Recently Ground Consolidation Services was contacted by a South Carolina engineering and contracting firm for some help at an industrial food grade production plant. Due to poor compaction of the soils under the slab, cracking and settlement occurred. This was especially problematic because large injection mold machines sit atop this area and have to be level to work properly. Obviously having machines of this nature not running is quite costly to a production facility.

It was determined that soft unstable soils existed as far as 5 feet below the surface. GCS performed a series of deep soil injections using Alchemy-Spetec’s AP Lift 475, a high- strength hydro-insensitive polyurethane foam capable of supporting 14,000 lbs per square foot. The deep soil injection process used in this application is a form of compaction grouting designed to squeeze the loose soils in a confined space. Once the soil was stabilized, we injected directly through the slabs in order to lift them back to their original level position.

The facility engineers and managers were thrilled to get the machines back online, not to mention all this was done by lunchtime! These issues are all too common and unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know that these less invasive, less costly, and less time-consuming repair options are available. The alternative to our method would have been removal and replacement of the concrete. Could you just imagine the time, cost, and mess (especially in a food-grade facility)? If you see signs of concrete settlement, such as cracking or uneven joints, give us a call for a free evaluation!