We all know that Geotechnical Engineering is a field of civil engineering that focuses on analyzing the geotechnical behavior of soils and rocks. Typically, this type of engineering is involved in construction projects. Engineers and geotechnical engineering consultants will need to collect soil samples where a building or structure will be built. After they have collected the soil samples, they will test the soil to find out whether it is cohesive or not and whether the soil is stable or not. The ground must be stable for the structure to be built, otherwise it could collapse.
However, these are not the only things you need to know about geotechnical engineering. There are certain considerations that are involved. The understanding of soil behavior during the last 300 years has focused on mechanical principles and geological processes. Later, mineralogy and the relevance of colloidal chemistry were discussed. And recently, research in earth sciences and biology has enabled significant advances in understanding the important role of microorganisms in the evolution of the earth and their presence in near-surface rocks and soils. It has also allowed us to understand the participation of microorganisms in the mediation and facilitation of geochemical reactions. And now, we have come to the understanding that in the field of Geotechnical Engineering, there is an effect of biological activities on the mechanical behavior of the soil.
So what are the biological considerations in Geotechnical Engineering and the different geotechnical engineering services?
As has been said before, microorganisms are involved in the evolution of the earth and that is a fact that we cannot deny. In other words, microorganisms play an important role in the formation of many fine-grained soils. Apart from that, they can also alter and change the behavior of coarse-grained soils. They can also speed up the geochemical reaction by orders of magnitude. They also promote both weathering and aging. And lastly, they can alter the mechanical and chemical properties of the samples after the soil has been sampled.
These are the biological considerations that must be made in Geotechnical Engineering. It is very important for geotechnical engineering companies and geotechnical engineering companies to know this. The state of the soil on which any structure is to be built depends on the microorganisms that are present in that area. Understanding this is very important before starting a geotechnical engineering project to avoid any problems in testing and construction work.