Assembling the ground model and the derived values

The Ground Model is defined in the second generation of Eurocode 7 as a ‘site-specific outline of the disposition and character of the ground and groundwater based on results from ground investigations and other available data’. It is a compilation of data including maps, plans, sections, and reports that capture objective information across the zone of influence - including rockhead & structural geology, superficial geology and geomorphology, seismicity, hydrogeological conditions and geotechnical & geochemical conditions. The Ground Model is an illustration based on derived values of ground properties - obtained by theory, correlation, or empiricism from test results or field measurements - and interpolation between factual data, including the distribution of the geotechnical units within the zone of influence. Derived values presented in the Ground Investigation Report (GIR) are the source for representative values of ground properties to be used in ultimate and serviceability limit state verifications.

In the second generation Eurocode 7, the concept of the zone of influence is sensibly widened, after environmental and seismic aspects have become central in planning the Ground Investigation and processing the results. This guideline addresses the process of assembling the Ground Model, highlighting the importance of progressively upgrading it with an increase in knowledge of the ground within the zone of influence of the specific structure.