Reinforcement of the production building's foundation with geopolymer columns

One side of an industrial building had settled by 20 cm and needed strengthening to prevent further settlement. The consequence of the settlement was cracks in the load‑bearing walls and foundations. The first 4 metres of the foundation beneath the concrete footings consisted of sand and mud, which tended to self‑compact because the soils in the excavation had been dumped and not properly compacted. At 4–8 metres below the foundation level, the soil conditions were more suitable for foundation strengthening solutions, since more hard clay was present. In this area, the URETEK contractor injected geopolymer and improved the soil conditions (created a virgin soil support) so that the polymer columns would achieve good support and safely transfer the loads from the concrete footings. The building is designed to stand on 10 concrete footings (columns). The foundation soil was strengthened as a result of the project to eliminate further settlement and stop further damage to the building structures.

Task
URETEK strengthened the load‑bearing structures of the concrete footings with 40 x 4‑metre geopolymer columns. The columns were formed directly under the footings to a depth of support on the dense foundation.

Technology applied:
Geopolymer columns and Uretek deep injections.
The soil was improved (strengthened) using 40 load‑bearing geopolymer columns (4 per footing) and injections to a depth of 4–8 metres. The industrial building was strengthened without stopping operation or eviction.