Permeation Grouting In Sydney

In recent years permeation grouting has developed in Sydney and is now a common choice for building contractors as a simple, cheap and un-intrusive form of ground improvement. There are many sand deposits across Sydney from beach sands, aeolian sand, Pleistocene and Holocene sediments and fill material. These materials may be treated by permeation grouting to reduce their permeability or increase their strength using sodium silicate or microfine cements. The system has been used extensively for underpinning structures, sealing behind or beneath retaining walls, or even creating retaining structures, or for the containment of contaminated ground. This presentation draws upon the application of permeation grouting on many projects across Sydney to explain the technique with different materials and testing regimes for many different end uses. Other examples are presented of the application of permeation grouting and its development on other projects across Australia and elsewhere in the World. The aim of this paper is to show how permeation grouting can be used in Sydney sand formations for different applications instead of more complex and more expensive systems.