Improved Method of and Apparatus for Effecting the Solidification of Loose Ground for Making Foundations and other Purposes, also Applicable for Making Concrete or Mortar.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improved Method of and Apparatus for Effecting the Solidification
of Loose Ground for Making Foundations and other Purposes,
also Applicable for Making Concrete or Mortar.
I FRIEDRICH NEUKIRCH of Börse Zimmer No. 19 Bremen, Germany Engineer do
hereby declare the naturo of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention has mainly for its object to effect the solidification of loose ground
such as sand or gravel either under water or on dry ground so as to serve as solid
foundations without the necessity of excavating the soil for the purpose of introducing
masses of concrete such as was heretofore required. For this purpose I force into
the loose ground by means of air pressure cement powder or other binding material
in a finely divided pulverulent form so as to cause it to penetrate throughout the
interstices between the particles of sand gravel &c., whereupon the moisture of the
soil will cause the particles of cement to set, thus binding the soil into a solid mass;
if the moisture of the soil is not sufficient for this purpose water may be afterwards
added to the requisite extent.
Where necessary, the extent of ground so acted upon may be confined, by driving
into the same an enclosure of boarding or other suitable material as shown at A B on
the accompanying drawing. For effectually causing the cement powder to penetrate
to the required extent into the ground, I employ by preference apparatus in which an
air compressing engine () forces air into an air vessel W provided with a safety
valve S, from which it is admitted by a cock or valve H to an injector apparatus Ď
connected by a flexible or jointed pipe V to a metal tube R with closed pointed lower
end, which is sunk to the required depth into the ground to be acted upon, and has at
its lower end a number of holes through which the air can issue. To the injector
apparatus D is connected the lower end of a funnel-shaped hopper T having a grating
or sieve at F on to which is charged the powdered cement, so that this in falling
through the grating (which retains any coarse particles) into the space of the injector
apparatus surrounding the air nozzle, is carried forward in a finely divided form by

page_text: the air blast, and in issuing with this through the holes of the tube R is made to
penetrate throughout the whole mass of the soil, tlie tube R being from time to time
shifted in position so as to operate upon the soil from different points in order to
obtain a more or less uniform dissemination of the cement powder. The hopper is
provided with a suitable feed roller or other device at Z whereby the supply of cement
to the injector can be regulated, and, when required, entirely stopped, so that, for
instance when sinking the tube R into the soil this may be facilitated by blowing
through air without any cement, so as to blow away the soil immediately surrounding
he lower end of the tube.
A blast of air alone may also be used after the cement has been introduced for the
purpose of effectually mixing the cement with the soil.
The above described method of operating may also be employed for solidifying
sea-shores and river-banks, in which case the enclosure of the soil to be acted upon
may be dispensed with; also, by inserting the tube R into heaps of sand or gravel
and forcing in powdered cement &c. as above described these may be converted into
cement or mortar for building purposes, water being afterwards added both in this and
the previous cases, when the material is not sufficiently moist.
When the soil consists of very coarse sand, pebbles or gravel having considerable
interstices between the coarse particles, there may be forced in by the air blast together
with the cement, fine sand, slag powder or coal ashes, in order to fill in these interstices
without expending too much cement.
The above described method may also be used when driving tunnels or shafts through
water-bearing strata, in order to solidify the portions of the latter immediately
surrounding the tunnel &c.
In place of air-pressure, steam may be used for forcing in the cement powder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
(1) The method substantially as herein described of solidifying loose ground or for
converting loose material into concrete or mortar by forcing a binding material such
as cement in the form of powder into the loose ground or material by means of a blast
of air or steam.
(2) The use for forcing cement in powder form into loose ground or material by
means of air blast, of apparatus constructed and operating substantially as herein
described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Dated this Sth day of August 1988
ABEL & INRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.