BS 5930:2015+A1:2020 remains the backbone of all site investigation in the UK, and when you are dealing with the variable Jurassic strata under Swindon, the cone penetration test provides the continuous data profile that traditional boreholes alone cannot deliver. Swindon sits on a geological boundary where the Oxford Clay gives way to the Corallian limestone and Kimmeridge Clay, creating abrupt transitions in bearing capacity over very short distances. Our team runs the CPT piezocone across the borough, from the expanding developments near the former Great Western Railway works to the clay-dominated slopes toward Liddington, ensuring that foundation recommendations under Eurocode 7 (BS EN 1997-2:2007) are based on direct measurements of tip resistance and pore pressure. The equipment pushes a 60-degree cone at a steady 20 mm/s, logging sleeve friction, dynamic pore pressure, and corrected cone resistance at centimetre intervals, which means we catch those thin sand lenses within the clay that dictate drainage behaviour and settlement times. For projects near the River Ray floodplain, where soft alluvial deposits complicate the upper profile, the CPT delineates the exact depth to competent bearing strata without the sample disturbance that can compromise laboratory results. This is not theoretical geology; it is applied stratigraphy used every day to size foundations, verify ground improvement, and assess liquefaction potential in Swindon's post-glacial river gravels.
A single CPT sounding in Swindon's Kimmeridge Clay can replace a dozen hand vane tests — but only if you calibrate the cone factor to the actual plasticity of the clay.
