1.1 This practice covers a procedure for using a thin-walled metal tube to recover relatively intact soil samples suitable for laboratory tests of engineering properties, such as strength, compressibility, permeability, and density. Thin-walled tubes used in piston, plug, or rotary-type samplers should comply with Section 6.3 of this practice which describes the thin-walled tubes.

1.2 This practice is limited to soils that can be penetrated by the thin-walled tube. This sampling method is not recommended for sampling soils containing gravel or larger size soil particles, cemented, or very hard soils. Other soil samplers may be used for sampling these soil types. Such samplers include driven split barrel samplers and soil coring devices (D1586, D3550, and D6151). For information on appropriate use of other soil samplers refer to D6169.

1.3 This practice is often used in conjunction with fluid rotary drilling (D1452, D5783) or hollow-stem augers (D6151). Subsurface geotechnical explorations should be reported in accordance with practice (D5434). This practice discusses some aspects of sample preservation after the sampling event. For information on preservation and transportation process of soil samples, consult Practice D4220. This practice does not address environmental sampling; consult D6169 and D6232 for information on sampling for environmental investigations.

1.4 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.

1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.6 This practice offers a set of instructions for performing one or more specific operations. This document cannot replace education or experience and should be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this practice may be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged, nor should this document be applied without consideration of a project's many unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the title of this document means only that the document has been approved through the ASTM consensus process.