Structures of any kind need to be supported by the soil and bedrock beneath them. While this concept may seem obvious, the subsurface conditions are not. Ground improvement is often needed to increase the bearing capacity or provide settlement control for new construction or to remedy an existing issue. Helical Drilling provides many ground improvement solutions, two of which are the grouting techniques compaction grouting and jet grouting.
Compaction grouting improves the strength and stiffness of the soil by high-pressure injection of a cementicious grout mix through a small-diameter casing at a pre-determined depth. Displacement and compaction occurs as the casing is gradually removed and the expanded grout column is built from the bottom up in lifts. While Helical’s compaction grouting can be applied to new construction projects, it is also an excellent choice for improving the ground beneath existing structures. The grout can be applied by injecting at inclined angles to reach beneath existing foundations drilling and even directly through existing floor slabs. Though this technology is typically used to improve the engineering properties of loose fills and native soils, it can be used to improve many different soil types both above and below the water table.
Another grouting method Helical has in its arsenal is jet grout columns. Jet grouting is a method that involves injecting the grout material under very high pressures through high-velocity jets so that they hydraulically cut, erode, replace, and mix with the existing soil to form very uniform, high-strength, soil-cement columns. These too can be installed at inclined angles to underpin existing structures or overlapped to create seepage barriers, cutoff walls, or excavation support. Like compaction grouting, jet grouting can be implemented both above and below the water table.
Both of these grouting techniques can be tailored to a wide-variety of applications: from improved strength and stability, to controlling seepage. Helical, being a design-build firm, can customize a grouted ground improvement solution to meet your specific needs.
Learn more about Helical Drilling’s Ground Improvement Expertise.
