1 (800) 456-6548 Ground improvement Share Related solutions Related techniques Soils often need treating to support the weight of a building or to withstand the loads imposed by a piece of infrastructure. This can mean improving the ground or putting in foundations to transfer the loads to deeper more competent layers. Common Uses Increase bearing capacity Reduce settlement and permeability Mitigate liquefaction Increase slope stability Collapse / fill voids, stabilize mines / karst Accelerate settlement Treat expansive soils Stabilize soft ground The mechanism of achieving ground improvement varies by technique and soil conditions. Densification using vibration or displacement is an effective means of improving granular soils. Reinforcement involves constructing or inserting stiff elements within a soil mass to create an improved composite material. Soil can be improved by adding cementitious materials by either permeation in granular soils or mixing in all soil types. The insertion of vertical drains decreases the amount of time it takes soils to settle and strengthen when subjected to a surcharge load. Voids can cause overlying structures to settle. Compaction grouting, cement grouting, polyurethane grouting, and other specialized grouting techniques permanently fill voids. Keller has experience with the full range of void filling techniques to stop mine subsidence and stabilize sinkholes. Heave due to expansive clay soils is a common problem in some areas of the US. Injection systems treat expansive clays beneath buildings and landfills with the pressure injection of an aqueous solution of water, lime or lime/fly ash slurry or potassium chloride. Water injection pre-swells expansive clays before construction. Lime injection fills the desiccation pattern of expansive clay with slurry and stabilizes the surface of the pad for workability, for building pads, streets, parking lots, and runways. Lime/fly ash injection improves low-strength soils to improve the bearing capacity and/or trafficability of runways, landfills, and bridge approaches. Potassium chloride injection arrests heave occurring beneath existing structures by limiting the amount of water underlying clays can absorb. Keller has experience with the full range of ground improvement techniques. Related projects Project image River District Location Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Project image Huckleberry Creek Reservoir Location Dover, Arkansas Footer CTAs Request a quote Get assistance Contact us © 2021 Copyright Keller North America 7550 Teague Road, Suite 300 Hanover, MD 21076 Footer links Keller Group Worldwide contacts Careers Keller Vendor Registration Form Register for alerts Click on the button below to select the types of alerts you would like to receive Register for alerts Legal links Terms of use Privacy Policy California Resident Privacy Notice Manage cookies Sitemap Social links Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Your choice regarding cookies on this site We use cookies to give you the best possible experience and hold information about how you use our website. Accept allManage cookies