Testing of a low-mobility grout material for permeation grouting in embankment dams

Embankment dams may be damaged by internal erosion, which ultimately may lead to a failure. During internal erosion, finer soil particles from the core soil are being washed out. To restore the core function, injection grouting may be undertaken. Grouting the core of an embankment dam should be performed with a grout with similar characteristics as the original core soil. This grout type is commonly used in compaction grouting, e.g., a low mobility grout. The grout is similar to a fine-grained moraine core soil, but given its stiffness, it is difficult to permeate a damaged core soil. A modified low mobility grout containing sand, limestone filler, bentonite, plasticizer, air release agent and water has been tested in the laboratory with focus on permeation. Grouting was done in different sized aggregates. Impact of paste-to-aggregate ratio, grout consistency, maximum grain size of grout, coarseness of grouted material, and grouting methodology was tested. Higher paste-to aggregate ratios and lower viscosity/yield strength in/of the grout improved the permeation. Initially pressurized grouting compared to only hydrostatic pressures followed by stepwise pressure increased grouting was furthermore identified as a factor to improve the permeation.
Validerad;2024;Nivå 2;2024-03-15 (hanlid);Funder: Svenskt Vattenkraftcentrum (SVC);Full text license: CC BY