The Contractor shall
have the sole responsibility of satisfying himself concerning the nature of the
work, and the conditions, particularly with respect to testing procedures of
the required laboratory tests.
The Contractor shall
provide a qualified Geotechnical Engineer to be present in the laboratory on
all workday to supervise the work. The
work is subject to inspection and observations, and technical direction by the
Owner. The methods employed for
laboratory testing shall be approved by the Owner.
WORK INCLUDED
Delivering, packing
and transporting to Contractor's laboratory soil and/or rock samples from the
exploration site (s) and/or storage sheds near the projects site area.
Storing, handling and
preparing for testing all soil and/or rock samples at the Contractor's
laboratory.
Preparing and
implementing a documented Laboratory Quality Assurance/Quality Control Program.
Performing laboratory
tests in accordance with the requirements described in this specification and
in designated standards. A general list
of the laboratory tests for soil and/or rock samples is provided in Table
4.4.2.2-1 attached to these specifications.
Not all the tests described in this table may be required. Types and number of tests and testing
priorities will be determined by the Owner.
If and when required
by the Owner reporting the preliminary results of all tests upon their
completion, typically on a weekly basis.
Preparing and submitting
a draft and final data report on laboratory testing giving complete results of
all the tests, and summarizing the procedures for all the tests performed in
accordance with the procedures and requirements specified, with appropriate
graphs and data plots.
Preserving and
temporarily storing the unused portions of all soil and/or rock samples until
written disposition instructions are given by the Owner.
Preserving all the
raw data sheets, calculation sheets and graphs until written disposition instructions
are given by the Owner.
WORK NOT INCLUDED
Geotechnical
engineering services related to engineering analysis and design other than
those needed to calculate laboratory test results.
CODES AND STANDARDS
Tests shall be
conducted in conformance with the American Society of Testing Material (ASTM)
standard listed in Table 4.4.2.2-1. The
Contractor may propose other applicable material or international standards for
the Engineer's evaluation, acceptance and approval.
QUALITY REQUIREMENTS
This Specification
covers services that influence the safety of structures. The Contractor shall use procedures
conforming to referenced standards, unless otherwise approved by the Owner.
All laboratory
testings shall be carried out by qualified personnel under qualified
supervision by the Contractor. All
testings shall be carried out using calibrated equipment. The accuracy of
calibration shall be documented and the documentation shall be available for
inspection by the Owner.
QUALITY CONTROL
PROGRAM
A documented quality
assurance/control program, applicable to the services to be performed in the
laboratory by the Contractor shall be prepared, approved by the Owner and
implemented.
INSPECTION OF WORK
The Contractor,
including any subordinate organizations engaged by him, shall be subject
surveillance inspection and audit by the Owner. Inspection of laboratory
activities may be performed by the Owner while the work is in progress to
provide compliance with specified technical and quality requirements, to observe
the equipment and procedures, and to review the testing program.
Inspection or audit
by the Owner shall not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility for
complying with the requirements of the Contract Documents.
SUBCONTRACTS AND
ASSIGNMENTS
In the event that the
Contractor employs any other organization to perform any portion of the work to
which the quality assurance program is applicable, all of the quality assurance
requirements of this Specification shall be bound upon the subordinate organization.
SAMPLE TYPES
The Contractor shall
be required to perform testing on the following types of samples:
Moisture content samples in moisture
content containers.
Disturbed bulk samples in plastic bags or
lined sacks.
Disturbed split-barrel samples in jars.
Undisturbed 50 mm and/or 75 mm nominal
diameter samples in Shelby tubes or in other types of tubes as approved by the
Owner.
Relatively undisturbed 8 mm (O.D.) nominal
diameter ring-lined samples in tubes or in other types of containers as
approved by the Owner.
Relatively undisturbed block samples in
containers as approved by the Owner.
Rock core, 50 mm and/or 75 mm nominal
diameter, samples in core boxes and/or in other containers as approved by the
Owner.
Relatively undisturbed chunk samples of
soft rock in container's as approved by the Owner.
The Contractor should
note that not all the sample types described in this specification might be
required to be tested in the laboratory.
PACKING, HANDLING,
TRANSPORTING AND PRESERVING SAMPLES
The Contractor shall
pack, handle, transport and preserve all core samples in good condition in accordance
with ASTM: D2113, Standard Practice for Diamond Core Drilling for Site
Investigation, and all soil samples in accordance with ASTM: D4220, Standard
Practice for Preserving and Transporting Soil Samples.
The Contractor may
propose for the Engineer approval suitable methods to pack, handle, transport,
and to preserve soil and rock samples.
All samples shall be handled, packed, shipped and stored in compliance
with the requirements of applicable standards using a procedure that has been
proven adequate for minimizing or preventing disturbance or changes in material
properties.
Undisturbed tube
samples, block samples, chunk samples including rock core boxes shall be
treated with extreme care at all times and shall not be dropped, jarred,
vibrated or exposed to extreme temperatures.
On the Contractor's
laboratory premises, all the samples tubes, block samples, and chunk samples
including rock cores shall be kept sealed and shall be stored in a
constant-temperature humid room. If the
seal on any sample is broken for any reason, the sample shall be resealed.
All moisture contents
and disturbed sample containers and/or bags shall be kept sealed to avoid
changes in moisture content until required for testing. All sacks containing bulk soil and aggregate
samples shall be securely tied and labeled and kept in storage until disposal
as determined and approved by the Owner.
If only a portion of
a sample is used for testing, the remainder shall be resealed immediately, and
shall be properly stored in marked containers.
LABORATORY TESTING
PROGRAMS
The work includes
performing laboratory tests on disturbed and relatively undisturbed and
remolded soil samples, and on rock cores obtained during the subsurface
investigations. All testing shall be
performed as soon as practical after receiving the samples.
In general, standard
test procedures that are followed without deviation and performed on standard
equipment shall be documented by reference only. For tests where there are no standard
procedures available, or where it is appropriate to use modified or alternative
procedures, the details of the test procedures shall be documented for
evaluation and future referencing. The technical basis for deviating from
standard testing procedures shall be included in the documentation. Use of
other than standard equipment, even if it is used with standard testing
procedures, shall also be documented. The Contractor shall submit testing
schedules, subject to approval by the Owner, before any testing is commenced. A
listing of the number of required tests which are anticipated at this time, for
this Contract, is included in Schedule of Prices.