Preliminary hazard assessment and site characterization of Meşelik campus area, Eskişehir-Turkey

Abstract. Limited knowledge of ground conditions, such as geotechnical parameters, is one of the main causes of foundation failure. Unknown ground conditions can also cause additional burden costs. Due to lack of geotechnical parameters in foundation soil, some problems can be observed during and after the construction.

In this study, a comprehensive field study was conducted to make a preliminary hazard assessment on the Meşelik campus area, Eskişehir, Turkey. In this context, the experimental studies were performed in two stages. In the first stage, boreholes were drilled in the field; a standard penetration test (SPT) was performed and disturbed/undisturbed samples were collected from certain levels. In the second stage, laboratory tests were performed in order to identify and classify the samples. Unconfined compression strength and triaxial compression tests were conducted on undisturbed samples for determining the engineering characteristics. XRD (X-ray diffraction) tests were performed and the swelling potential of the samples were evaluated. The liquefaction potential of the area was also assessed on a SPT-based method. Thus, the geotechnical parameters and the liquefaction potential of the sub-surface in the study area were thoroughly analyzed and presented to be used for further studies.