K E L L E R

Keller’s jet grouting

JET GROUTING
systems offer a unique
degree of design
flexibility for a broad
range of applications.

Above: Jet grout block for tunnel

break-in/break-out.

Center: Jet grouting in downtown

J
Ottawa using spoil treatment
plant. et grouting is a ground improvement method that can be used for underpinning, water
control, earth retention, and other geotechnical challenges. Jet grouting is well-suited for
cases complicated by water or requiring targeted treatment. It is effective across a wide
Safety is critical to all op- range of soil types, including silts and most clays, making it one of the most versatile
erations at Keller. The jet techniques. Jet grouting is an erosion-based ground improvement technique that can be used
grouting installation crew to construct a variety of geometries, from thin vertical panels, to sector (partial) columns, to
performs daily site hazard full columns of varying diameters. Further, soil-cement properties (i.e. strength, hydraulic con-
analyses on all projects, ductivity) can be modified by controlling various grouting parameters. Parameters that can be
which highlights hazards modified include drill rod extraction rate, rotation speed, grout pumping pressures, grout flow,
as they relate to the spe- and the specific gravity of the grout. Lastly, the equipment can be sized to accommodate project
cific jet grout tasks per- needs ranging from low-headroom applications to treatment depths over 30 meters deep. This
formed throughout the flexibility enables the technique to be tailored to meet the specific project requirements.
day.
Keller has designed and constructed jet grouting programs for over 15 years and has success-
fully completed over 30 jet grouting projects in Canada. Keller has extensively pursued and ap-
plied this technique on a multitude of projects across the country and in all geologies. We have
continually enhanced our jet grout product and capabilities through the in-house development
of specialty tools and proprietary data acquisition (DAQ) equipment and software developed by
our sister company Hayward Baker. These efforts enable Keller to continue to be the leader in
the jet grouting field.
 Technology & Applications . . .
T he jet grouting process has many unique aspects that enable it to perform in ways that other ground modification techniques
cannot. Because jet grout is an erosional process which will create a relatively large column of soil-cement from a fairly small
borehole, it enables one to treat a soil strata at depth without disturbing the soils above it. Additionally, because the mixing occurs with
a fluid and not with a mechanical tool, this allows for treating against an existing structure, such as a bulkhead, shaft wall, or concrete
pipe. And lastly, the drill rigs used for jet grouting come in a range of different sizes; large ones capable of efficiently treating to depths
over 30 meters and very small ones capable of walking through a 76 centimeter door and working in a basement with only 2 meters
of headroom, making it a perfect technique for improving the foundation of an existing structure.

 Sealing  Groundwater Control

Jet grouting can be used to solidify soils Jet grouting can be utilized to effectively construct
against underground structures. This al- hydraulic cut-off walls for temporary (cofferdam) and
permanent dams. Overlapping columns are installed
lows a groundwater seal or structural sup- at depth to create a wall and tie the core of the dam
port to be tied to the existing structure. structure to the underlying bedrock or low perme-
ability soil strata. Common applications include cof-
ferdams, hydroelectric dams and tailings pond dams.

 Excavation Support and Shoring  Underpinning

Jet grouting can be placed under an exist- Jet grout columns can be placed under existing foun-
ing foundation to underpin the building and dations to reduce settlements or increase the load
support the soils behind the treatment dur- carrying capacity of the soils by using the soil cement
ing an excavation. Depending on cut height, to transfer loads to a more competent layer.
anchors may be necessary.

 Bottom Seal  Tunneling

Overlapping jet grout columns can be used Jet grouting has a wide array of uses in tunneling in-
to create a slab to act as a strut and/or bottom cluding soil stabilization at shaft exit and entry (break
barrier to reduce water and soil inflows into in/out), cross passage mining, underpinning existing
an excavation. structures, and improving soils where ground loss is
critical.

  

  
 Typical jet grout plant setup.  BOS system used to treat and separate spoils.
 In house design capabilities.  Jet grouting in cold weather environment.
 Exhumed jet grout test column (2 m dia).  Jet grouting close to live rail tracks.
Procedures & Design Considerations . . .
Jet Grouting Procedures Jet Grouting Design Applications
The jet grouting process uses specialty drill tooling which in- There a several design parameters that can be altered in the jet
cludes a grouting monitor attached to the end of a multi-cham- grout process. These include geometry, strength, and hydraulic
ber drill stem. Typically, the monitor is advanced to the targeted conductivity (commonly referred to as permeability).
maximum treatment depth, at which time high velocity/energy
grout jets (and sometimes water and air) are initiated through The shape of the jet grouted element can be modified as pre-
nozzles on the side of the monitor. The jets simultaneously viously described. Additionally, the size of the element can be
erode and mix the in situ soil with binder as the drill stem and varied, including both the diameter and length of the treated
jet grout monitor are rotated and raised. The process contin- zone. The length of the treated zone is controlled by initial pen-
ues until the upper limits of the treatment zone are reached, etration of the monitor (bottom) and termination of the erosion
at which time the tooling is withdrawn and the hole backfilled. or jetting process (top). The diameter is a function of the ero-
sional energy of the jet and the erodibility and quantity of the
During the jetting process it is imperative that the desired jet- soil. This change is made by varying the diameter of the fluid
ting parameters are maintained. The onboard data acquisition nozzles. The withdrawal rate can also be changed to increase or
system monitors the rotation rate and withdrawal rate, as well decrease the diameter of the jet grouted column. In general, the
as the grout, air and water (if used) pressure, and grout flow. more granular and cohesionless the soils are, the greater the
This information is displayed in real time for the operator, and erodibility. Gravels, however, can be difficult to assess. They
data are wirelessly transmitted to the DAQ database where it is can be either easily eroded or problematic to erode based on the
post-processed, stored and reviewed by the project team. geologic depositional process in which they were placed.

Depending on the geometry requirements, the monitor can be The strength and hydraulic conductivity of the soil-cement are
rotated continuously in the same direction to create a column or both functions of the binder content and type of soil treated. The
rotated partially back and forth to create any portion of a full 360 more granular or less cohesive the soils, typically the higher the
degree circular geometry. The monitor can also be held static as strength. Higher binder contents can also yield lower hydraulic
it is withdrawn to create panels in the targeted soil formation. conductivities in certain soil types. The binder content can be
modified by adjusting the specific gravity of the grout used in the
Critical to the success of jet grouting is ensuring spoils return to jetting process. As well, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag
the surface. Borehole stability is paramount to spoils return and (GGBFS) as a binder and bentonite as an additive will typically
successful jet grouting. It is important for drill holes to be of ad- provide lower hydraulic conductivities than Portland cement.
equate size to allow spoils to flow freely to the surface and pre-
vent any potential flow restriction, reducing the risk of heave.

Jet grouting has the

Application limits for Clay Silt Sand Gravel Cobbles
broadest range of
grouting techniques soil type applications
100
Passing by weight [%]

of all the grouting

Jet Grouting technologies.

Synthetic Solutions 80

Sodium Silicate Solutions [lv]

Silicate Gel [hv] 60

Ultra Fine Cement

Cement Suspension 40

Mortar
20
nv = low viscous
hv = high viscous

economical 0.002 0.006 0.02 0.06 0.2 0.6 2.0 6.0 20 60 0

Grain size [mm Ø]

Equipment & Materials . . .
Advancement in technology must include
the capability of our equipment.

As our jet grouting experience and expertise has grown over components may consist of GGBFS, bentonite, and other ad-
the years, so has our need to stay on the leading edge of equip- mixtures. The design and performance of our mixing equipment
ment advancement. This need has required that we look past provides grout slurry thoroughly mixed and hydrated to ensure
commercially available jet grouting kits and produce in con- a quality product.
junction with other Keller companies our own data acquisition
(DAQ) systems, rig control systems, and even fully-automated After the grout slurry is produced it is conveyed to the high
jet grouting rigs. jet grout pressure pump. Our pumps are capable of producing
flows upwards of 200 gpm (750 l/min) at pressures over 6,000
Jet Grouting Rig psi (400 bar). From the pump, the grout is transported through
Internal to the Keller Group, either high pressure steel pipe or purpose-built high pressure
our manufacturing company hoses to the rig. At the rig, the grout enters the drill string
Keller Geräte & Service through a specially-designed swivel and exits the drill string at
(KGS) produces jet grout- the monitor.
ing rigs capable of installing
the vast majority of work we Spoils Handling
perform. With a full suite of For jet grouting to be successful, spoils must return to the sur-
drills ranging in size, these face. The jet grout spoils will be a mixture of water, grout, and
rigs can work in low head- the soils that are being treated. The volume of this material can
room applications, install be predicted from the volume of grout slurry injected (volume
single stroke columns to in is approximately equal to volume out). Typical spoils volumes
depths of 34 meters, and per- range from 40 to 150 percent of the neat-line treatment volume
form almost everything in depending on the erodibility of the soil. During the construction
between. In addition to KGS Jet grouting in an urban environment. process it is critical to manage the spoils properly. The most
rigs, Keller also uses indus- common method is to simply dig a pit adjacent to the work area
try manufactured equipment and direct the fluid material towards the pit. Once in the pit, the
as well as specialty leads manufactured by our in-house experts spoils will gain strength over time, similar to the in situ soil-
that can install jet grout columns using a crane, where long reach cement, and can be removed the next day with an excavator.
applications may be necessary. Many other options exist to manage spoils when this conven-
tional approach is not suitable.
All our jet grout rigs use our sister company Hayward Baker’s
proprietary data acquisition system. These rigs are fully instru-
mented with an onboard computer to monitor the parameters
necessary for the jetting process. Our DAQ system enables
the rig operator to accurately control and monitor the jet grout
construction parameters, thereby producing a high quality soil-
cement column. Optional GPS integration on our rigs provides
real-time installation location records and as-built drawings.
Operations of the drill can be either automatic (computer con-
trolled) or manual (operator controlled). In automatic mode,
the computer controls the drill during the jetting process based
upon the programmed column attributes.

Grout Slurry Production and Delivery

During the process of jet grouting it is necessary to produce
a grout slurry with a consistent and accurate water to cement
ratio (density). It is equally important that any other compo- Jet grouting equipment and process schematic. This diagram shows the standard
nents be measured and blended with the same accuracy. These equipment layout during column installation on a site.
 Quality Assurance is process oriented. It is a proactive quality
process ensuring the right procedures are done correctly.

QA/QC . . .
Quality Control is product oriented. It consists of activities,
such as testing, which confirm quality of the product.

Quality Assurance
To meet the intent of the project and ensure that the jet grout
Jet Grouting Report
program is successful, an in situ test program is generally in-
stalled prior to production. Based on review of the project bor-
ings, the application, and previous project experience, initial jet Column Number:
Job Number:
123
12345
Date:
Start Time:
6/9/2015
9:54 AM

grout parameters (or sets of parameters) are established and Job Location:
Total Grout Volume:
Canada
46361 L
End Time:
Duration:
12:04 PM
02:09:44

executed in the field for the test program. The test program will Treatment Length: 12.99 m Avg. S.G.:
RPM
1.52
Depth

specifically demonstrate the column spacing, overlap, and ge-

60 0.0
50
5.0
40
ometry of the jet grouted elements. The test program will also

Depth (m)
RPM
30 10.0
20
verify consistency of the grout batching, evaluate the equipment 10
15.0

0 20.0
functionality, and confirm the real-time recording and reporting 0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00
Time (min)
80.00 100.00 120.00 140.00

of the jet grout parameters. All of these processes are used to Pull Speed Depth

establish a standardized protocol for each specific soil type that 100 0.0

Pull Speed (cm/min)

80
5.0
is consistent and repeatable for the production columns.

Depth (m)
60
10.0
40
15.0
20

Keller uses our sister company Hayward Baker’s proprietary 0

0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00
Time (min)
80.00 100.00 120.00
20.0
140.00

data acquisition (DAQ) system which enables us to continuously Grout Pressure Grout Flow

monitor and record specific jet grout parameters at the rig. The 400 500.0
Grout Pressure (bar)

350

Grout Flow (lpm)

400.0
DAQ interface provides real-time information to the drill rig
300
250 300.0
200

operator, while the column construction data is uploaded wire- 150

100
200.0

100.0
50
lessly to a server soon after completion to be used for report 0
0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00
0.0
140.00

generation. These reports can then be reviewed in near real-

Time (min)

Air Pressure Air Flow

time by project management and submitted to the client. 14
10.0
Air Pressure (bar)

Air Flow (m^3/min)

12 8.0
10
6.0
8

Quality Control 6
4
2
4.0

2.0

While quality assurance helps standardize the process, quality 0

0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00
0.0
140.00
Time (min)
control in jet grouting involves validating the work given the
variable nature of soils across a site. Quality control is generally
performed through periodic coring of the jet grout columns and
DAQ report for a jet grout column. The report is specifically designed for a quick, one
sampling the wet spoils. Cores are visually inspected and logged page overview of the jet grout installation.
for recovery and continuity. When insufficient core length is re-
covered, down-hole cameras may be used to inspect the core
hole in situ. Surface or in situ sampling of wet jet grout spoils is
performed during the work to subsequently test the materials
for performance requirements such as unconfined compressive
strength and permeability. Fresh samples of the soil-cement are
usually cast in concrete cylinders in the field and sent for labora-
tory testing as required.

A coring sample to visually inspect the quality of jet grout installed during production. Low headroom jet grout rig.
 J E T G R O U T I N G

Advantages of Keller Jet Grouting

Advantages of using Keller for your jet Design-Build Services for the Complete
Range of Geotechnical Technologies
grouting needs include:
Grouting
Cement Grouting
 Canada’s leader in jet grouting for Permeation (Chemical) Grouting
Fracture Grouting
over 15 years. Jet Grouting
Low Mobility (Compaction) Grouting
 Design, management, and field staff Polyurethane Grouting
have experience in nearly all geologies Ground Improvement
and with all types of jet grouting Dry Soil Mixing
Dynamic Compaction
applications. Injection Systems
Rapid Impact Compaction
 Jet grouting can be combined with Rigid Inclusions
other techniques to provide a compre- Vibro Compaction
Vibro Concrete Columns
hensive and cost-effective geotechnical Vibro (Aggregate) Piers®
solution. Vibro Replacement
Wet Soil Mixing
 Equipment and staff is willing to Deep Foundations
Auger Cast Piles
travel to where ever your project takes
Drilled Shafts
us. We have performed jet grouting Driven Piles
projects deep in the urban environ- Franki Piles (PIFs)
ment to projects in the remoteness of Helical Piles
our country. Jacked Piers
Macropiles®
Micropiles
 An extensive equipment fleet and a Earth Retention
significant array of specialty tooling to Anchors
address various geologic and logistical Anchor Block Slope Stabilization
conditions. Gabions
Jet grouting for seepage control. Micropile Slide Stabilization System (MS³)
Pit Underpinning
 DAQ system documents performance Secant or Tangent Piles
and provides quality assurance. Sheet Piles
Soil Nailing
Soldier Piles & Lagging
Additional Services
Earthquake Drains
Sculpted Shotcrete
Slab Jacking
Slurry Walls
TRD - Soil Mix Walls
Wick Drains

Website kellerfoundations.ca
You have a strong partner with Keller Email info@kellerfoundations.ca
Keller Foundations Ltd.
As a leading specialty geotechnical construc- specialized geotechnical construction. With A member of the Keller worldwide
group of companies
tion firm, Keller provides a full range of ground technical excellence, and teamwork at our
engineering techniques and solutions, related core, we deliver projects safely, on budget and Copyright 2017 Keller Foundations Ltd.

to earth retention, foundation support, ground on schedule. For a complete list of our o�ces, visit:
kellerfoundations.ca
improvement, and ground treatment.
Offering a wide range of services, including
Built on a reputation of safety and quality, design-build packages, Keller meets the needs
Keller sets the standard for performance of our clients by providing comprehensive
and innovation through our commitment to cost effective solutions to the most complex
the integration, implementation, and further problems.
development of advanced technologies for