Abstract

Improvement of the mechanical properties and behavior of soils by permeation grouting, using either suspensions or chemical solutions, is frequently required in order to assure the safe construction and operation of many structures. Suspensions have lower cost and are harmless to the environment but cannot be injected into soils with gradations finer than coarse sands. Chemical solutions can be injected in fine sands or coarse silts but are more expensive and some of them pose a health and environmental hazard. Efforts have been made to extend the injectability range of suspension grouts by developing materials with very fine gradations and, as a result, a number of “microfine” or “ultrafine” cements has been developed and marketed in the last decades. The object of the present study was the inventory and grouping of equipment used internationally for the experimental documentation of the inclusion of cement suspensions for the improvement and reinforcement of soil formations.

Keywords:Permeation grouting; Suspensions; Injectability; One-dimensional impregnation columns