What does Borings Mean?
Definition of Borings in Construction
The drilling of borings into the earth on a construction site is a common method of establishing the ground characteristics of the material at the project.
The borings are done in such a way that a cylinder of material is extracted from the drill hole to enable the analysis of the material removed. Characteristics such as depth of topsoil, gravel layers, sand and clay as well as the water table and any rock ledge will be clearly visible. Unfortunately the ground is a changing entity and can change within feet of a boring.
A boring plan, identifying the locations of the borings, as well as a boring log, are both valuable information for the engineers as well as the contractors. It takes an experienced site contractor to interpret a boring plan and logs to understand the ground that the project is being built upon. The borings will at least provide a general interpretation of the ground, and what is beneath the surface, allowing a more intelligent estimate of the amount of rock, gravel, sand, etc will be encountered as the project is excavated.
The extent of boring investigation on a project is extremely critical to the accuracy of the site work bids. In many cases, the expenditure of money to drill several boring cores will pay for itself with more accurate site-work proposals.