The HKIE Geotechnical Division Annual Seminar 2018

C. Borgatti
Trevi Construction Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong

Victor Li
Victor Li & Associates Ltd, Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the experience of jet grouting in Hong Kong. The principles, practice
and applications of jet grouting are brie ly described Some recommendations on design
speci ication and quality control of jet grouting are made

1 INTRODUCTION

Jet grouting is a versatile method of ground improvement In Hong Kong it has been widely used in
various applications in civil engineering projects and is becoming more common for controlling ground
movement of deep excavations in private development projects This paper discusses the experience of
jet grouting in Hong Kong.

2 BASIC THEORY OF JET GROUTING

The jet grouting process involves disaggregating the soil or weak rock and mixing it with and partial
replacement by a cementing agent The disaggregation is achieved by means of high energy jet of one
or more luids one of them being the grout mix itself A high pressure which may be up to bars is
provided by a high pressure pump to the cement grout The cement grout lows through high pressure
hoses into the jetting rod and lows out from the nozzles in the jetting rod into the soil In the delivery
hose the velocity head is small because the low rate is low but the pressure head is very high There is a
common misconception that jet grouting is dangerous because the high pressure will stay in the ground
after jetting causing the risk of ground heave This is not the case as can be explained by the well known
Bernoulli s principle in luid mechanics which state that

pressure head velocity head potential head constant

The potential head term can be ignored since its change is usually small compared with the other
two terms The jet grouting process involves forming an open drillhole in the ground using the drillbit
connected to the jetting rod As long as the drillhole remains unblocked the pressure head in the
drillhole will also be maintained at a low value close to the hydrostatic head If so the pressure head
at the jetting point must be low and the velocity head of the luid in the jet must increase to maintain
a constant total head thus forming a high velocity jet for disintegrating the soils It is only when the
drillhole is blocked that a high luid pressure will develop in the ground Nowadays the jet grouting
process is highly automatic and computerized When there is any sign of blockage of the drillhole as
indicated by a drop in discharge rate in the jet increase in torque of operating the drillbit or reduced
return of spoils from the drillhole the jet grouting process will be aborted by the machine to remove the
danger of ground heave.

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The HKIE Geotechnical Division Annual Seminar 2018

3 TYPES OF JET GROUTING

In Hong Kong the mono luid and double luid system are more common and the triple luid system
is seldom used Figure shows the mono luid system which uses the grout mix for jetting Figure
presents the double luid system in which compressed air is used to increase the ef iciency of jet
grouting The air will reduce the viscosity of the slurry mixture of disaggregated soils and cement grout
For this reason a jet grout column with a larger diameter can be formed using a double luid system

Figure Mono luid system Figure Double luid system

Although a double luid system is more ef icient the compressed air may leak and affect adjacent
areas The mono luid system is therefore more suitable when the application of jet grouting is to isolate
the construction works in the site from affecting adjacent sensitive structure

4 WORKING PROCEDURES

Figure shows the procedures for forming a jet grout column JGC Depending on the design requirement
a JGC can be installed to speci ied top and bottom levels below the ground To achieve a bigger JGC pre
cutting with air and water is sometimes carried out before jetting with cement grout Figure presents
the execution process of jet grouting.

Figure Construction of jet grout column

Figure Execution process of jet grouting

Jet grouting requires the use of a crawler mounted hydraulically operated rig The rig is equipped
with a computer system which records the essential parameters for monitoring the jet grouting
operation The cement grout is mixed by a high turbulence automatic plant capable of producing a grout
supply of at least m3 hr Water is stored on site in tanks Mixed grout is temporarily stored in an
agitator with m3 capacity and kept in constant movement until required by the high pressure pump
The grout mix is supplied by means of a high pressure pump through high pressure hose Type AA
Hose connectors must be capable of holding up a pressure of at least bars The pump should be
close to the jetting rig to avoid loss of pressure The mixing plant is connected to cement silos According
to the Air Pollution Ordinance the total volume of cement stored in silos on site is limited to tonnes
This places a severe restriction on the production rate of jet grouting in Hong Kong.

5 SUITABILITY

Jet grouting is suitable for a wide range of soils as shown in Figure In granular materials there is
a higher risk that the compressed air may spread It may be cautious to use a temporary casing for
forming the drillhole to create a more controlled path for the compressed air and spoils to return to the
ground surface through the casing.

Figure Soils suitable for jet grouting

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The HKIE Geotechnical Division Annual Seminar 2018

6 JET GROUTING DESIGN

Figure shows the typical patterns for jet grouting The linear layout is usually used for forming a
separation wall or a grout curtain The triangular mesh is usually for forming a jet grout block The
impervious or pervious pattern can be used depending on whether it is necessary to form a completely
water tight jet grouted block

Figure Jet grouting pattern

Grout mixes used for jet grouting usually has a water cement ratio of to by weight Table
gives some guidelines on the sizes and properties of JGC that are achievable for different types of soils
based on past experience in Hong Kong.

Table Achievable properties of jet grout columns

Achievable lower
Mono luid system Double luid system
bound results
Description of soil SPT diameter achievable diameter achievable UCS E k
MPa MPa m sec
from mm to
up to mm
mm
Marine deposit 1.2
from mm to
from to up to mm
mm

from mm to
from to up to mm
mm
Alluvium sand 2
from to up to up to mm
from to up to up to mm

up to up to up to mm
Alluvium clay from to up to up to mm 1.2
from to up to up to mm

up to up to up to mm
Completely
from to up to up to mm 1.5
decomposed granite
from to up to up to mm

from mm to
Gravel granular ill up to mm 3
mm

Rock ill with ines up to up to mm 3

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 The HKIE Geotechnical Division Annual Seminar 2018

The results for UCS and E shown in the above table are the likely achievable lower bound results
and the quoted permeability k which is the same for all soil types is the expected upper bound value
For sandy soils the jetting process is more effective in producing a more thorough mixture of soils
and cement mix and a permeability of m s or lower should be achievable For clay soils the jetting
process may be less effective in achieving a thorough mixture As the permeability of clay itself is likely
to have a permeability lower than m s the mass permeability of JGC containing clay lumps is still
expected to be m s or lower
In Hong Kong design engineers sometimes specify the strength properties of JGC in terms of
effective cohesion and angle of shearing resistance At present there is no commercial laboratory which
has the facility to measure these properties of JGC It is unreasonable to require the contractor to verify
these design parameters when there is no available facility for performing the relevant tests From a
design point of view it will be much simpler and more practical for the designer to ignore the friction
component of strength and model JGC as a material with a high shear strength S equal to half of the
uncon ined compressive strength In this case the contractor can easily verify the required strength by
uncon ined compression tests

7 TESTING AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

The acceptance criteria are usually related to the permeability deformation modulus and strength
properties depending on the function of the JGC The insitu permeability of JGC can be measured using
ield permeability tests such as constant or falling head permeability test The strength of JGC can be
assessed using uncon ined compression tests of a core sample Deformation modulus can be inferred
from the stress strain curve measured in an uncon ined compression test It can also be assessed using
pressuremeter tests Sometimes a total core recovery TCR criterion is speci ied This parameter may
be useful as a rough indicator of the homogeneity of JGC but should not be used as rigid acceptance
criterion As long as the overall TCR of all the JGCs or grout block meets the target value the presence of
some local weak spots with lower TCR should not normally affect the performance of the jet grouting

8 QUALITY CONTROL

The end product of jet grouting is cement stabilized soil and not the hardened grout itself Designers
in Hong Kong often incorrectly and unnecessarily apply the quality control measures for the cement
grout used in foundation construction such as uncon ined compression test of cube samples to the
grout mix for jet grouting The grout mix for jet grouting has a much lower water cement ratio than
that of the thicker non shrink grout used for foundation works As a result bleeding is expected to be
signi icant for the grout mix used for jet grouting It is not suitable or meaningful to prepare cube sample
for the grout mix for uncon ined compression because a cubic specimen cannot be formed as a result
of bleeding and sedimentation of cement inside the mould Even if a con ined compression test can be
carried out on a non standard test cube the strength of cement grout gives no indication of the strength
of JGC in the ground.
It is recommended that quality control of grout mix based on the density and viscosity only will be
suf icient for jet grouting The density of grout mix can be measured using the Baroid mud balance and
the theoretical range of grout density is to tonne m3 for water cement ratio between to
The viscosity can be measured using the low cone and the recommended range of Marsh cone viscosity
is to seconds
Other quality control measures during construction include the control of alignment of grout rod
pump pressure grout low and etc Equipment used by specialist contractors for jet grouting in Hong
Kong are usually equipped with computer controlled devices to ful il these quality control requirements
Jet grouting is a soil improvement technique Designers cannot expect to have uniform jet grout
columns similar to what is achieved by the tremie concrete in pile foundations or diaphragm walls Even
when the jetting parameters are monitored and recorded by electronic instruments the diameter of
and cement content in jet grout columns will be affected by variations of soil properties and hence not
uniform The inal strength can vary along the jet grout column
A jet grout column is not as strong as concrete Coring can sometimes damage the core samples
The HKIE Geotechnical Division Annual Seminar 2018

giving a wrong impression that the quality of JGC is poor Even if the coring is properly executed the
presence of hard materials such as gravel boulders and in general obstructions can damage or affect the
integrity of the core during the course of coring Under such circumstances televiewer can be used as an
alternative to verify the integrity of the JGC in question by visual inspection

9 APPLICAITONS

Jet grouting has a wide range of applications The common applications in Hong Kong are discussed
below

Plate JGC for enhancing stability of temporary cut slope

a JGC can be used as stabilizing piles to enhance the stability of slopes Plate shows the large
diameter JGC installed for enhancing the temporary slopes formed during excavation within a
large cofferdam for the project of West Kowloon Terminus Station North
b Construction of a block of strong and impermeable material to support the construction of
cross passages between tunnels or excavation by tunnel boring machine at the break out point
at the launching shaft and the break in point at the receiving shaft
c Ground improvement works to increase the strength and stiffness of soils to reduce the ground
movement during excavation of cofferdams JGC can be installed behind the embedded wall to
reduce the active earth pressure or within the cofferdam to enhance the passive resistance
of soils or both A jet grout slab can also be formed as a pre installed strut before excavation
although it is not common in Hong Kong
d Jet grouting is also useful in sealing up utility windows The JGC will basically act as an
embedded wall for supporting the excavation beneath the utilities Plate shows such an
example for the project of Central Reclamation Phase III
e Jet grouting can be used for sealing gaps or openings in the embedded wall For instance jet
grouting can be used to form a strong and robust grout curtain behind pipe pile wall In doing
so it may no longer be necessary to install lagging wall For excavations in areas with high
rockhead pro ile and when excavation needs to be carried deep below the rockhead levels jet
grouting can be used seal the toe of sheetpile wall or pipe pile wall founding at the rockhead to
prevent water in low at the soil rock interface Plate shows an example of jet grouting used
for project of Shatin to Central Link Diamond Hill to Kai Tak Tunnels for sealing gaps between
pipe piles.
 The HKIE Geotechnical Division Annual Seminar 2018

Plate Jet grouting for sealing up utility windows Plate JGC for sealing gaps between pipe piles

f JGC can be installed using mono luid system to form a separation wall to mitigate the effect
of construction works on sensitive structures Plate shows an example in which JGC was
installed to mitigate the potential effect of building settlement of old buildings before trench
excavation for construction of diaphragm wall

Plate Jet grouting for protecting old building

10 CONCLUSION

Jet grouting is a versatile method of ground improvement Some of the common applications of jet
grouting in Hong Kong are discussed in this paper With proper control during installation buildup of
pressure in the ground will not occur particularly when using the mono luid system It should be borne
in mind that the end product of jet grouting is the cement stabilized soil and not the cement grout itself
Quality control should be focused more on the JGC and not the grout mix Many of the quality control
measures commonly used for the denser cement grout for foundation works are not applicable to the
grout mix with a high water cement ratio used for jet grouting Depending on the application the quality
control of JGCs can be carried out by means of ield permeability tests uncon ined compression tests
The HKIE Geotechnical Division Annual Seminar 2018

for measurement of strength or uncon ined compression test pressuremeter tests for measurement of
stiffness There is at present no commercial laboratory in Hong Kong which provides the services for
measurements of the effective stress parameters of core samples of JGCs such as triaxial tests From
a design point of view it will be simpler to model the jet grouted soils as material with a target
shear strength equal to half of the design uncon ined compressive strength In doing so veri ication
of strength parameters of JGC can be effected simply by means of uncon ined compression tests The
jet grouted zone is commonly designed as a block with uniform properties mainly for convenience of
analysis This explains why the impervious triangular pattern of JGC is often speci ied by the designer A
uniform grout block may not be necessary for some geotechnical applications because the performance
of geotechnical works e g shoring system is largely controlled by the average mass properties of grouted
block and not the weakest spot in the stabilized soils The use of pervious triangular pattern or perhaps
non overlapping JGCs at much reduced costs may often be suf icient to meet the design requirement