STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF PRESSURE GROUTING IN

SANDY SOIL.

Presented by. SabariPrasanth.A.S

(Roll No.6) Reg.No. 11400016.

Guided by. Dr. Mariamma Joseph and Dr. K. Balan

INTRODUCTION

 The process of grouting consists of filling pores or

cavities in soil or rock with a liquid form material to
decrease the permeability and improve the shear
strength by increasing the cohesion when it is set.
 Pressure grouting, as reported, was invented and first
applied in 1802 by a French engineer, Charles Berigny,
who named it “injection process” and used slurries of
clay or of hydraulic lime. In 1876 Thomas Hawksley
injected Portland cement grout by using a gravity head.
Introduction contd..
Modes of grouting.
 Pressure grouting
can be either of these
four forms based on
its effect on soil
structure.
 If no displacement
occurs in soil structure
it is permeation
grouting otherwise it
is displacement or
compaction grouting.
Introduction contd..
 Pressure grouting involves the injection under pressure
of a liquid or suspension into the voids of a soil or rock
mass or into voids between these materials and an
existing structure.
 The injected grout must eventually form either a gel or a
solid-within the treated voids, or the grouting process
must result in the deposition of suspended solids in
these voids.
 The primary purposes of pressure grouting a soil or rock
mass are to improve the strength and durability of the
mass and/or to reduce the permeability of the mass.
 Cement base grout mixes are commonly used for
gravely layers or fissure rock treatment.
INTRODUCTION
 As grouting reduces pore size and alters pore structure of
soil, the engineering properties such as strength, stiffness
etc, are also influenced to a great extent. Even today the
grouting operations are based on thumb rules and
existing practices rather than design principles and well
defined procedures substantiated by research data.
 This project deals with the improvement in the bearing
strength of medium sand when cement grouted.
 INTRODUCTION contd. Checking Groutability of the Sand in study

Here D15 ( sand ) = 0.4mm,D10=0.33mm,

d 65 of cement = 30μ , d85=40 μ ,d90=45μ

N=D15/d65 = 13.33 should be more than 24.(Mitchell and Katti 1981) .

N=D15/d85 = 10 should be more than 25.(Burwell 1958) .

N=D10/d90 = 7.4 should be more than 10.(Incecik and Ceren 1995) .

N=D10/d90 + 0.5x(w/c)/FC + 0.01P/Dr . FC=1%,P=300kPa ,w/c=2, Dr=30%

N= 7.4+(0.5*x2/1) +0.01x300/30 = 8.5 . Should be more than 28(Akbulut and

Saglamer 2002)
The sand specimen in the study does not agree completely with any of the
above four. But, grouting of entire sand medium is not aimed in this study.
Another alternative is to use Nc = (D10)Soil / (D95)Grout. Grouting is
considered feasible if Nc > 11 and not feasible if Nc < 6 (Karol, 2003).Here it
is 7. Hence feasible.
INTRODUCTION
 Major heads of works included in this project.
 1. Collection of sand and finding properties.
 2. Fabrication of Test set up.(Reaction
frame, Tank, Grout pump etc.)
 3. Grouting process at 3 different Relative
densities of sample, 3 different Grouting
pressures and at 2 water cement ratios.
 4. Conducting plate load tests on non- grouted as
well as grouted sand beds.
INTRODUCTION
 5. Finding volume of soilcretes.
 6. Plotting different Load- Settlement plots and
comparing improvements of bearing pressures.
 7. Conducting one test in saturated condition.
OBJECTIVES
 1. To find the groutability of the type of soil.
 2. To find the improvement in bearing capacity by varying the
grouting parameters such as grout pressure, Water Cement Ratio
and relative density.
 3. To compare the improvement in bearing capacities with respect
various grout pressures and water cement ratios for sandy beds
having relative densities 10%,25%, and 40%.
 4. To arrive at an optimum grouting pressure and favourable grout
consistency ( Water-Cement Ratio) for sand specimens at different
Relative Densities.
 5. To find the relation between soilcrete volume and improvement in
bearing capacity.
 6. For having a fair idea of the filtering mechanism of sand against
penetration of cement grouts by conducting compression test on
cubes of soilcretes cut from near and away from nozzle point.
SCOPE

 The grouting on weak soils can either be used as a preventive

measure against possible settlements as in case of ground
improvement or as a restoration measure if foundation failure
has already occurred.
 Most of the earlier studies shows the difficulty of grouting in a
sandy medium which is not a coarser one, but in this project the
sand used have grain size well below to denote as coarse sand.
 The optimum grouting pressure and grout consistency
formulated through this experimental study may be proved
useful for such field cases.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Review of literature is made for the following six
heads.
 Groutability requirements of a soil type.
 Refusal or stopping of grout by virtue of filtration.
 Various grouting materials.
 Various grouting machineries or pumps.
 Benefits of grouting based on shear tests and
plate load test.
 Compression tests on soilcretes.
Literature Review contd..
1.STUDIES ON GROUTABILITY REQUIREMENTS

Author Topic Result/conclusion

Burwell, The effect of amount of finer N=D15(soil)/d85(grout) ,
(1958) grains and size of voids to be Grouting successful if
penetrated, on the grouting N>25, if N<11sufficient
process grouting not possible.
Incecik and Groutability of sand N=D10(soil)/d90(grout),
Ceren, (1995) Grouting possible if N>10

Mitchell, The ability of particulate grouts Grouting possible if N =

(1970) (soils, cement, clay) to penetrate a D15 soil /d65 grout > 25
formation.
Akbulut S, Estimating the groutability of N= D10(soil)/d90(grout) +
Saglamer A, granular soils k1(w/c)/FC+k2(P/Dr) .
(2002). K1 and k2 - constants. FC
finer content passing 600µ
sieve, P- grout pressure.
Literature Review contd..
2.REFUSAL OR STOPPING OF GROUT PENETRATION

Author Topic Result/conclusion

Axelsson et Stop mechanism for cementitious shown that the
al., (2008) grouts penetrability of cement
grout is commonly
governed by the extent of
filtration.
Houlsby, Design of Cement Grouting Grout with high water
(1990) cement ratio has a
rheological model similar
to that of Newtonian fluid.

Hassler (1991) Grouting of Rock Important parameters of

and the grout are the
Hakansson penetrability and rheology.
And rheology depends on
(1993
particle size of grout.
Literature Review contd..
3. VARIOUS GROUTING MATERIALS.

Author Topic Result/conclusion

Schiffman and Use of chemical soil Chemicals change basic existing
Wilson,(1958) stabilization soil properties and improve the
existing soil chemistry that
produces a new soil.
Dano et al., Adhesive forces of grouting. The magnitude of the adhesive
(2004) forces depends on the nature of
the grout and on the
concentration of the grout in
cement particles.
Ozgurel and Groutability of sand with Grout pressure- Fines content
Vipulanandan, acrylamide grout relation was nonlinear.
(2005)
Shroff,(2009) Classification of grouting Two types of grouts viz,
materials Suspension type(cement,clay
etc) and solution type(
chemical).
 Literature Review contd..
3. MACHINERIES OR PUMPS USED FOR PRESSURE GROUTING

Author Features / diagram

Winterkorn and The sealed-in sleeve pipe injection system which involves placing
Fang,(1975) a sleeve pipe into a grout hole that is kept open by casing or mud,
then sealing annular space with clay. Under pressure, the injection
grout will break through in radial direction and penetrate into the
soil.
Boulanger and The bottom-up method can be used as effectively as the top-down
Hayden, (1995) method if appropriate modification are adopted at shallow depths.
Mutman and Kavak,
(2011)
 Literature Review contd..
4. IMPROVEMENTS DUE TO GROUTING BASED ON VARIOUS
SHEAR TESTS AND PLATE LOAD TEST.
Mutman and UCC on grouted UCS decreases as water/cement (w/c) ratio by weight
Kavak, samples increases.
(2011) The most appropriate w/c ratio was found to be
within the range of0.7 to 1.0.
Glory et al., Improvements of Shear c & Ø, shows phenomenal increase when grouted
(2001) strength parameters due with cement.
to grouting
Haeri et al., Grouting with cement, When the cement content increases to 4.5% the shear
(2006) gypsum and lime strength of the soil cemented with Portland cement is
always higher than the shear strength of the soil
cemented with gypsum and lime.
Ping et al., Factors affecting The structure of grouting media (porosity,
(2008) compressive strength of permeability coefficient), grouting pressure, grouting
grouted sandy gravel time, water cement ratio are the four factors
controlling the compressive strength of grouted
gravels and diffusing radius of grout in sandy gravel
layer
Literature Review contd..
5. COMPRESSION TESTS ON SOILCRETES.

Author Topic Result/conclusion

Yung-Show et Empirical strength soilcrete density increases with increasing

al., (1994) criterion for jet grouted depth. Uniaxial compressive strengths
soilcrete. obtained were significantly greater than
the design values suggested by the JSG
Association of Japan.
Tarek F.Haider Integrity and properties The core borings through the soilcrete mass
et al.,(2000) of the soilcrete met the project's core quality requirements
and demonstrated the effectiveness of the
jet grouting.
Kolovos et al., Behaviour of grouted Positive influence in compressive strength
(2013) soilcretes enhancement is possibly attributed to the
well reported contribution of metakaolin
METHODOLOGY.
 The sandy soil specimen is cement grouted under
different pressures and different consistencies of
cement grout.
 The tests are repeated for 3 different densities of
sand. The maximum penetration (volume of grouted
mass) of grout is found physically after giving time for
setting for cement.
 The more the penetration of grout the more is the
ground improvement .This is verified by conducting
plate load tests.
Criteria for design

 The grout volume to be injected depends on ground porosity,

geometry of the treated zone, grout hole spacing, stage length
and total depth to be treated.
 The groutability of soil with particulate grouting has been
evaluated based on the N value (Mitchell and Katti 1981)
 N is defined as N = (D15)Soil / (D65)Grout.
 Grouting is considered feasible if N > 24 and not feasible if
N < 11
 Another alternative is to use Nc = (D10)Soil / (D95)Grout.
Grouting is considered feasible if Nc > 11 and not feasible if
Nc < 6 (Karol, 2003).
 EXPERIMENT PROGRAMME. Material
Properties.
100 Eff.Size D10-0.3mm
90
80
D60 -1.45mm .
70 D30- 0.62mm
Uniformity
60
% finer

50
40
30
Coefficient =
20 D60/D10 = 4.83
10
0
0.01 0.1 1 10
Coeff. of curvature
Sieve opening
Sieve %finer
D30²/(D60xD10)=
 Gradation curve 4.75 94 0.88
 Properties
2.36 89.1
1.18 52.1
0.6 27.6
0.3 8.9
0.15 1.8
0.075 1.5
γd max = 1.86

γd min = 1.41

e max = 0.88
e min = 0.42

EXPERIMENT PROGRAMME. Material Properties…

Finding γd max using table vibrator.

EXPERIMENT PROGRAMME contd..

 2. Design and fabrication of Reaction frame, Tank

etc.
 The frame is designed for a maximum bearing
capacity of 300kPa. Maximum expected point load
with a plate of 15x15cm is = 300x0.15x0.15=
6.75kN, say 7kN
 ISMC100 @9.2kg/m found safe.
 Tanks are provided with ISA50x50x6
Lacings/battens.
EXPERIMENT PROGRAMME contd..
 Tanks. MS. Sheet 2mm
 Lacings/ Battens ISA
50x50x6mm
 Loading frames
ISMC100.
 For loading over
300kPa , two frames
are joined.
Test set up contd…
 GROUT PUMP
 Two types has been proposed, for pressure up to 8
bars(successfully operated up to 5 bars only), a
hand operated diaphragm grout pump and for
pressures above 8 bars a compressor coupled grout
tank.
 The latter proposed for finding grout penetration-
pressure relations for pressures more than 8bars
couldn’t equipped completely for want of an
agitating system inside the tank , which is costly.
Diaphragm pump and grout tank for
connecting with compressor
PROCEDURE.
1.GROUTING ON SANDY BED.
 Grouting is conducted using a high intensity hand
operated grout pump(diaphragm type). This pump
can generate pressures up to 10 bar. The boreholes
in the sandy beds are formed of 2.0cm diameter.
The grouting at a specified pressure( say 1.5 bar)
and water cement ratio(W1) is carried out on
sample 1 at nozzle placed at H/3 from top where H
is the depth of sand bed and Relative Density Dr.
GROUTING ON SANDY BED..
 Similarly samples 2 ,3 and 4 are obtained by
varying densities D2 and D3. Further samples are
obtained by keeping densities constant with varying
grouting pressure and varying water cement ratios.
Each of the samples are kept for curing for 7 days.
Relative Density Grouting pressure. Water cement Ratio
D1=15% P1=1.5 bars W1= 1.5
Relative Density Grouting pressure. Water cement Ratio
D2= 30% P2= 3 bars W2= 2
Relative Density Grouting pressure. Water cement Ratio
D3=50% P1= 4 bars W3= 1(causes
blockade)
PROCEDURE CONTD..
2.PLATE LOAD TEST.
 The tank used for plate load test is modified
for conducting test under saturated condition
also. For this purpose a vent is provided with a
stand pipe. In each load increments the
settlements are noted at time intervals of
1,2.25,4,6.25,9,16 and 25 minutes and 1 hour.
The load is increased when the rate of
settlement drops to a value less than
0.02mm/min. Settlements are recorded through
two dial gauges of 25mm travel and accuracy
0.01mm. Load vs. Settlement curves for
different conditions are plotted accordingly.
PLATE LOAD TEST…..

Proving ring, dial

gauges fitted for test
on non grouted soil.
PLATE LOAD TEST….. Test setup for
sand grouted at four points.
Loading done over surface Loading done after removing
sand from top.

Nearly 10%
improvement
in bearing
capacity
found
TEST SET UP.
 1.TANKS
 To find the actual penetration of the grout, the
injected portion in the soil sample has to be
removed carefully,a detachable tank is fabricated.
Since more than thirty experiments have to be
performed and time is limited , two of such tanks
have been fabricated.
TEST SET UP contd
 2.LOADING(REACTION) FRAME
 ISMC 100@92N/m used. Difficult to use gravity
loading set up in lab for lack of head room and
space for grouting operations. Two reaction frames
fabricated. The reaction frame has been designed
for a maximum bearing capacity of 300kPa.
Test set up contd..Grouting process
RESULTS.. Figures of soilcretes

Grouted mass ( Gravelly sand ) Fine sand

Results contd
 Pictures of soilcretes.
RESULTS contd..
 2. BEARING CAPACITY OF NON GROUTED SAND.
Non grouted sand bed . Pressure-Settlement Plots
Bearing Pressure kPa
0 50 100 150 200 Bearing capacity
0 at 50%
Rel.Density -
132kPa
1

2
Non-Grouted Rel.Density.15%
Settlement cm

Non-Grouted .Rel Density 30%

3 Non-grouted. Rel.Density. 50%

6
RESULT contd.. Trials on different soils
Grouting pressure Grout consistency Density Penetration(cm) Type of soil
( water cement
ratio)

2 bar 1.25:1 1.60 13.5cm Gravelly sand

2 bar 1.25:1 1.68 11.0cm ,,

2 bar 1.25:1 1.85 Grouting failed Fine sand

2 bar 1.25:1 1.65 4cm

Results contd..
Grouting pressure Grout consistency Density Penetration(cm) D10 = 0.32mm
( water cement D60 = 0.60mm
ratio) D30 =0.40mm
Uniformity
coefficient =
1.875
Coefficient of
curvature =
0.833
2 bars 1.5:1 1.65 10.25 cm dia,
8.5 cm deep.
Results contd..
3.Finding volume of grouted mass
Top view of soil crete. The injecting Immersed soil cretes for 24hours
pipe have two holes diametrically
opposite , hence the shape.
Measurement of volume of soilcretes.

Surface wiped specimen dipped The process repeated for all the
and rise in water level noted. This soilcretes. Results with W/C ratio.1.5
will give Volume.
Rel.Density Pressure W/C Volume.(cc)
Ratio
50% 1.5 1.5 1071.37
50% 3 1.5 1243.11
50% 4.5 1.5 1390.32
15% 1.5 1.5 1963.42
15% 3 1.5 2216.34
15% 4.5 1.5 2889.95
Volume of grout injected = 1000ml
Comparison – Volume of soilcrete at
different W/C Ratio.
Soil crete volumes. Dr-50%, Dr.15%

1.Dr.50% 3500

and Pr.1.5
bar. 3000

2 . 50%,3 2500
Volume cc

3. 50%,4.5 2000

4. 15%,1.5 1500

5. 15%,3
1000

6. 15%,4.5
500

0
1 2 3 4 5 6
w/c ratio. 1.5 1050 1100 1200 1450 1612 1750
water cement ratio 2 1071.37 1243.11 1390.32 1963.42 2216.34 2889.95
Improvements due to grouting- at 5points
in sandy beds.4corners&at centre
Comparison. Rel.Density.50%, Grout Pressure 3 bars
Pressure kPa
0 50 100 150 200 250
Bearing capacity
0 ratio at 15mm
settlement -1.53
0.5

Non-grouted. Rel.Density. 50%

Settlement cm

1.5 R.D.50%,GrPr.3 bar, W/C 1.5

R.D 50%, Gr Pr.3bars, W/C 2
2

2.5

3.5
Bearing capacity improved more at a grouting pressure of 3bars than 4 bars.

Bearing Pressure kPa

0 50 100 150 200 250 Brittle failure seen
0
for 3 bars….
1
Non grouted Dr.15%
2
Settlement c.m.

Dr 15%,W/C 2.0
3
,Pr.4.5bar
Dr.15%,Pr.3bars,W/C
2.0
4

6
Sudden failure seen for grouted soil

Brittle failure seen for

Dr.15%, Pressure 3 bars ,
W/C 2.0
References
 Akbulut,S and Saglamer,A (2002)Estimating the groutability of
granular soils: a new approach. Tunnelling and underground space
technology. Elsevier science Ltd. 17, 371-380.
 Clough,G.W , Sitar .N , Bachus , R.C and Rad, N.S(1981) Cemented
sands under static loading. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering Div,
ASCE Vol.107 No. GT6.799-817.
 Dayakar, K. Venkat Raman, Dr. K.V.B. Raju (2012.Nov) Study on
Permeation Grouting Using Cement Grout In Sandy Soil P. IOSR
JMCE.
 Utkan Mutman and Aydın Kavak (2011.Sept)Improvement of
granular soils by low pressure grouting .
 J. Funehag, G. Gustafson (2008) .Design of grouting with silica sol in
hard rock – New methods for calculation of penetration length, Part
I Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 23 (2008) 1–8.
 References contd
 M. Axelsson , G. Gustafson, Å. (Dec.2008). Stop mechanism for
cementitious grouts at different water-to-cement ratios Fransson,
Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology
 Babak Nikbakhtan a, MortezaOsanloo(March.2008). Effect of grout
pressure and grout flow on soil physical and mechanical properties in
jet grouting operations International Journal of Rock Mechanics &
Mining Sciences