Grouting
Design Considerations
• A properly designed seepage collection system is always necessary within
an embankment dam. Foundation grouting may not eliminate foundation
seepage and may not eliminate the presence of high piezometric
pressures beneath the embankment. Seepage beneath the embankment
must be safely collected and monitored. The potential for high
piezometric pressure beneath the embankment must be evaluated and
accounted for during design. Small fractures that may not accept grout
can still transmit water pressure downstream of the grout curtain.
• The extent of grouting may be related to the tolerable seepage losses for
the project. In areas where water is a limited resource and almost no
seepage can be tolerated, the costs for an extensive grouting program can
easily be justified.
• The extent of grouting may be related to future operation and
maintenance (O&M) issues for the project. If excessive seepage over time
or high pore pressures are expected to result in the need for rock
stabilization, increased monitoring, instrumentation, seepage collection
systems, etc., the costs associated with a grouting program may be
justified when considering the potential long-term O&M costs.
An evaluation should be performed to determine the effects of the grouting
program on the potential failure modes. Some considerations include the
following:
§ What is the piezometric pressure within the foundation upstream and
downstream of the grout curtain?
§ What effect will the grout curtain have on the piezometric surface within
the core of the embankment?
§ What effect will the grouting have on seepage along the
embankment/foundation contact? Is there a potential for grouting to
result in increased seepage at the embankment/foundation contact?
§ What is needed to prevent the migration of the embankment materials
into the foundation openings?
§ Will grouting increase the likelihood of any of the potential failure modes?
§ What would be the effect of any “window” in the grout curtain?
One Lugeon unit equals:
1 liter per minute per meter of test length at a pressure of 10 bars 0.01076 cubic feet per
minute per foot of test length at a pressure of
142 pounds per square inch (lb/in2)
1.3 * 10-5 cm/s
10 ft/yr
To calculate the Lugeon value at any test pressure, the following equation can
be used:
Lugeon units = (Q/L) * (1801/Peff)
where Q equals the flow rate in gallons per minute (gal/min), L equals the
stage length in feet, 1801 is a conversion factor, and Peff equals the
effective pressure applied to the test stage in pounds per square inch.
Bar chart showing relationship of test pressure and Lugeons in laminar flow.
Bar chart showing relationship of test pressure and Lugeons in turbulent flow.
Bar chart showing relationship of test pressure and Lugeons when fractures are washed out.
Bar chart showing relationship of test pressure and Lugeons when fractures are filling and swelling.
Bar chart showing relationship of test pressure and Lugeons when rock is hydraulically fractured or joints are jacked open.
Illustration for calculating effective grout pressure at the bottom of the packer.
Circulating line system
Grouting Methods
• Methods of grouting commonly used by Reclamation include
single-stage, upstage, or downstage grouting.
Single-Stage Grouting
• Single-stage grouting consists of drilling the hole to full depth, washing
the hole, water testing, and grouting the hole in one stage. This method
should be limited to grouting shallow holes (20 feet) in relatively sound
rock with no major surface leaks.
Single-stage grouting
Upstage Grouting
• Packers permit grouting of predetermined stages at any depth. Upstage
grouting consists of drilling the hole to full depth, washing the hole, setting
the packer within the drill hole at the top of the lowest stage level, water
testing, and grouting the stage. Grouting of additional stages in the drill
hole is performed upward using packers. Once refusal is reached on a stage,
Reclamation practice is to proceed to water testing and grouting the next
stage immediately unless back pressure is encountered. Water should be
flushed through the packer to clean it between stages. If back pressure is
encountered, water testing and grouting of the next stage is delayed until
the grout in the previous stage has reached initial set (2 to 6 hours). When
practical, Reclamation prefers to use upstage grouting because the drill may
only need to be set up once, which leads to considerable cost and time
savings compared to downstage grouting.
When drilling an upstage grout hole, the contractor and inspector must
closely monitor the rate of drilling water injection and return from the
grout hole. If there is a drill water loss of 50 percent or more, or if artesian
flows are encountered when drilling a grout hole for upstage grouting,
Reclamation practice is to drill several additional feet below the pervious
feature. The pervious feature would then be cleaned, water tested, and
grouted in accordance with the specifications. Once the grout has set, the
remaining length of the grout hole can be drilled.
Upstage grouting
Upstage grouting when water loss occurs
Downstage Grouting
In descending stages, the hole is staged from the top downward by drilling
one stage at a time. Once the first stage is drilled, washed, water tested,
and grouted, sufficient set time must be provided before redrilling to
prevent washout of partially set grout in the stage. Once the grout has
sufficiently set, an additional stage length is drilled. The packer is set at
the top of the new stage, followed by water testing and grouting.
Subsequent lower stages are drilled and grouted in a similar manner.
Because drills have to be set up multiple times on one hole, downstage
grouting is more expensive than upstage grouting and is only used by
Reclamation if poor conditions (such as caving, squeezing, or packer
leakage) within the grout hole are encountered.
Downstage grouting
Multiple Port Sleeved Pipe
If grouting is necessary in extremely poor rock conditions, and the
methods discussed above will not work (such as in friable rock or
collapsing borehole walls) multiple port sleeved pipe (MPSP) casing
provides grouting ports at regular intervals along the casing. Reclamation
has no dams in its inventory for which MPSPs were necessary for grouting.
If extremely difficult rock is encountered, Bruce and Weaver, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and Houlsby provide some guidance on
MPSP systems.
Typical Reclamation 80-foot grout hole pattern using the split spacing method
Evaluation of secondary hole depth within an 80-
foot grout hole pattern
Typical grout hole standpipe detail
Contractor setting standpipes along a single row grout curtain
Grout cap detail
Blanket Grouting
When practical, Reclamation prefers to use upstage grouting procedures
because the drill may only need to be set up once, which results in
considerable cost and time savings, compared to downstage grouting,
unless caving or a loss of water circulation occurs.
Plan view of typical Reclamation
blanket hole layout
Drilling and grouting of blanket grout holes on a Reclamation project
Evaluation of closure for
blanket grout holes
Grouting
o Selection Consideration
• Site specific requirement
Strength
Permeability
Performance
• Soil type
• Soil groutability
Porosity
Gradation
Fine content
Overburden stress
o Grouting Can prevent
Collapse of granular soils
Settlement under adjacent foundations
Groundwater movement
Utilities damage
o Grouting Can provide
Increased soil strength and rigidity
Reduced ground movement
Groundwater control
Predictable degree of improvement
o Grouting is Accomplished by
Driven or drilled grout pipe installation
Cased or uncased drilling and installation of grouting
system
Rock drilling and packer installation
o Grouting design steps
1. Identify underground
construction problem
2. Establish objectives of grouting o Selection criterion
program 1. Ground modification needed?
3. Perform special geotechnical 2. Problem understood?
study Soil mass groutability?
4. Dvelop initial grouting program 4. Special expertise needed?
5. Develop performance 5. Performance acceptable?
prediction 6. Grouting best solution?
6. Compare with other solutions
7. Refine design and prepare
specifications
Ranges of soils by grouting method
o Three keys to grouting control
1. Grout hole and geometry
2. Injection parameters
3. Grout properties: liquid, transition, set
o Compaction Grouting
o Application of Compaction Grouting
• Karstic regions
• Rubble fill
• Poorly placed fill
• Loosened soil: Pre-treatment
• Loosened soil: Post-treatment
• Liquefiable soils
• Collapsible soils
• To commensate for ground loss during tunnelling
Jet Grouting
Fluid Jet Grouting (Soilcrete)
Single Fluid Jet Grouting (Soilcrete S)
• High velocity: 20m/sec
• Most effective: Cohesionless soil
• Grout slurry mixed with in-situ soils (Soilcrete)
Double Fluid Jet Grouting (Soilcrete D)
• Soilcrete dia: 3 ft (medium to dense soils) & 6 ft (loose soils)
• Effective: Cohesive soils
Triple Fluid Jet Grouting (Soilcrete T)
• Effective: Cohesive soils
Super Jet Grouting
• Effective diameter of treatment: (10-16) or 3-5m
Jet Grouting Process
Jet Grouting Strength
Jet Grouting Aplications