Working all the angles

Our highly versatile excavator-mounted inclined rig solved the challenge of testing next to a road in Oxfordshire this summer.

UK21 carried out 35 CPTs, to a maximum depth of 25m, at the proposed locations of drainage culverts for the road, at angles of between 20° and 55°.

“UK21 was originally developed to carry out CPTs through reservoir embankments,” explained Lankelma Technical Manager Joe Hobbs. “However, it has far wider applications, particularly for inclined testing below buried structures, deep or shallow foundations and next to piles, to assess ground conditions and the potential re-use of below ground structures.”

UK21 fits onto the end of most excavator arms and can be tilted to allow CPTs to be carried out at any angle up to 90°.

“The CPT cone has been modified to allow the angle of testing to be monitored throughout the test and provide a repeatable relative stiffness profile,” Joe said. “In many cases, it is also possible to carry out horizontal CPTs along the course of the inclined test so that we can calibrate results to the equivalent vertical test results.”