Geophysical and Sedimentological Studies of Shallow Facies Encountered in the Ring Road Extension Towards Mariotia, Elmunib, Giza, Egypt | ||||
Al-Azhar Bulletin of Science | ||||
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 14 July 2025 | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/absb.2025.441612 | ||||
![]() | ||||
Authors | ||||
Amr E Hassan ![]() ![]() | ||||
1Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. | ||||
2Nuclear Materials Authority, El Maadi, Cairo, P.O. Box 530, Egypt. | ||||
3Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, 11762, Egypt. | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Egypt has achieved a huge leap in transportation and infrastructure, fostering sustainable development and strengthening its position as a regional center for investment, tourism, and trade. The Ring Road, a key project, enhances service, reduces travel time, and minimizes fuel consumption and environmental impacts. However, collapses caused by foundation layers severely threaten structural elements. This study aims to evaluate these foundation layers using geophysical surveys and sedimentary studies to identify the different layers, their depths, and the thickness of each layer, as well as investigating the nature of the layer on which the construction will be carried out—its type, and properties of the construction layer. Geophysical surveys (using shallow seismic refraction) and sedimentary studies (including mechanical analysis and X-ray diffraction, XRD) were conducted. The obtained results demonstrate four layers of soil in the study area. The 1st layer consists of filling materials, ultimate Capacity [0.09-3.94] Kg/cm2, Allowable Capacity [0.02-1.13] Kg/cm2, while the 2nd layer is formed of clay materials, ultimate Capacity [9.24-17.51] Kg/cm2, Allowable Capacity [1.23-5.84] Kg/cm2. The third and fourth layers consist of silt and sand materials, 3rd has ultimate Capacity [10.22-58.68] Kg/cm2, Allowable Capacity [3.41-19.56] Kg/cm2 and 4th ultimate Capacity [50.58-93.64] Kg/cm2, Allowable Capacity [16.86-31.21] Kg/cm2. Sedimentary studies also distinguished between river and beach sand origins and identified the primary clay minerals in the area as Quartz, Montmorillonite, Kaolinite, Albite, Bentonite, Rutile, and Nontronite, with clay mineral content less than 15%. The presence of specific clay types, such as Montmorillonite and Bentonite, holds significant engineering implications for the long-term stability of foundations. These findings, particularly the identified bearing capacities and clay mineral composition, provide critical engineering implications, offering site-specific data essential for optimized foundation design, mitigating the risk of structural failures, and ensuring the long-term stability and sustainability of the Ring Road expansion project. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Egypt; Geophysical investigations; Ring Road; Cairo; Sedimentological investigations; X-Ray diffraction | ||||
Statistics Article View: 51 |
||||