ABSTRACT
Traditionally geotechnical and geoenvironmental site investigations are performed using vertical drilling technology. However, vertical drilling has several technical limitations including restricted access to zones beneath surface and subsurface obstacles, the ability to operate only from the surface and the local and discrete nature of the information provided. These limitations can be overcome by combining horizontal directional drilling technology with the collection of samples (horizontally) and in-situ tests in order to obtain continuous information regarding subsurface conditions along the alignment. This paper describes the Smart Subsurface Horizontal Investigation Probe (SSHIP), one of the first devices in this new generation of horizontal characterization tools. In particular, the paper presents laboratory results from a miniature cone penetrometer (CPT) that was deployed from within SSHIP and tested in various soil conditions. Sleeve friction and tip resistance measurements were used to develop a soil classification chart as well as a correlation between the tip resistance and the soil undrained shear strength.
