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The Making of a Sinkhole
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Put some text here. The process begins with the drilling of grout casing (pipes) downward until the competent (strong) limestone bedrock is reached. |
Compaction Grouting
The most common and effective sinkhole repair method, compaction grouting involves injecting Portland cement grout under high pressure onto the surface of the limestone bedrock and into the soils above the limestone. The grout seals the surface of the limestone bedrock (to help prevent future dissolution of the limestone) and strengthens the soil above the limestone.
The Procedure:
The process begins with the drilling of grout casing (pipes) downward until the competent (strong) limestone bedrock is reached. In cases where a home or building is present, some of the casing is installed vertically along the building or house perimeter to treat the soils supporting the exterior load-bearing walls, while some is installed at an angle to treat the soils supporting the interior of the home or building. Grout is then pumped under high pressure through the casing and into the ground, first at the surface of the limestone bedrock and then at pre-determined points in the soils above the limestone.
The Procedure:
The process begins with the drilling of grout casing (pipes) downward until the competent (strong) limestone bedrock is reached. In cases where a home or building is present, some of the casing is installed vertically along the building or house perimeter to treat the soils supporting the exterior load-bearing walls, while some is installed at an angle to treat the soils supporting the interior of the home or building. Grout is then pumped under high pressure through the casing and into the ground, first at the surface of the limestone bedrock and then at pre-determined points in the soils above the limestone.
Chemical Grouting (Polyurethane Foam)
Polyurethane foam injections, often called “chemical grouting,” involve the pumping of a liquid chemical product through thin metal pipes into the shallow soils. This product quickly expands into strong, hard foam, strengthening the soils and filling any voids (pockets with no soil or very weak soil). These injections usually are performed at a 3- to 5-foot horizontal spacing within the area requiring treatment and to depths of 4 to 8 feet (as specified by the Engineer of Record). With careful application, polyurethane foam can be used to lift interior floor slabs, driveways, roads and other lightly-loaded structures that have subsided (sunken) due to poor support from the underlying soils.
In sinkhole repairs, polyurethane foam injections are often used when sinkhole-weakened soils are found at depths that are too shallow to be repaired by compaction grouting. In the infrequent cases where sinkhole activity is identified and the limestone bedrock is present at very shallow depths, polyurethane foam injections can be used instead of compaction grouting to seal the surface of the limestone and to strengthen the sinkhole-weakened soils.
In sinkhole repairs, polyurethane foam injections are often used when sinkhole-weakened soils are found at depths that are too shallow to be repaired by compaction grouting. In the infrequent cases where sinkhole activity is identified and the limestone bedrock is present at very shallow depths, polyurethane foam injections can be used instead of compaction grouting to seal the surface of the limestone and to strengthen the sinkhole-weakened soils.
Underpinning
Underpinning involves driving very strong steel pipes (often called “mini piles,” “pin piles,” “pipe piles” or “piers”) deep into the ground underneath a house or building. The pipes are driven until they reach a layer of very strong soils or limestone bedrock. When the pipes need to be driven to great depths or through dense soils, deep holes are first drilled into the ground (called “pre-drilling”) to make driving the rods easier. Brackets are then used to attach the tops of the pipes to the house or building foundation. In cases where the foundation has subsided (sunken) due to poor support from the underlying soils, powerful hydraulic jacks are used to lift the foundation back to its original height before the brackets are attached. Once the underpinning process is completed, the foundation is completely supported by the steel pipes instead of the surficial soils.
Underpinning is the most effective repair method when buried debris, shallow organic soils (often called “peat” or “muck” soils) or other unstable soils are found underneath a house or building. In these cases, the surficial soils supporting the foundation will gradually subside over time, damaging the house or building. Underpinning bypasses these unstable soils and instead transfers the weight of the building or house to a deeper layer of stronger soils or to the limestone bedrock.
Underpinning also is occasionally used in sinkhole repairs. In these cases, great care must be taken to ensure that the steel pipes are driven deeply enough to reach the strong limestone bedrock. Otherwise, the house or building will still be susceptible to the effects of sinkhole activity, and may even suffer worse damage than if underpinning was never performed. We have encountered many cases where sinkhole activity was supposedly repaired by underpinning a house, only to find that the steel pipes were not driven deeply enough to reach the limestone bedrock.
Underpinning is the most effective repair method when buried debris, shallow organic soils (often called “peat” or “muck” soils) or other unstable soils are found underneath a house or building. In these cases, the surficial soils supporting the foundation will gradually subside over time, damaging the house or building. Underpinning bypasses these unstable soils and instead transfers the weight of the building or house to a deeper layer of stronger soils or to the limestone bedrock.
Underpinning also is occasionally used in sinkhole repairs. In these cases, great care must be taken to ensure that the steel pipes are driven deeply enough to reach the strong limestone bedrock. Otherwise, the house or building will still be susceptible to the effects of sinkhole activity, and may even suffer worse damage than if underpinning was never performed. We have encountered many cases where sinkhole activity was supposedly repaired by underpinning a house, only to find that the steel pipes were not driven deeply enough to reach the limestone bedrock.
Professional Drilling Services
We offer 'pre-service' to each site -- locating utilities and potential access issues ahead of time, so that we can assure professional service. Afterward, we create a plan that utilizes the best suited equipment and personnel for each client's needs. the field boring logs and soil samples are delivered immediately following completion
Our in-house services include:
In addition to the standard field log reports, Western Earth Technologies, Inc. offers complete soil classification, laboratory testing and detailed computer-drafted boring logs, as well as storage of the soil samples for each project as needed.
Other Non-Standard Services
In addition to the drilling services we perform, we also have associations though which we can provide the following contracted professional services:
Our in-house services include:
- Sinkhole Investigative Drilling
- Geotechnical Drilling
- Difficult (limited) access drilling
- Standard Penetration Test Borings (SPT)
- Foundation Test Pits
- Surficial Soils Testing
- Hand Auger Borings
- Subsurface Investigation
- Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Studies
- Floor Elevation Surveys
In addition to the standard field log reports, Western Earth Technologies, Inc. offers complete soil classification, laboratory testing and detailed computer-drafted boring logs, as well as storage of the soil samples for each project as needed.
Other Non-Standard Services
In addition to the drilling services we perform, we also have associations though which we can provide the following contracted professional services:
- Complete site History and Investigation
- Forensic Engineering Studies
- Structural Damage Assessments
- Geophysical Testing
- Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) Studies
