Slime-meter for assessment of slime thickness based on electrical properties in borehole

Abstract

The slime formed in the borehole causes the excessive displacement and loss of the bearing capacity of the drilled shafts. Thus, an accurate evaluation of the slime thickness is required during the construction of drilled shafts. In this study, a slime-meter was developed for the effective assessment of slime thickness based on electrical resistivity. As the application tests, the slime thicknesses in the boreholes were evaluated before and after slime removal and according to the testing positions, and the experimental results show that the electrical resistivity clearly detects slime and the reduction of slime thickness. Therefore, the slime-meter developed in this study can be effectively used for the assessment of slime thickness and ensure the bearing capacity of the drilled shafts. In addition, the slime-meter may also be applicable for the evaluation of borehole conditions such as sand content in stabilizing liquid and the slime density using the characteristics of the electrical resistivity. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.