JET GROUTING SOIL STABILIZATION TECHNIQUE

Harishma. D, 2nd [Link], CE, GVPCOE,

Visakhapatnam.
[Link]@[Link]
Jahnavi. J, 2nd [Link], CE, GVPCOE,
Visakhapatnam.
[Link]@[Link]

ABSTRACT
With the ever increasing population,
there is a need to increase the available land
area for living and to serve the other needs of
this increasing population. But due to
limitations in the available land, we need to use
the useless soil by stabilizing it. This led to
major development in the field of ground
improvement.
There are various methods and devices
to stabilize land and one method that is
commonly used worldwide is grouting or
injecting a liquid (cement and additives) into
voids within the soil, or displacing the gases. Jet
grouting is one such grouting technique which
has many major applications in the field of soil
stabilization.
In this paper, we investigate the various
available soil stabilization techniques and
briefly investigate on types, prospects of jet
grouting and its applications in foundation
engineering.

INTRODUCTION
Ground improvement is used to address a
wide range of geotechnical engineering
problems, including, but not limited to, the
following:
Improvement of soft or loose soil to reduce
settlement, increase bearing resistance, and/or to
improve overall stability for structure and wall
foundations and/or for embankments.
To mitigate liquefiable soils.
To improve slope stability for landslide
mitigation.
To retain otherwise unstable soils.
To improve workability and usability of fill
materials.
To accelerate settlement and soil shear strength
gain.

Types of ground improvement techniques

include the following:
Vibrocompaction techniques such as stone
columns and vibroflotation, and other

techniques that use vibratory probes that may or

may not include compaction of gravel in the
hole created to help densify the soil
Deep dynamic compaction
Blast densification
Geosynthetic reinforcement of embankments
Wick drains, sand columns, and similar methods
that improve the drainage characteristics of the
subsoil and thereby help to remove excess pore
pressure that can develop under load applied to
the soil
Grout injection techniques and replacement of
soil with grout such as compaction grouting, jet
grouting, and deep soil mixing
Lime or cement treatment of soils to improve
their
shear
strength
and
workability
characteristics
Permeation grouting and ground freezing
(temporary applications only).
GROUTING
Grouting may be defined as the injection
of appropriate materials under pressure into
certain parts of the earths crust through
specially constructed holes in order to fill and
therefore seal voids, cracks, seams, fissures or
other cavities in soils or rock strata.(Bowen,
1981) The term grouting is also widely applied
to sealing of cracks in man-made structures such
as dams, tunnels and mine shafts.
In an attempt to achieve the intended
purpose of the grouting exercise, boreholes are
drilled into the formation and the grout is
injected under pressure to satisfy conditions
specified in the design. Grouting has been put to
a variety of applications in civil engineering,
which include;

Reduction of formation permeability under

foundations of water retaining structures, to
control seepage and loss of stored water.
To check the uplift on the structure and /or to
prevent the danger of erosion of soil from
the foundation.
To increase the strength of material below
the foundation of heavy structures and or to
reduce the deformability of the material in the
foundation.
Fixing of reinforcing cables in precast and
prestressed concrete structures.
Fixing of rock prestressing anchors.
Lifting and erection of leaning structures and
buildings and other applications.
(Nonveiller E, 1989)
GROUTING TECHNIQUES
The
various
injection
grouting
techniques used by grouting contractors for
ground improvement / ground modification can
be summarized as follows:
Permeation grouting: Grout is injected into the
soil at low pressure and fills the voids without
significantly changing the soils structure or
volume. Wide varieties of binders are used with
this grouting technique. The choice of the binder
is dictated mainly by the permeability of the
soil. [Generally, water and cement mixtures are
used where the coefficient of permeability is
greater than 1 x 10-2 cm/sec. More expensive
resin-based grouts are used for permeabilities as
low as 1 x 10-6 cm/sec. Soils with
permeabilities less than 1 x 10-6 cm/sec are
normally not groutable by permeation.]

Compaction Grouting: A highly viscous grout

with high internal friction is injected into a
compactable soil. The grout acts as a radial,
hydraulic jack and physically displaces the soil
particles;
thus
achieving
controlled
densification.
Claquage grouting: Grout is injected into the
soil at a high pressure through a special valved
tube, thereby hydrofacturing the soil. The
resulting fissures are filled with the grout and
the surrounding soil is modified to create a
densified mass.
Jet Grouting: This system differs substantially
from the other ground improvement or ground
modification techniques it breaks up the soil
structure completely and performs deep soil
mixing to create a homogeneous soil, which in
turn solidifies. The jet grouting technique can be
used regardless of soil, permeability, or grain
size distribution. In theory, it is possible to
improve most soils, from soft clays and silts to
sands and gravels by jet grouting. Although it is
possible to inject any binder, in practice, watercement mixtures are normally used. Where
impermeabilization of the soil is required,
water-cement-bentonite mixtures are typically
used.

JET GROUTING SYSTEM

Jet Grouting is a ground stabilization
procedure which uses the principle of Ultra
High Pressure Injection of Cement Grout into
the ground. The procedure employs a bottom-up
installation sequence. The Double Tube or
Triple Tube Pipe is rotated at a fixed RPM and
automatically raised in fixed increments. The
double tube system is used in the country.
Cement Injection under Ultra High Pressure is
done within a protective encapsulating conical
shroud of compressed air. The compressed air
allows increased ground penetration (larger
diameters) by preventing significant pressure
drops as the Grout leaves the nozzle.
Due to the Ultra High Pressures
involved, the permeability of the soil is of no
critical importance as the procedure relies more
on the very high erosive power of the Jets to
gain lateral Penetration. The solidified column
of grouted soil is termed as Soilcrete and the
compressive strengths would depend on the
parent soil material and can be controlled to
some extent by the Jetting Procedure.
Soilcrete columns behave as a columnar
pile with load carrying capacity coming from
Skin Friction and Point Bearing. Typically,
diameters would range from 0.8m to 1.4m.

Jet Grouting is the only soil stabilization

procedure that would work equally well in
plastic clays and granular materials although
compressive strengths and load capacity are
typically higher in the latter material.

independently through a nozzle located beneath

the air/water nozzle.

Three basic jet grouting systems currently exist

are,

THE MONOFLUID JET GROUTING

SYSTEM

The monofluid jet grouting system uses the

binder to break up and provide soil mixing of
the soils surrounding the drill rods.

Grouting contractors use a high-pressure

pump to convey the binder through a drill string
to a set of nozzles located just above the drill
bit. The high-velocity, high energy jet breaks up
and mixes the soil surrounding the drill string to
create a column of stabilized material whose
diameter ranges from 40 cm to 120 cm.

The 3-fluid or Kajima jet grouting system

uses water and air to break up the soil and to
produce ground modification or ground
improvement by causing a partial substitution of
the finer soil particles. The binder is injected

An intermediate 2-fluid jet grouting system

has recently been developed to improve the
range of influence of the monofluid jet grouting
system.

The main equipment required for this jet

grouting system is:
A high pressure, high flow pump (70 Mpa,
300 l/min);
A jet grouting drill rig fitted with a special
drill string and a suitable timer that
accurately controls the step-raising of
the drill string;
An efficient batching plant with sufficient
capacity for the required amount of
grouting binder.

THE
3-FLUID
SYSTEM

JET

GROUTING

This ground improvement / ground

modification technique differs from the jet
grouting monofluid system by using a highenergy jet of water rather than the binder to
break up the soil surrounding the drill string.
The passage of the jet of water through the soil
is aided by an aureole of compressed air
concentric about the jet.
The compressed air increases the radius of
influence of the jet of water and it lightens the
mixture of soil and water in the zone of
influence of the jet, creating an air-lift that
pumps excess water and soil fines, through the
annular space between the borehole wall and the
dill rods, to the surface.
At the same time, the binder is injected into
the soil water mix at approximately 5 Mpa
through a second nozzle positioned just below
the air water nozzle. In time, the soil and binder
mix sets to create a column of stabilized
material whose diameter may exceed 2 meters.

A borehole is drilled to the required depth by

rotary or rotary-percussive methods using water,
compressed air, bentonite, or a binder as the
flushing medium. When the founding level is
reached, the flushing ports are closed and the
binder is injected at a very high pressure (20
Mpa to 60 Mpa) through the nozzles and into
the soil. Simultaneously, the drill string is
rotated and slowly withdrawn. Rotation speeds
range between 10 and 30 rpm and the
withdrawal rates vary between 20 and 50
cm/min.

 A 3-way, coaxial drill string made up of a

drill bit, a drill bit adapter, a nozzle
holder for the cement nozzles, a highpressure nozzle holder with the coaxial
air/water nozzle, the drill rod, and a 3way swivel.
A jet grouting drill rig, fitted with a
suitable timer that can accurately control
the step-raising of the drill string;
An efficient batching plant with sufficient
capacity for the grouting binder;
A reservoir for water.

The procedure for drilling is the same as for

the monofluid jet grouting system. The flushing
fluid is pumped to the drill bit through the
binder line. Once the required depth is reached,
water and air are injected through their
respective lines to break up the soil surrounding
the drill string. As the drill string is rotated, the
airlift starts to displace the finder particles of
soil. Injection of the binder begins as the drill
rod is slowly withdrawn.
The fundamental difference between the two
jet grouting systems is the diameter of the
stabilize column and therefore in the volume of
treated soil per hole.

Grouting contractors need the following

equipment for this jet grouting system:
A high-pressure, high-flow pump for the
water jet (70 Mpa 300 l/min);
A low-pressure pump for the binder (7
Mpa, 120 l/min);

The 3-fluid jet grouting system is

advantageous where the soils are difficult to
drill, because fewer holes are required to treat
the same volume of soil. However, this system
is more complex and requires additional
equipment. A larger volume of material is
discharged from the boreholes; increasing costs
and causing potential problems in soils with low
permeability.

The monofluid jet grouting system is

more versatile; it can be applied at any
inclination and consequently finds wide use in
the stabilization of existing structures and in
tunnels where space is restricted. Set up an
excavation times are considerably shorter; the
method is also cheaper, cleaner and less noisy
than the 3-fluid jet grouting system.
THE
"2-FLUID"
SYSTEM

JET

of execution, economy, and final strength for

different soil types.
Once a set of parameters has been
chosen to treat a specific soil at a specific site, it
is common practice, and highly recommended
that grouting contractors carry out a series of insitu trials in order to test and oppose those
parameters.

GROUTING

This newer system is a combination of

the monofluid jet grouting and the 3-fluid jet
grouting systems. It based upon the principles of
the monofluid jet grouting system, but to
enhance its radius of influence uses an aureole
of compressed air concentric about the jet of
binder.

Table below summarizes the range of

parameters commonly used for the 3 different
jet grouting systems.

Typically, the diameter of a column of

soil treated by the monofluid jet grouting system
can be increased from 0.8 inches to 1.8 inches
by adding the air component.
Equipment for the application of this jet
grouting system is the same as for the monofluid
jet grouting system, except for the 2-way
coaxial drill string and an air compressor.

UNIQUENESS OF JET GROUTING AS A

SOIL STABILIZATION PROCEDURE
Jet

CHOICE
OF
PARAMETERS

JET

GROUTING

Grouting

as

soil

stabilization

procedure is quite unique as it overcomes some

limitations inherent with other procedures such

Experimental
studies
are
being
performed throughout the world to develop a
formula that will assist in determining which
parameters should be used in order to obtain the
desired combinations of column diameter, speed

as:
Insensitivity to Low Soil Permeability
Due to the ultra-high pressure injection of
cement grout, highly erosive forces ensure grout
penetration to the desired radius. The reduced

permeability of clays does not adversely affect

Grouted Column can be predicted with a

the grout penetration unlike unidirectional

reasonable degree of accuracy.

grouting procedures. Thus, the procedure is

Ease of Installation

effective for both clays and granular materials.

The procedure can be employed in difficult

Decreased Danger of Soil Fracturing or

ground or working conditions and the Jet

Heaving

Grouted Pile can be installed in any angle with

Because the procedure is normally open to

the vertical up to slightly less than 900. Beyond

atmospheric pressures and because the nozzle is

900 difficulty in retaining the Grout is

rotated at a constant rate, grout pressure build

encountered as grout flow out is possible.

up which could lead to serious soil heaving or

Ability to Bypass Obstructions

soil fracturing is eliminated. Even in cases

Jet Grouting has the unique ability to

where the hole is blocked, the increased

bypass obstructions such as boulders and buried

pressure and reduced grout take is detected by

structures and incorporate these into the

the instrumentation to allow quick response of

cemented columnar mass. Thus, Boulders could

the crew and thus heaving is prevented.

be embedded and incorporated into the soilcrete

Limited Headroom or Maneuver Space

mass and be part of the load support system.

Requirements

Increased Lateral Compaction of Soil

lightweight

The ultra-high pressure jet other than

equipment needed for installation allows Jet

eroding the soil also increases the lateral

Grouting to be performed in very tight places

compaction of the soil due to high pressure

for underpinning of existing Buildings or other

pulsating jet. Thus, some degree of densification

works.

is possible particularly for granular soils. The

Automated Installation Process

effectiveness of lateral compaction is at least a

The

relatively

small

and

The automated process of installation by

control of rotation, raising of drill string and
pressure/volume compensation by the ultra high

radius away from the perimeter.

Increased Frictional Resistance
The very uneven eroded surface produces a

highly

serrated configuration or a very highly irregular

predictable and consistent quality of the Jet

cylindrical surface. This increases the skin side

Grouted Column. Thus, minimum compressive

frictional resistance of the Jet Grouted Column.

pressure

pump

contribute

to

the

strength of the Soilcrete and the diameter of

disturbance of the already distressd structure or

Reduced Permeability of Soilcrete

Cementation of the soil after washing and
disaggregation helps eliminates voids and zones

adjacent

structures

becomes

critical

consideration.

of high permeability because a uniform soilcrete

Jet Grouting eliminates most of these

body is formed. The permeability is in the order

problems as the Jetting Machine can crawl into

of

very tight spaces. Disturbance is minimal and

10-6

cm/sec

very

much

like

heavy

impermeable clays.

avoided if installation is not concentrated in one

Control of Depth of Installation

area as to allow localized weakening of the soil

Since

this

is

an

insitu

Bottom-up

support while the grout is curing. In addition,

Installation Procedure, the depth of installation

disturbance to adjacent structures is minimal as

and the installation length can be controlled to

there is no vibration or shock. The Jet Grouting

the desired depth without wastage. In addition,

procedure could also be called upon to recover

the Grouting can be done at selective levels and

from settlements with the aid of chemical

need not be continuous.

jacking.
In addition, very expensive connection

APPLICATIONS

IN

DIFFICULT

details can be avoided with Jet Grouting as the

jet Grouted Section is very much bigger than the

FOUNDATION PROBLEMS
Although Jet Grouting is not a cure all for

hole through the foundation being underpinned.

all foundation problems that confront us day to

Only a dowel might be required in such cases.

day, there are difficult problems where it

Landslides

becomes the primary solution candidate or the

The large cross sectional area of the Jet

only solution available. There are myriads of

Grouted Pile and the ease of installation enable

problems in foundation engineering where the

the use of Jet Grouting for the control of

effectiveness of Jet Grouting becomes a crucial

Landslides and creep. The shear resistance of

factor in the selection process for a solution. We

the cross section can further be enhanced with

therefore group these into several classes of

the addition of soil reinforcement. The ability of

problems as follows:

the Jetting Machine to reach inaccessible areas

Underpinning of Structures

makes it possible to strengthen unstable slopes

Structural

underpinning

of

existing

on impending slide or areas subject to creep

structures becomes difficult particularly due to

movements. In addition, areas where slides have

low headroom or space restrictions. In addition,

occurred can be stabilized by the use of Jet

subsequently grouted inside the Jet Grouted Pile

allows for large pullout loads and resistance
against uplift. This is particularly useful for
Temporary Ground Anchors on poor soils where
the HTS length can be appreciably shortened or
Grouting essentially to reinforce the failed mass
and strengthen it.

these could be used as Deadman for Anchored

Sheetpiles or Bulkheads.

Seepage Cut Offs

The very low permeability of the Soilcrete
produced in the Jet Grouting Process allows it to
be used as an Impermeable Barrier. Its ability to
overlap in Secant Pile arrangement makes it
water tight.

CONCLUSION
Clearly, we have seen the versatility of Jet
Grouting in the Solution of Difficult Problems
in Foundation Engineering.
However, it should be understood that Jet
Grouting is not a cure all to foundation

Foundation Piles

problems. There are some deterrents to its

Particularly for very shallow applications in

very tight or inaccessible areas, Jet Grouting is
sometimes the only viable solution. Its large
cross sectional area and highly irregular
perimeter allows it to sustain large heavy loads
controlled only by the strength of the Soilcrete
material.

existing

conventional

foundation

solutions

where difficulty or restrictions on the use of

such conventional solutions are nonexistent.
In addition, the load carrying capacity of

the Soilcrete in a double tube system as the soil

Jet Grouted Anchors have been used in projects

to provide a deadman or a large diameter anchor
with appreciable pullout capacity. The use of
Tensile

Also, the procedure becomes noncompetitive to

the Jet Grouted Pile is limited by the quality of

As Ground Anchors

High

successful application, one of which is cost.

Strands

drilled

into

and

is not totally replaced by Cement Grout but is

mixed with it.