar provides high resolution geophysics that can be used to identify buried objects and/or structures. This has been widely used for environmental applications in search of potentially hazardous buried containers.
The Seismic Refraction method is another application of subsurface investigations (imaging) which uses subsurface velocity and layer interface structure by analyzing the first arrival times of P-waves (longitudinal or compressional waves) at the surface of the earth. This application can be used to determine depth of bedrock, earth materials ripability and modulus of elasticity. This technique also refines the subsurface models achieved by drilling, providing more information to be used in the geotechnical analysis.

Gallery