ASTM_D_7015_-_D_7015M_-_18.pdf

Designation:D7015/D7015M18Standard Practices forObtaining Intact Block(Cubical and Cylindrical)Samples ofSoils1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D7015/D7015M;the number immediately following the designation indicates theyear of original adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of lastreapproval.A superscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope*1.1 These practices outline the procedures for obtainingintact block(cubical and cylindrical)soil samples.1.2 Intact block samples are obtained for laboratory tests todetermine the strength,consolidation,permeability,and othergeotechnical engineering or physical properties of the intactsoil.1.3 Two sampling practices are presented.PracticeAcoverscubical block sampling,while Practice B covers cylindricalblock sampling.1.4 These practices usually involve test pit excavation andare limited to relatively shallow depths.Except in the case oflarge diameter(that is,diameters greater than 0.8 m 2.5 ft)bored shafts of circular cross-section in unsaturated soils,fordepths greater than about 1 to 112meters 3 to 5 ft or depthsbelow the water table,the cost and difficulties of excavating,cribbing,and dewatering generally make block samplingimpractical and uneconomical.For these conditions,use of athin-walled push tube soil sampler(Practice D1587/D1587M),a piston-type soil sampler(Practice D6519),or Hollow-StemAuger(Practice D6151/D6151M),Dennison,or Pitcher-typesoil core samplers,or freezing the soil and coring may berequired.1.5 These practices do not address environmental sampling;consult Guides D6169/D6169M and D6232 for information onsampling for environmental investigations.1.6 Successful sampling of granular materials requires suf-ficient cohesion,cementation,or apparent cohesion(due tomoisture tension(suction)of the soil for it to be isolated in acolumn shape without undergoing excessive deformations.Additionally,care must be exercised in the excavation,pres-ervation and transportation of intact samples(see PracticeD4220/D4220M,Group D).1.7 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound unitsgiven in brackets are to be regarded separately as standard.The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents;therefore,each system shall be used independently of the other.Combining values from the two systems may result in noncon-formance with the standard.Reporting of test results in unitsother than SI shall not be regarded as nonconformance withthis standard.1.8 All observed and calculated values shall conform to theguidelines for significant digits and rounding established inPractice D6026 unless superseded by this standard.1.8.1 The procedures used to specify how data are collected/recorded or calculated in this standard are regarded as theindustry standard.In addition they are representative of thesignificant digits that generally should be retained.The proce-dures used do not consider material variation,purpose forobtaining the data,special purpose studies,or any consider-ations for the users objectives;it is common practice toincrease or reduce significant digits of reported data to becommensurate with these considerations.It is beyond the scopeof this standard to consider significant digits used in analyticalmethods for engineering design.1.9 These practices offer a set of instructions for performingone or more specific operations.This document cannot replaceeducation or experience and should be used in conjunctionwith professional judgment.Not all aspects of these practicesmay be applicable in all circumstances.This ASTM standard isnot intended to represent or replace the standard of care bywhich the adequacy of a given professional service must bejudged,nor should this document be applied without consid-eration of a projects many unique aspects.The word Stan-dard in the title of this document means only that thedocument has been approved through the ASTM consensusprocess.1.10 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety,health,and environmental practices and deter-mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.For specific hazard statements,see Section 6.1These practices are under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D18 on Soil andRock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.02 on Sampling andRelated Field Testing for Soil Evaluations.Current edition approved Dec.1,2018.Published December 2018.Originallyapproved in 2004.Last previous edition approved in 2013 as D7015 13.DOI:10.1520/D7015_D7015M-18.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United StatesThis international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on