Ground engineering glossary
Plain definitions of the terms used on this site, each with its Arabic equivalent. Where a term has its own page, the entry links to it.
A
- Acceptance criteria معايير القبول
- The measurable values a finished work must meet, agreed before the work starts. Read more
- Allowable settlement الهبوط المسموح
- The amount of settlement a structure can tolerate without damage or loss of function.
B
- Bearing capacity قدرة التحمل
- The pressure the ground can carry before it fails or settles more than allowed.
- Bearing stratum طبقة التحمل
- A soil or rock layer strong enough to carry foundation loads.
- Bentonite البنتونايت
- A clay mixed with water to make a support fluid that keeps a drilled shaft or trench open. Read more
- Bored pile الخازوق المحفور
- A pile formed by drilling a shaft, placing a reinforcement cage and filling it with concrete. Read more
- Borehole الجسة
- A hole drilled to sample and test the ground at depth.
C
- Cavity التجويف
- A void in soil or rock, often formed where limestone or gypsum dissolves in groundwater. Read more
- CFA pile خازوق البريمة المستمرة
- A continuous flight auger pile: drilled with a hollow auger and concreted through the stem as the auger is withdrawn. Read more
- Collapsible soil التربة القابلة للانهيار
- A soil that is stable when dry but loses volume suddenly when wetted under load. Read more
- Cone Penetration Test (CPT) اختبار الاختراق المخروطي
- A test that pushes an instrumented cone into the ground to give a continuous profile of soil resistance. Read more
- Consolidation انضمام التربة
- The slow settlement of saturated clay or silt as water drains out of it under load.
- Contiguous pile wall جدار الخوازيق المتجاورة
- A retaining wall of bored piles installed side by side with small gaps between them. Read more
D
- Deep well البئر العميقة
- A drilled well with a submersible pump, used to lower groundwater for deep excavations. Read more
- Densification الدمك
- Packing soil grains closer together to increase density, strength and stiffness. Read more
- Dewatering نزح المياه الجوفية
- Lowering the groundwater level so that an excavation can be dug and built in stable, dry conditions. Read more
- Differential settlement الهبوط التفاضلي
- A difference in settlement between two points of a structure. It causes more damage than uniform settlement.
- Drawdown خفض المنسوب
- The drop in groundwater level caused by pumping. Read more
- Dynamic Compaction (DC) الدمك الديناميكي
- Densifying soil at depth by dropping a heavy weight from a crane onto a grid of points. Read more
- Dynamic Replacement (DR) الإحلال الديناميكي
- Forming large stone columns in soft ground by driving stone into it with a dropped weight. Read more
F
- Fines content نسبة الحبيبات الناعمة
- The proportion of silt and clay in a soil. It strongly affects how the soil responds to compaction.
G
- Geocell الخلايا الأرضية
- A honeycomb of polymer strips filled with granular material to confine it and spread load. Read more
- Geogrid الشبكات الأرضية
- A polymer grid placed in or under fill to reinforce it. Read more
- Ground anchor المرساة الأرضية
- A tensioned steel tendon grouted into soil or rock to hold back a wall or slope. Read more
- Ground improvement تحسين التربة
- Changing the properties of the ground in place so that it can carry a structure. Also called soil improvement. Read more
- Groundwater table منسوب المياه الجوفية
- The level below which the ground is saturated with water.
- Grouting الحقن
- Pumping a cement-based or chemical mix into the ground to fill voids or bind soil. Read more
H
- High Energy Impact Compaction (HEIC) الدمك بالصدم عالي الطاقة
- Compacting large areas with a towed non-circular roller that delivers repeated impacts. Also called impact rolling. Read more
I
- Integrity test اختبار السلامة
- A test that checks whether a pile shaft is continuous and free of major defects. Read more
K
- Karst الكارست
- Ground with cavities and sinkholes formed by the dissolving of limestone or gypsum. Read more
L
M
- Micropile الخازوق الدقيق (ميكروبايل)
- A small-diameter drilled and grouted pile, used for underpinning and where access is tight. Read more
P
- Pile cap قبعة الخوازيق
- A concrete block that joins the heads of a group of piles and carries the column or wall above.
- Plate Load Test (PLT) اختبار تحميل اللوح
- Loading a steel plate on the ground in steps and measuring settlement, to find stiffness near the surface. Read more
- Pore water pressure ضغط ماء المسام
- The pressure of the water in the spaces between soil grains.
- Pressuremeter Test (PMT) اختبار البريسيوميتر
- A test that expands a probe against the wall of a borehole to measure the stiffness and strength of the ground. Read more
R
- Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC) الدمك بالصدم السريع
- Compacting soil with a hydraulic hammer that strikes a steel foot resting on the ground. Read more
- Rigid inclusion العنصر الصلب
- A grout or concrete column that reinforces soft ground without being connected to the structure. Read more
- Rock socket التثبيت في الصخر
- The length of a pile drilled into rock to carry load. Read more
S
- Sabkha السبخة
- A salt flat with shallow saline groundwater and weak, salt-bearing soil, common on the Saudi coasts. Read more
- Secant pile wall جدار الخوازيق المتقاطعة
- A retaining wall of overlapping bored piles that forms a continuous, largely watertight barrier. Read more
- Settlement الهبوط
- Downward movement of the ground or a structure as the soil compresses under load.
- Shoring سند جوانب الحفر
- Temporary or permanent support of the sides of an excavation. Read more
- Shotcrete الخرسانة المقذوفة
- Concrete sprayed at high velocity onto a surface, used to face excavations and slopes. Read more
- Site investigation دراسة التربة
- Boreholes, tests and laboratory work that establish the ground conditions before design.
- Soil nail مسمار التربة
- A steel bar grouted into a slope or excavation face to reinforce it. It is not tensioned. Read more
- Stone column العمود الحجري
- A column of compacted crushed stone installed with a depth vibrator to reinforce and drain soft soil. Read more
- Subgrade تربة التأسيس
- The natural or prepared ground directly beneath a road, slab or platform. Read more
T
V
W
About the Arabic terms
Several ground engineering terms have more than one accepted Arabic form. This glossary gives the form used on this site.