In some cases, unsuitable slope materials will be excavated and removed, and other excavated materials will be brought in to replace them. However, excavated materials may also be used in the building of the roadway, such as to build embankments. For example, excavated materials may be removed to another location to make way for road construction. Excavation can be used to remove muck to another area, or to spread it out so that soil can dry.Įxcavation related to roadways can have a couple of different purposes. Specifically, muck includes water and/or soil that is somehow undesirable, perhaps due to contamination of some sort, or maybe just because of the water content, which makes an area impassable. Like earth excavation, this is a type of excavation based on material, in this case muck, or a combination of water and soil. This type of excavation may be somewhat more precise than other types as the concrete for footings will likely be poured and left to set. Footing excavation occurs after a building site has been properly graded, at which point excavation can begin. As you can probably guess, it pertains to the removal of soil (located beneath topsoil) and it could apply to earth removal for the purposes of laying a structure foundation, digging a drainage ditch, or any number of other construction or engineering projects.įootings are foundations structures used to support buildings, bridges, and other structures by spreading the load so that the heavy structure above doesn’t sink or collapse. This is a type of excavation classification that centers on the material being excavated, rather than the purpose for excavation. Dredging is a type of excavation that takes place underwater, generally in rivers or shallow ocean passages (or other waterways) for the purpose of removing sediment to other locations so that boat traffic can navigate without getting stuck. Sediment deposits in waterways can build up over time, making them impassable. These ditches must be excavated to funnel water away from habitation, infrastructure, agriculture, and other areas that could be harmed. This could help to alleviate flooding or alternately, stagnation and sediment buildup.ĭrainage is related to carrying water away from areas and could include ditches, trenches, storm drains, agricultural drainage, drainage for runoff, and so on, as well as any structures related to such drainage. These materials may be used for grading, fill, or mixing with other construction materials like concrete, just for example.Ĭhannel excavation consists of removing materials from channels, drainage ditches, and so on for one of several purposes, but often to change the flow of water or increase capacity. In this type of excavation, materials like soil or gravel are taken from a “borrow” pit (sometimes called a sandbox) to be used in another location. Borrow excavation does just the opposite. In many types of excavation, materials are removed to make way for construction. This type of excavation is related to the construction of bridges and centers on removing any materials that might impede the construction of the foundations, substructures, and so on required to support the bridge.

Below are thirteen common types of excavation, by both type and material. Excavation is undertaken for a number of purposes, and different types of excavation are classified either by their specific purpose or the type of material being excavated. Types of excavation: In engineering and construction, excavation consists of using tools, equipment, or explosives for the purposes of moving soil, rocks, or other materials.

Excavationist or geodist