Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 1859c547-c10c-4ce4-ad2e-e54f7b66d4ef
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Laboratory Investigations of Soils and Rocks for Engineering Analysis and Design of Nuclear Power Plants + HISTORY – HISTORY 07/2014 – DG-1256 , Proposed Revision 3 08/2001 – DG-1109 , Proposed Revision 2 (Rev. 3)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1318/ML13186A032.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.138
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
g out tests on samples of soil in a laboratory. These tests fall into two main categories: classification tests and engineering properties tests. Classification tests indicate the general type of soil and the engineering category to which it belongs. Specific tests to determine engineering properties require careful consideration of field conditions, various design loading conditions, material properties, and possible problems at the site. The focus of laboratory investigations should depend on the design requirements and nature of problems encountered or suspected at the site. b. In addition to the usual geotechnical engineering considerations, the investigation and evaluation of sites for nuclear power plants requires an evaluation of the site’s response to earthquake loading and other dynamic loading conditions. Such analyses include the evaluation of wave propagation characteristics of subsurface materials with interaction effects of structures, analysis of the potential for soil liquefaction, settlement under dynamic loading, and analysis of the effects of earthquake loading on the stability of slope and embankments. c. The basic parameters required as input for dynamic response analyses of soils include total mass density, relative density, Poisson’s ratio, static soil strength, initial stress conditions, shear and compressional wave velocities, and the dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio. Such analyses also need the variation of strength, moduli, and damping with strain. 5. Testing Procedures for Determining Static Soil Properties 5.1. General a. Laboratory tests on soil and rock material should be thorough and of sufficient documented quality to permit a realistic estimate of soil and rock properties and subsurface conditions. Personnel experienced in laboratory practices for soil testing should be responsible for handling samples, DG-1256, Page 9 preparing test specimens, specifying testing procedures and operations, and completing all related