Compensation grouting
Settlement control by displacement grouting
Corrective grouting (jacking)
Grouting is performed after
settlement has occurred
Compensation grouting
Grouting is performed
simultaneously with settlement
generation
Compensation grouting may be:
Concurrent
Observational
Monitoring is a key element of
settlement control/compensation
Kummerer (2003)
Types of grouting
Compaction grouting
Injection of stiff high
viscosity grout
Fracture grouting
Injection of low viscosity grout
at pressures that cause
fracturing
Intrusion grouting
Injection of a fluid grout with a
high solids content. Solids
remain near point of injection
but limited fracturing
Harris (2001)
Compensation grouting
Harris (2001)
Compensation grouting
Directional drilling
railway bridge
Ponte vecchio
Via Emilia Levante
Bologna
10 m
11,5
18,0
grouting pipe array
with maximum length of 68m
1,5
1.5
5,0
tunnel
9,4 m in diameter
Compensation grouting: a bit of history
Compaction grouting
Bolton Hill Tunnels, Baltimore (Baker et al, 1983)
Minneapolis tunnel (Cording et al., 1989)
By the 1990s compensation using compaction grouting well
established in the US (Littlejohn, 2003)
Fracture grouting
Essen in 1986 (Chambosse & Osterbein, 2001)
Vienna metro (Pototschnik, 1992)
Other tunnels in Germany & Austria (e.g. Raabe, 1989)
First used in UK in Waterloo station, 1992 (Mair & Hight, 1994)
Extensive use in Jubilee extension line, London (well
documented; Burland, Standing & Jardine eds.)
Used extensively: Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Barcelona, Antwerp and
many others (also sometimes used in the US)
The term compensation grouting
Apparently coined by D.W. Hight (GCG) (Mair, 1994)
Concept and design
Compaction grouting vs. Fracture grouting
Compaction grouting
Fracture grouting
Better control of grout
extension
Little control of fracture
extension and direction
More robust with respect to
implementation parameters
Repeat grouting requires
redrilling
Multiple injection is
straightforward (TAM
grouting)
Lower efficiency?
Higher injection pressures
Lower injection pressures
Creates a smaller region of
pore pressure increase
Creates a larger region of
pore pressure increase
Dominant in the US
Dominant in the Europe
Compensation grouting
Rodio (2005)
Compensation grouting
EPB machine: 12.3 m diameter
smax
D2
=
Vl
32 i
Ground movements control: compensation grouting
Juan Valera road
Ground movements control: compensation grouting
Grouting well
Grouting well
Grouting boreholes
Silt with sand
and gravel
W.T.
W.T.
Gravel and coarse sand
TUNNEL
Silt with sand and gravel
Juan Valera road
Ground movements control: compensation grouting
Juan Valera road
Ground movements control: compensation grouting
0.5
0
10/6/2003 10/31/2003 11/25/2003 12/20/2003 1/14/2004
2/8/2004
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
Point HT1 (13.2m to the north
of tunnel axis)
Point HT2 (3.2m to the north
of tunnel axis)
Point HT3 (16.1m to the south
of tunnel axis)
Passage of EPB
Vertical displacement [mm]
-3
Time
Juan Valera road
3/4/2004
3/29/2004
4/23/2004
Ground movements control: compensation grouting
-10
-5
Vertical displacement [mm]
0
5
10
0
5
15
At 9.1 m from the centreline
On the tunnel centreline
Depth [m]
10
15
20
25
30
Juan Valera road
20
Mechanisms
Do we have a sufficient understanding of the relevant grouting
mechanisms?
Under which conditions fracture occurs?
What is the direction, extent, thickness of grout-filled fractures?
Principal stress orientation
Heterogeneity / planes of weakness
Grout composition
Injection rate
Simultaneous vs. Sequential injection
Single injection phase vs. Multiple injection phases
Mechanisms
Do we have a sufficient understanding of the relevant grouting
mechanisms?
Fracture direction and principal stress orientation.
Laboratory results from Soga and co-workers in Cambridge
Mechanisms
Do we have a sufficient understanding of the relevant grouting
mechanisms?
Laboratory results from Soga and co-workers in Cambridge
Effect of injection rate
Mechanisms
Do we have a sufficient understanding of the relevant grouting
mechanisms?
Laboratory results from Soga and co-workers in Cambridge
Multiple injections epoxy grout
Mechanisms
Preconditioning grouting: what are its role and effects?,
Objectives of preconditioning phase
Compensate the effects of drilling and TAM installation
Compression of loose layers and filling of voids
Increase horizontal stress
Prepare for the actual compensation phase
Mechanisms
Barcelona Metro: Line 9
Mechanisms
Barcelona Metro: Line 9
TUNNEL
Mechanisms
Preconditioning grouting: what are its role and effects?,
Proposed topics for discussion: Mechanisms
Preconditioning grouting: what are its role and effects?,
Mechanisms
What are the reasons for the low efficiencies in compensation
grouting?
Efficiency: volume of ground heave / volume of grout injected
Typical values 1/3 -1/5, sometimes 1/10 and 1/20!
They usually increase as grouting progresses
wells
Antwerp Central Station
Kummerer at al. (2003)
Implementation
Is compensation grouting really compatible with TBM excavation?
Fast tunnel face passage; grouting intensity based on predictions
Is the specification of a exclusion zone justified? Where should
grouting be performed?
Measured effects on lining pressures are often small (Lee et al., 1999)
Proposed topics for discussion: Mechanisms
What are the reasons for the low efficiencies in compensation
grouting?
Efficiency: volume of ground heave / volume of grout injected
Typical values 1/3 -1/5, sometimes 1/10 and 1/20!
They usually increase as grouting progresses
Where is the grout going?
Lateral compression / excavation deformation
Densification of ground (not in undrained clay)
Solid particles penetration in pores (not in clay)
Grout bleeding / leakage
Even so, efficiency figures are too small
No significant differences between clays and granular materials
Numerical analyses never yield such low efficiencies
Concept and design
What is the best way to perform numerical analyses of
compensation grouting?
Two main methods: prescribed strain and prescribed stress
Prescribed strain
Usually a volume change is applied
Simpler method
Extension and magnitude of compensation grouting must be
defined in advance
It may require to represent ground improvement due to the
conditioning phase (Kummerer et al., 2003)
conditioned zone
applied vol at "injection element"
Concept and design
What is the best way to perform numerical analyses of
compensation grouting?
Two main methods: prescribed strain and prescribed stress
Prescribed stress
A pressure is applied (usually through especial elements)
Less straightforward
In principle the model could model grout flow (and even fracture
development)
It may require independent volume control
Surface structure
Tubes-a-manchette
Franzius et al., (2007)
Concept and design
Use of compensation grouting in soft clays
Grouting generates pore pressures especially in soft clays
Dissipation of pore pressures will cause settlement and counteract
compensation grouting heave
Komiya et al. (2001)
Concept and design
Use of compensation grouting in soft clays
Compensation grouting trial in Singapore marine clay (Shirlaw et al.,
1999)
Concept and design
Use of compensation grouting in soft clays
Compensation grouting trial in Singapore marine clay (Shirlaw et al.,
1999)
Concept and design
Use of compensation grouting in soft clays
Compensation grouting trial in Singapore marine clay (Shirlaw et al.,
1999)
Concept and design
Should we apply compensation grouting to all types of
excavation?
Description of a case in Shanghai soft clay involving a braced excavation
Risk to the wall (grouting injected after bracing installed)
Liu (2003)
Implementation
Monitoring requirements
A key element of any compensation grouting
Grouting
information
Settlement
monitoring
Rodio (2005)
Implementation
Monitoring requirements
Sensible recommendations ( adapted from Littlejohn, 2003)
proper bedding-in period
incorporation of a degree of instrument redundancy (manual back up
system)
use of dummy instruments for checking
proper interpretation and evaluation procedure (in real time!)
Most suitable instruments for settlement control
a plea for the installation of ground instruments at depth!
Summary and conclusions
Compensation grouting
Very useful and proven technique to control settlements.
The procedure appears to have reached a settled stage
Butwe lack a good understanding of the mechanisms
underlying its performance
This hampers a more reliable and risk-free application
In those circumstances, monitoring and field trials
probably save the day
Well documented field experiences (as well as laboratory
and field research) are the key to sound progress!
