Our client operates a soft drink production plant in the Moscow region. Due to the vibratory nature of the operations, the facility began to experience severe localised settlement of the floor slabs, which led to a number of serious equipment problems. Because the enterprise was engaged in the production and bottling of soft drinks, it required constant cleaning and washing to maintain acceptable hygiene and sanitary requirements. This means that constantly large volumes of liquid flow, putting great pressure on the drainage systems. After many years of intensive use, the drainage system began to fail, leading to leakage of liquids into the soil foundation; over time, this led to significant settlement beneath the facility's slabs.

Task
The settlement had a number of critical consequences for the facility: the main consequence was the displacement of existing floor slabs, which affected the safe operation of vehicles on site and at height. Another side effect of the foundation loosening was the vibration generated by production processes on existing equipment. Constant intense vibration would lead to regular malfunctions that would require repair, meaning that operations would have to stop during repair work. This in turn means repair costs and, most importantly, downtime costs. This is a particularly expensive problem in FMCG markets, where production is scheduled to the minute and even second. Uretek representatives were contacted to provide a solution to the structural problems while complying with all customer requirements and sanitary legal standards.

Technology applied:
The solution provided by Uretek specialists was to drill holes in the most localised areas according to an individually designed scheme and inject expansive geopolymer resins into the affected areas. The resin used has a high density, and Uretek specialists can control the properties of the materials depending on the soil type, load and required expansion force to lift the floor. Uretek Ground Engineering implemented a list of works that included isolated drilling and injection points for geopolymer materials in localised areas throughout the plant.

The main advantage of the Uretek solution was that technological operations could continue without change or shutdown, so the entire potential cost of the repair and operation programme was reduced. Working with the operations team, Uretek engineers identified voids and were able to work in localised areas of the facility, injecting to fill voids and re‑level the floor with the operating equipment. The expansive resins levelled all areas, which was confirmed during the work by a laser level and by repeated geodetic surveying of the facility.