Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 17 (2002) 371380

Estimating the groutability of granular soils: a new approach

Suat Akbuluta,*, Ahmet Saglamerb
b a Department of Civil Engineering, Ataturk University, Erzurum 25240, Turkey Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Civil Engineering Faculty, Istanbul Technical University, Ayazaga, Istanbul 80626, Turkey

Received 26 November 2001; received in revised form 1 June 2002; accepted 17 June 2002

Abstract This paper evaluates different parameters that affect the grouting of soil, and presents a new approach to predict the groutability of granular soil. An accurate prediction of the groutability of granular soils has always been complicated due to the effects of different soil parameters. We know that these parameters are the grain-size of soil and cement-based grouts, the relative density and fine contents of soil, the waterycement ratio of grout mixture and grouting pressure, which directly affect the groutability of soil media. However, the relative density, fine contents of soil, the waterycement ratio, and grouting pressure are seldom considered as the prediction of groutability. In order to study the effects of the parameters on groutability, an alternative empirical formula to estimate the groutability of granular soils is presented in this paper and supported by experimental results obtained from the grouted sand samples prepared with various relative densities. The newly developed approach will help for the more accurate prediction of the groutability in granular soils and may also be used to provide first-hand information about the groutability of soils. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Granular soil; Grout; Grouting; Groutability

1. Introduction The matter of groutability (N) of granular soils has been studied for many years. First solutions were developed based on grain-size of soil and cement only (Burwell, 1958; Bell, 1993; Incecik and Ceren, 1995), whereas large-scale tests indicated that an accurate solution to predict the N of granular soils is directly conducted by different parameters of soil and grout (Kutzner, 1996; Akbulut, 1999). These parameters are the grain-size of soil and that of the suspension grout, finer content (FC) of soil passing through 0.6-mm sieve, grouting pressure (P), relative density (Dr) of soil, and water y cement (w y c) ratio (or viscosity) of grout. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new approach for predicting N of granular soils, using the properties of soil and grout, and to investigate experimentally the
*Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: sakbulut@atauni.edu.tr (S. Akbulut), asaglam@itu.edu.tr (A. Saglamer).

relationship between P and soil grain-size, and w y c ratio. As soil grain-size gets smaller, it leads to higher P that limits the grouting and sometimes makes the permeation grouting of soil samples impossible. The void size in soil and grout particle-size affect the injection of cement grout into soil. An increase both in P and in the grout w y c ratio increases the filtration of grout into soil medium (Akbulut, 1999). The grout particles and water in grout mixture are separated from each other, due to the fine grain content of soils and the larger w y c ratio of grout. The liquid grout mixture does not have to harden immediately and has to penetrate into the soil during the grouting process (Scheidegger and Johnson, 1969). The grout, without spoiling its features, has to move into the voids in granular soil (Cambefort, 1977). Prior to grouting, the N of any soil media must be controlled, by varying the w y c ratio of grouts (Akbulut, 1999). In this research, in order to estimate the N of granular soils, the effects of w y c ratio in grout, the FC in soil, P, and Dr as well as the grain-

0886-7798/02/$ - see front matter 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 8 8 6 - 7 7 9 8 0 2 . 0 0 0 4 0 - 8

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soils. For this reason, different soil samples with different relative densities (Drs0.30, 0.50, and 0.80) were injected by cement grouts in this experimental work. 2. Review of previous works It is complex to predict the groutability of cement grouts in a granular soil. Many parameters must be evaluated for grouting. In the literature, several relationships between soil grain-size and cement grout particlesize have been evaluated to find groutability. In various investigations, insignificant differences have been observed in limiting grain-size distribution curves of the grouted soils. Therefore, the grouting of soils needs to be further researched so that these limits should be examined before the soil injection. In doubtful cases in soil grouting, it is recommended to do a trial grouting about the grout mixture and the appropriate grouting method before making a final decision (Kutzner, 1996). Herndon and Lenahan (1976) defined some penetrability limits for grouting material in respect to particle-size distribution of the soil. According to this research, a soil cannot be grouted if more than 10% of the soil particles pass through a No. 200 sieve (75 mm). This criterion is applied to cement grout of very low viscosity. If the viscosity of grout is too high then compaction takes place in soil. Mnif (1997) evaluated the groutability of four different cement grouts with water y cement of 0.6 1.2. The grouts were injected into dry sand with a particle-size distribution of 0.0814 mm. According to this study, the loss of water due to injection pressure and filtration through the sand is of vital importance. According to the sand-column groutability tests done with quartz sand and cement grout with w y c 0.52.0, the rate of propagation of cement grout is greater in a partially saturated sand than in the case of a completely dry sand (Perret et al., 1997). Penetrability limits for different grouting materials in respect to particle-size distribution of granular soils are evaluated in the case of soil (Cambefort, 1951). Cambefort (1964) developed a criterion involving the void size of soil composed with the grain-size of the cement. In this research, a relationship between water permeability of the soil, and its porosity and average diameter of the cement grain was obtained and given that the average diameter of cement is approximately 10 mm, cement grout can be expected to flow through sand with a minimum permeability greater than 10y2 cm y s. Prior to carrying out grouting in the field, the groutability of a cement-based grout is often tested in the laboratory to ensure adequate grout composition and characteristics that are compatible with the injection medium (Perret et al., 2000; Akbulut, 1999). The N of soil mainly depends on its grain-size distribution of soil and that of the particular grout. Therefore, we can find N from the grain-size distribution of any soil that can

size of soil have been investigated in model tests. The tests show that the high P is not enough to penetrate the grout into fine grain soils which have soil particles less than 0.6 mm size. As fine particle-size content in soil reduces, the P proportionally increases. However, as the w y c ratio of grout increases, P decreases. The goal of this work is to develop an approach that provides more convenient predictions of N for granular soils used in permeation grouting and predict the effect of these parameters on the strength and permeability of grouted

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be improved effectively by a grout. The w y c ratio of the cement grout mixture is another important parameter that affects grouting. An increase in the w y c ratio makes soil grouting easier, but it reduces the compressive strength and increases permeability of the grouted soil samples. The effect of saturation of sand on grouting was researched by Perret et al. (2000). Whereas, any decrease in the w y c ratio of grout reversely affects the parameters mentioned, and makes soil grouting more difficult or even impossible. At the same time, Karol (1982) explained that the viscosity in chemical-based grouts is an essential parameter for grouting processes. A series of tests were done in order to investigate the effect of superplasticizer on cement grout (Smoak and Mitchell, 1993). In the tests, the penetration of superplasticized grouts into the soil was found to be greater than the grouts without any superplasticizer. The results showed that superplasticizer could be used to reduce the cohesion of cement-based grout. The other important parameter that affects grouting is P. In recent years, the penetration of grouts into the soil media has been researched extensively. The effective radius of the grouted area can be increased by means of P, but in order to accomplish that, the P must be greater than the shear resistance of the grout (Kutzner, 1996). In addition, voids must be wide enough to let the solid particles in suspension grouts pass. As mentioned by Cambefort (1977), under these preconditions, the maximum P results in successful grouting, because the high P seals the grout in the narrow cracks and voids. However, the experimental research shows that this finding is not always valid and it depends on the grouting type. On the other side, Ewert (1985) expresses that the deep cracks are occurred by means of high P in sand and clay deposits. In porous media, very high P can affect the movement of soil particles and the gathering of the grout in artificial voids in the surrounding of the drilling well without distribution of grout in the voids. Also different groutability criteria required for the proper injection are summarized in a study (Ballivy and Bouja, 1992). The P generally must be less than the effective cracking pressure of granular soil in permeation grouting (Kutzner, 1996). Therefore, very high P is not especially useful in permeation grouting, because the grout cannot seal the voids sufficiently. 2.1. Groutability The penetrability of grout into the soil is based on the grain-size distribution of soil and grout particles, w y c ratio of grout (or viscosity), FC, P, Dr, void ratio, and hydraulic conductivity K of that soil. The pressure to be used for grouting depends on the desired outcome of grouting and the viscosity of grout used during the grouting process. The viscosity of the grout and the force of the P limit the extent from the injection point

to the distance that the grout reaches. This pressure can be decreased by the interface between void water and grout. When the pore size of the soil is grouted by particle grouts, pressure filtration takes place due to the penetration of large particles of grout into the voids. This study shows that the filtration of soil takes place when the uniform sand particles with smaller than 2 mm are grouted by particle grout. Therefore, the grainsize of soil and suspended material in the grout mixtures have important effects on the grouting of granular soils. In other words, the success of the grouting depends on the finer content of the grout particles as well as on the size of the voids to be penetrated (Bell, 1993). This situation is explained as the groutability N, and Burwell (1958) defines it for the suspension grouts in the following simple equation: Ns D15(soil) d85(grout) (1)

where N is the groutability of soil, D15 is the diameter through which 15% of the total soil mass passes, d85 is the diameter through which 85% of the total grout mass passes. According to this equation, if N is larger than 25 (N)25), then grout can be successfully injected into the soil. Conversely, if N is smaller than 11 (N-11), then grout cannot be sufficiently injected into the soil. However, Burwell (1958) explains that if N)25, the following equation should be used in addition: Ns D10(soil) d95(grout) (2)

where D10 is the diameter through which 10% of the total soil mass passes, d95 is the diameter through which 95% of the total grout mass passes. In this second situation, if N is larger than 11 (N)11), grouting is possible, but if N is smaller than 5 (N-5), the grouting is not possible. The other recommended formulas for N by Incecik and Ceren (1995) are as follows: Ns D10(soil) d90(grout) (3)

where D10 is the diameter through which 10% of the total soil mass passes, d90 is the diameter through which 90% of the total grout mass passes. According to this equation, if N is larger than 10 (N)10), grouting is possible. The other equation is: Ns Dm(soil) d90(grout) (4)

where Dm is the size of the voids of the soil, d90 is the diameter through which 90% of the total grout mass passes. In this situation, if N is larger than 3 (N)3), grouting is possible. Alternatively, in order to determine the N, the permeability K of soil can be used. Littlejohn (1985) suggests that cement-based grouts should not be

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Fig. 1. The grain-size distribution of soil samples used in the tests. Table 1 The properties of the soil used in the tests Sample S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 gs (lbyft3) 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 gdmax (lbyft3) 4.20 4.39 4.26 4.23 3.99 3.72 3.86 3.91 3.94 4.20 gdmin (lbyft3) 3.72 3.83 3.75 3.72 3.51 3.27 3.35 3.56 3.64 3.72 emax (%) 0.87 0.81 0.85 0.87 0.99 1.14 1.07 0.95 0.90 0.87 emin (%) 0.66 0.58 0.63 0.64 0.75 0.88 0.80 0.78 0.74 0.65 D10 (mm) 2.50 1.28 0.60 0.32 0.37 0.70 0.48 0.54 0.60 0.76 D15 (mm) 2.70 1.40 0.65 0.35 0.44 0.85 0.60 0.60 0.73 0.88 D30 (mm) 2.90 1.60 0.76 0.39 0.55 1.18 0.85 0.90 1.18 1.30 D60 (mm) 3.40 1.90 0.90 0.48 0.90 2.36 1.90 2.78 2.90 3.05 Cu 1.30 1.48 1.38 1.50 2.43 3.37 3.95 5.79 4.33 4.35 Cc 0.95 1.05 0.98 0.99 0.87 0.84 0.79 0.60 0.80 0.79 Soil SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP

Table 2 The chemical composition of Portland cement used in the tests SiO2 % 20.63 Al2O3 4.00 Fe2O3 4.10 CaO 65.38 MgO 1.21 SO3 2.09 Lime 0.76 Free lime 0.76 Heat loss 1.19

used for the treatment of soils with a Ks5=10y5 cm y s. However, the limits of suspension grouts must be controlled according to the w y c ratio of the grout mixture (Akbulut, 1999). Unlike suspension grouts, the N of chemical grouts into the soil depends on their viscosity, grouting pressure P, and grouting period, as well as the K of soil to be grouted (Bodocsi and Bowers, 1991). 3. Experimental procedures 3.1. Soil properties In the injection tests, the soil among different sieves (ASTM 9.5, 4.75, 2.36, 1.18, 0.6, and 0.3 mm) had

sandgravel mixtures in different granulometries that were used (Fig. 1). The soils used in the tests were poorly graded sand (SP) and their index characteristics are given in Table 1. 3.2. Cement The Portland cement (PC42.5) without additive that was used in grouting tests had a specific gravity of Gss 8.32 lb y ft3 (3.13 g y cm3), specific surface of ss1496 ft2 y lb (3063 cm2 y g), and compressive strength of ss 59 MPa (590 kg y cm2) at 28 days. The grain-size distribution of cement is shown in Fig. 1. The chemical analysis of cement is given in Table 2.

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Fig. 2. The test apparatus used in grouting.

3.3. Test apparatus As shown in Fig. 2, the test apparatus consists of an injector, pressure tank, air compressor, and transparent PVC mold. Furthermore, the test apparatus has manometers to control the grouting pressure P, and pipes to ensure connections between equipment. 3.4. Preparation of soil samples In preparation of soil samples to be grouted, 3 mm thick transparent cylindrical molds were used. The mold has an internal diameter of 100 mm, and a height of 200 mm. It is made of transparent PVC material so that the movement of grout can be observed. After the soil was uniformly poured into the mold, it was compacted in desirable portions. The soil samples used for the tests were prepared with two different relative densities Drs 0.30 and 0.80, and granulometries. 3.5. Grouts The cement-based grouts used in the tests were prepared in a bowl and then mixed for 10 min with a mixer using a speed of 1400 rpm. Sikament FFN superplasticizer, fabricated according to ASTM C 494, was added to some of the cementwater mixtures, 3% by weight of dry cement, in order to increase the grout fluidity. Following this process, the prepared grouts with w y c ratioss0.8, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 were poured into the pressure tank and injected into the soil samples. 4. Testing program During the tests, in order to find the effect of fine content FC of soil on grouting, different soil samples were prepared for injection tests. In case of insufficient grouting during the tests, the P was increased enough

to seal sufficient grout into the soil. If the P was insufficient to successfully grout, then the tests were cancelled and new tests were repeated. In order to characterize the relationship between the P and grainsize of soils that had different granulometries between 0.3 and 9.5 mm, soils with different granulometries were used in the tests. First, the samples from soil with sieves of between 2.36 and 4.75 mm were prepared in relative density Drs0.80 and these samples were injected by cement grouts in w y cs1:1 under a Ps50 kPa, and the tests were successfully done. Then the soils with grainsize in the ranges of 0.61.18 mm and 1.182.36 mm were separately prepared under the same conditions and successfully grouted with a Ps100 kPa. In the same way, samples with particle-size between 0.3 and 0.6 mm were prepared and injected under the same P, but these samples were not grouted sufficiently. Therefore, the P was subsequently increased first to 150 and then to 250 kPa, and both tests were repeated again, but it was observed that the samples were still not grouted under these conditions. Next, each sample with total weight of 33 and 67%, respectively, using the soils from sieves of between 0.3 0.6 and 0.61.18 mm, was prepared in Drs0.80, and penetrated by grout with a w y c ratio of 1:1 under Ps 100 kPa, but it was observed that these samples were not grouted enough. The tests were repeated with Ps 150 and 200 kPa, respectively, but the samples were not sealed sufficiently. Again, using soils with sieves ranging from 0.61.18, 1.182.36, and 2.364.75 mm, the soil samples were prepared by total weight of 33, 33, and 34%, respectively, but the samples were not grouted under the same Dr and P conditions. Therefore, the soil from sieves ranging from 0.30.6, 0.61.18, 1.182.36, and 2.364.75 mm was prepared by total weight of 15, 28, 29, and 27%, respectively, but the samples were not penetrated under the Ps100 kPa. The P was increased to 200 kPa. However, the samples were not injected

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Table 3 The groutability N of soil samples Test Sample wyc Additive (%) 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Dr (%) 80 80 80 80 80 80 30 30 80 80 80 30 30 80 80 80 80 30 30 80 30 80 80 80 80 80 30 30 30 30 30 30 80 30 80 80 80 30 P (kPa) 50 100 100 100 150 250 100 200 100 150 200 100 200 100 100 150 200 200 200 100 200 100 100 100 150 200 200 100 100 100 200 200 200 200 100 150 200 200 FC (%) 1 1 1 100 100 100 100 100 34 34 34 34 34 33 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 10 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 100 34 15 15 5 5 5 5 Ns D15yd85 73)25 40)25 19-25 10-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 13-25 13-25 13-25 13-25 13-25 23-25 17-25 17-25 17-25 17-25 17-25 17-25 17-25 21-25 26)25 26)25 26)25 26)25 26)25 26)25 26)25 26)25 10-11 13-25 17-25 17-25 26)25 26)25 26)25 26)25 Ns D10yd95 32)11 16)11 8-11 4-11 4-11 4-11 4-11 4-11 5-11 5-11 5-11 5-11 5-11 9-11 6-11 6-11 6-11 6-11 6-11 6-11 6-11 7-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 4-11 5-11 6-11 6-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 10-11 N new formula 108 80 64 9 10 11 12 15 11 12 13 15 19 67 15 16 17 21 25 17 25 20 29 26 27 28 32 35 40 45 15 19 17 25 29 27 28 32 Grouting

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

S1 S2 S3 S4 S4 S4 S4 S4 S5 S5 S5 S5 S5 S6 S7 S7 S7 S7 S7 S8 S8 S9 S10 S10 S10 S10 S10 S10 S10 S10 S4 S5 S7 S7 S10 S10 S10 S10

1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 2:1 2:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 2:1 2:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 2:1 1:1 2:1 1:1 1:1 0.8:1 0.8:1 0.8:1 0.8:1 1.5:1 2:1 2.5:1 2:1 2:1 1:1 2:1 1:1 0.8:1 0.8:1 0.8:1

Successful Successful Successful Unsuccessful Unsuccessful Unsuccessful Unsuccessful Unsuccessful Unsuccessful Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Successful Unsuccessful Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Successful Unsuccessful Unsuccessful Insufficient Insufficient Successful Successful Insufficient hardening Unsuccessful Insufficient Insufficient Insufficient Successful Unsuccessful Successful Successful

sufficiently. New soil samples from sieves ranging from 0.30.6, 0.61.18, 1.182.36, 2.364.75, and 4.759.5 mm were prepared by total weight of 15, 21, 21, 22, and 21%, respectively, and these samples were penetrated under the same conditions, but they were not sufficiently grouted either. The percentage of soil between 0.3 and 0.6 mm sieves was decreased to a weight of 10%, but the grouting of those samples remained unsuccessful. The FC in samples was decreased to a weight of 6% and the new samples from sieves ranging from 0.30.6, 0.61.18, 1182.36, 2.364.75, and 4.759.5 mm were prepared and these samples were successfully grouted (Table 3). In order to investigate the effect of the w y c ratio of grout on injection, grout mixtures with different w y c ratios were injected into soil samples. At first, the samples with a Drs0.80 were injected by grout with a

w y cs0.8, but sufficient grouting was not seen. The P was subsequently increased to 150 and 200 kPa, respectively, and the tests were repeated. However, sufficient grouting could not be provided again. Later, the soil samples were newly prepared with Drs0.30 and they were sufficiently grouted under the same conditions but these new samples did not harden sufficiently to remove them from the molds. In the tests, it was observed that the w y c ratio of grout had an important effect on the N of soils, and that grouts with a w y c ratio larger than 1:1 could be penetrated into the soils easily. The grouts with 3% superplasticizer by weight of dry cement were injected into the soil samples to examine the effect of superplasticize to the groutability (Table 3) and the compressive strength of grouted soils. The test results showed that the grouts with superplasticizer made the injection easy and increased the strength of grouted

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Fig. 3. The change of grouting pressure and grain-size of soils.

Fig. 5. Compressive strength vs. waterycement ratio of cement-grouted samples (Drs0.30).

soils. The soil samples with Drs0.30, and 0.80 were injected by cement grouts with different w y c ratios to observe the effect of the w y c ratio and Dr on the strength of grouted soils. Also soil samples with Drs 0.50 were injected to examine the variation of the permeability of grouted samples with w y c ratio. The grouted samples on the age of 28 days were subjected to unconfined compression and permeability tests to calculate their strength and permeability values. 5. Test results The groutability N of the granular soil was investigated in the test by using cement grouts. Existing formulas to predict N were not enough for the prediction of the N in granular soil. Therefore, N had to be experimentally tested according to different soil and grout parameters. Experiment results have shown that the N of granular soils by cement-based grouts depends on different parameters such as w y c ratio of grout, FC of soil, P, and Dr of soil, as well as grain-size distribu-

tion of soil and cement grout. The FC of the soil passing through 0.6 mm sieve decreased the N of soil and it also made the grouting impossible. Soil samples with a grain-size smaller than 0.6 mm were not injected sufficiently. Moreover, the fine grain content smaller than 0.3 mm in the soil samples negatively affected the grouting of the soil media. Not only did the grain-size affect the N but the w y c ratio in the grouting mixture did as well (Akbulut, 1999). The increase of P affected the N positively, but it was not sufficient to have the grout penetrated into fine grain soils. The relationship between grain-size and P is shown in Fig. 3, and P is increased by FC in the soil. As the w y c ratio of grout rose, the N of soil media increased as well. In the meantime, an increase in w y c ratio decreased the P during the tests (Fig. 4). However, the compressive strength of the grouted soil specimens was decreased (Fig. 5) and the permeability of grouted samples was increased due to an increase in w y c ratio (Fig. 6). The

Fig. 4. The change of grouting pressure and waterycement ratio.

Fig. 6. The curve of permeability of cement-grouted samples with waterycement ratio (Drs0.50).

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cement maximum grain-size in grout mixture d90 affected the injection of samples in reverse proportion. From this experimental result, the relation, like the previous equations, between N and particle sizes of soil and cement can be expressed as: N 1s D10(soil) d90(grout) (5a)

Fig. 7. Variation of the compressive strength and the relative density of cement-grouted samples.

Dr of the soil affected the injection and an increase in the Dr decreased the N of the soil. The compressive strength of grouted samples slightly decreased with an increase in the Dr (Fig. 7). Also the grouts with superplasticizer increased the strength of grouted samples as compared with those of cement-grouted samples only (Fig. 8). As a result of the tests mentioned above, a new formula was developed to predict the N of granular soils for permeation grouting (Eq. (7)). 6. New approach to predicting of groutability To accurately predict the N of granular soil unlike the other classical equations, this newly presented approach is based on several parameters which are soil particlesize D10, cement grout maximum particle-size d90, water y cement ratio of grout w y c, the FC of total soil mass passing through the 0.6 mm sieve, grouting pressure P, and relative density Dr, respectively (Eq. (7)). However, the other classical equations based on soil particle-size (D10, D15, Dm) and grout particle-size (d85, d90, d95) are given in Eqs. (1) (4). In terms of the new approach, the N of granular soil using permeation grouting can be effectively determined before any possible grouting. In order to present a new approach to predict for N of granular soils, the steps described are summarized below: (1) Index properties of soil are determined for grouting tests in Table 1 and cement properties used in the grout mixture are summarized in Table 2. Soil samples which have different grain-size distributions and relative densities Drs0.30 and 0.80, are prepared for the tests and injected by cement grouts with w y cs0.8, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, and under different grouting pressures Ps50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kPa. (2) In order to investigate the effect of effective-size D10 of soils on grouting, samples with different grainsize distribution are used in the grouting tests and it was observed that D10 affects the N in proportion. However,

(3) Cement grouts with different w y c ratios are used in the tests in order to evaluate the effect of w y c ratio of grouts on grouting, and it is observed that w y c ratio has important effects on grouting, if w y c ratio is increased, it affects the groutability N of soil proportionally. Furthermore, in order to research the effect of superplasticizer on the groutability, 3% superplasticizer was added to the cement grouts. From these test results it was seen that the injection of soil samples were slightly facilitated by using grouts with superplasticizer. During the tests, in order to establish the effect of finer content FC on the groutability N of soil sample, fine contents FC in soil samples are varied until sufficient grouting of samples. It is seen that FC affects the N in reverse proportion. Thus, the solution to this phenomenon can be shown as an empirical equation: N 2s w yc FC (5b)

(4) In order to determine the effect of P and Dr on grouting, different grouting pressures P and relative densities Dr are used in the tests. The results of the tests indicated that P proportionally and Dr affected the soil groutability N in reverse. This result can also be written as: N 3s P Dr (5c)

Fig. 8. Variation of compressive strength vs. superplasticizer content (Drs0.30).

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As a conclusion, in order to evaluate the N of granular soils for consolidation grouting, the newly developed empirical formula based on test results and Eqs. (5a), (5b) and (5c) is presented as: NsN1qk1N2qk2N3 (6) where k1 and k2 are constant and if we write the values of N1, N2, and N3 in the Eq. (6), we obtain the equation for N: Ns D10(soil) w yc P qk1 qk2 d90(grout) FC Dr (7)

can be grouted if N is larger than 28 (64)28), this soil can be sufficiently grouted by means of this grout mixture. Example 2. Soil sample properties are summarized: D10 is 0.57 mm, d90 is 0.05 mm, w y c is 2, FC is 0.15 (15% by total soil weight), P is 200 kPa, and Dr is 0.30, respectively. Predict the groutability N using the new formula (Eq. (7)). Solution 2. From these values, we can calculate that N is 25. It is smaller than 28 (25-28) and this soil cannot be sufficiently grouted by means of this grout mixture. From this example, we have seen that the FC value has an important effect on grouting. FC is equal to 15% (in this example) and it is larger than 6%, which is the maximum value for grouting in granular soils as explained before. At the same time, w y c ratio and grouting pressure P were increased, but the sample could not be injected because of a higher percentage of FC in soil. 7. Evaluation of proposed approach Prior to soil injection, although a classical equation to predict the N of granular soil is commonly used in practice, an accurate prediction of N is not always possible, especially in field grouting applications, due to heterogeneous structure of soil, different parameter of soil and grouted material. Therefore, researchers proposed the simple formulas based on grain-size of soil and cement only (Burwell, 1958). Whereas, N of soil affected different parameters such as w y c ratio of grout, FC, P, and Dr. This paper presents a new empirical formula based on experimental results to exactly predict the grouting of granular soil (Eq. (7)). The test results show that classical formulas are not enough to predict N accurately due to their missing parameters which affect grouting. A newly developed formula based on different soil and grout parameters such as effective-size D10 of soil, maximum particle-size of cement d90, w y c ratio of grout, FC, P and Dr indicates that these parameters have important effects on N of granular soils. A new formula obtained from results of laboratory experiments is reasonable between the following intervals: 0-FC-6%, 0.8-w y c-2, 50-P-200. If FC in the soil sample is greater than 6%, then it will not be possible to seal the soil with cement grouts in spite of high P (Fig. 3). If w y c ratio is smaller than 0.8, N is difficult or impossible despite high P under the same conditions (Fig. 4). If w y c is bigger than 2, pressure filtration through the fine soil can be observed under high P. Therefore, an increase in w y c ratio in grout will increase the N values, but soil injection will be unsuccessful because of filtration of grout in the soil. If w y c

where N is soil groutability, D10 is soil particle-size, d90 is the diameter through which 90% of total grout mass is passing, w y c is water y cement ratio of grout, FC is the finer content of soil passing through a 0.6-mm sieve, P is the grouting pressure in kPa, and Dr is relative density of soil samples. k1s0.5 (unit less) and k2s0.01 in 1 y kPa are the constants based on experimental observations to normalize the N values from Eq. (7). It is considered that the groutability limit for this empirical formula (Eq. (7)) is 28 value, and if N)28, granular soil can be grouted sufficiently by cementbased grouts, if N-28, granular soil cannot be grouted and N of soil must be investigated by cement-based grouts or chemical grouts must be used in grouting applications (Table 3). The given equation on groutability N will give reasonable values in intervals: 0FC-6%, 0.8-w y c-2:1, 50-P-200. If FC is larger than 6%, the soil samples are not grouted sufficiently and those with a grain-size diameter small enough to pass through 0.6 mm sieve are not grouted despite high P (Fig. 3). As the w y c ratio is increased, filtration was observed under high P during the grouting tests. If w y c is less than 0.8, it is not enough to increase the P for grouting (Fig. 5). If w y c is greater than 2, the N (Eq. (7)) has been calculated greater than 28, but filtration has been observed during grouting. The effect of relative density Dr on grouting was investigated in the test, but it was seen that as it increased, the N of soil decreased conversely. Example 1. A soil sample analysis showed that the effective-size of soil D10 is 0.65 mm, particle-size passing 90% of cement grout d90 is 0.05 mm, water y cement ratio of grout w y c is 1, fine content of soil FC is 0.01 (1% by total soil weight), grouting pressure Pr is 0.80, respectively. The properties of soil sample and grout mixture are summarized in Fig. 1 and Table 3. Predict the groutability N using the new formula (Eq. (7)). Solution 1. We consider that k1 and k2 constants are equal to 0.5 and 0.01, respectively. Using Eq. (7), we can calculate that the N value is 64. Since granular soils

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ratio is increased in the grout, the compressive strength and the permeability of grouted samples will become worse (Figs. 5 and 6). An increase in the Dr slightly decreased the strength of grouted samples because of a decrease in the porosity of soil samples (Fig. 7). Superplasticizer used in the grouts facilitated the injection and increased the compressive strength of grouted samples (Fig. 8). But it did not significantly change the constants given in Eq. (7). From the test results, we experienced that the presented approach gave a reasonable prediction as explained in the above intervals. When the new approach is compared with other existing formulas in predicting the N of granular soils for permeation grouting, the newly developed formula provides more reasonable results. 8. Conclusions In this study, the relationship between P and soil grain-size distribution, and P and w y c ratio have been investigated and a new approach to predict the N of granular soils has been presented by model grouting tests conducted under laboratory conditions. During the tests, it was observed that the N of soil depends on the effective-size D10 of soil, cement particle-size d90, w y c ratio of grout (or viscosity), FC, P and Dr of soil. It was determined that the soil particle-size and cement maximum particle-size have important effects on successful grouting. The decrease of the grain-size of soil made the grouting impossible. Despite the increase in P, soil with a grain-size smaller than 0.6 mm was not grouted by cement grouts. An increase in P or the w y c ratio of grout increased the N of soil. However, an increase in w y c ratio of grout increased the permeability of soils decreased the strength of grouted samples and, therefore, some of the grouted samples were not taken from molds due to insufficient hardening. It also negatively affected the permeability of grouted soil samples. An increase in the FC in soil increased the P while decreasing the N of soil medium. The grouts with 3% superplasticizer were easily injected into the soil samples and the strength of these samples increased as compared with those of cement-grouted samples only. It is complicated to investigate behaviors of soils under static and dynamic loads, so soil grouting is an important technique for treating soils that are subjected to those loads. Both laboratory and field works employed in the determination of the N of granular soils are very difficult, time consuming and expensive. Thus, the prediction of the N of soils will help to solve many problems in the geotechnical area, and it will save time and decrease the cost of grouting and, especially, make the work easier. An empirical formula is developed in this research to predict the N of granular soils from

different soil and model, compared predicting the N grouting, provides

grout parameters, and P. The new with the other existing models in of granular soils for consolidation much more reasonable results.

Acknowledgments This work was supported by a grant from the Research and Development Fund at Ataturk University in Turkey. References
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