In the wake of the tragic Surfside condominium collapse, Florida lawmakers passed legislation focused on enhancing building safety and preventing similar disasters. The “Milestone Inspection Bill,”
Guide to Grout Injection Methods Used in Florida
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This guide is designed for general contractors in the state of Florida and for those who also want to know how grout injection methods can be utilized to remedy a variety of concrete slab and deep foundation problems as well as landscape anomalies like sinkholes. There are many uses of grouting techniques that can be used for lifting and repairing problems like sinkholes and voids in the ground.
Grout injection can be used to improve foundations under multi-story buildings, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, residential homes, roadways, and bridges, etc. Chemical grouting can be utilized to repair damaged concrete loading docks, municipality infrastructure, railways, industrial power plants, and more. In Florida, the most common methods of chemical grouting processes deployed are polyurethane and permeation grouting, which generally involves the filling of open voids and cracks with a variety of these processes.
The 3 Main Types of Grouting in Florida
Although some methods of grout injection contain varieties of grouting techniques and materials, there are three main types that are utilized the most by professional soil remediation companies throughout the state of Florida: compaction, polyurethane, and permeation grouting. Below is a more in-depth look at these innovative and advanced engineering grouting techniques:
Compaction Grouting
Compaction grouting works by injecting low-mobility grout in drill casings that are driven/drilled to pre-set depths. The materials contained in the grout generally consist of water, fly ash, sand, and cement and works from the bottom up under pressure-based criteria. As each stage becomes complete, the drill casing is then lifted upwards until it’s entirely taken out. Compaction grouting is used in Florida to densify weak granular soils and stabilize subsurface sinkholes or voids in the ground.
Polyurethane Grouting
Polyurethane grouting is a method where the injection of polyfoam prevents water from entering sinkholes and concrete cracks and joints by filling voids underneath concrete slabs and behind subsurface concrete walls. Polyfoam is also known as polyurethane grouting. It can raise damaged sections of concrete slabs beneath commercial buildings, multi-story buildings, and residential homes back to a perfectly level plane. This process is noninvasive and clean because it only requires a small number of drilled holes in the concrete that can easily be finished off when the application is complete.
Permeation Grouting
Permeation grouting is also called penetration grouting, and it is a popular technique used by ground improvement companies in the state of Florida. This technique works to fill cracks, voids, and joints in soil, rock, concrete, and other materials. The goal is to fill voids without creating any change in configuration or volume in the medium and not displacing the formation. The results are improved strength for the existing formation while producing an impermeable water barrier. There are two types of permeation grouting: a direct grouting system and a circulating grout system, which both fall under the category of low mobility grouting.
The Conclusion to Grout Injection Methods
Grouting methods are one of the best ways to improve the soil conditions when there is a settlement problem and ensure load-bearing capacity for foundations and structures with deep foundations. Professional ground improvement companies such as Helicon are the type of experts in Florida that general contractors need to contact and partner with. Although there are many good reasons why general contractors need a team that specializes in soil remediation and grout injection methods, the biggest one is knowing that your client’s structure does not settle beyond normal thresholds.
