Evaluation of the road failure using resistivity and screw driving sounding testing techniques: A case study in Ang Thong province, Thailand

Abstract This paper presents the case study of a failure of road along an irrigation canal in Ang Thong province, Thailand. The canal side road failure is a recurring problem that occurs annually due to the drought. The concept of resistivity survey related to the soil moisture; therefore, the results can be used to evaluate and confirm the potential of road failure in the weakness zones. Moreover, the screw driving sounding test is a new field testing to investigate the soil classification, estimate shear strength parameters, and estimate equivalent Standard Penetration Test (SPT) value. The study aimed to evaluate a canal side road failure, which was achieved by combining the resistivity survey and screw driving sounding test. The effectiveness of the combining site investigation was confirmed by using the 2-dimensional (2-D) finite element software. A comparison of the stability of the canal side road in the failure zone and stability zone was performed by calculating the factor of safety under low and high -water level conditions. Consequently, it was confirmed that the combination of resistivity survey and screw driving sounding test can be applied for site investigation to evaluate the stability of canal side road.