Jet grouting gains: P. Tarricone, Civil Engineering - ASCE, 64(12), 1994, pp 40–43

Abstract

Jet grouting, a soil stabilization technology developed in Europe, was introduced in the U.S. in the early 1980s. Due, in part, to the use of inappropriate equipment, jet grouting got off to slow start in this country, but in recent years the technology has become more popular. The overall yearly market for jet-grouting services in the U.S. is estimated at $10 million-$20 million; as many as 30 jet-grouting projects are completed each year in the U.S., according to industry estimates. Over the past several years, jet grouting has been used in a number of diverse applications: for excavation support, as a ground-water barrier, as a bottom-sealing technique to prevent pollutants from entering excavations, to combat scour beneath bridges, to stabilize slopes beneath gabion retaining walls and to underpin the Olympic luge foundations in Lake Placid, N.Y. However, the most common use of jet grouting in the U.S. is to underpin existing foundations in commercial and industrial settings. It may eventually replace the pit method as the most common underpinning technique, due to its cost-effectiveness and faster safer application. This article examines eight recent projects during which jet grouting used. It describes the overall site conditions, geotechnical difficulties and the decision-making process that led engineers to jet grouting.