Soil nails are passive reinforcement bars inserted into slopes or excavations, usually grouted in place, to stabilise the soil mass. They rely on ground movement to mobilise their strength. This method is often used for slope stabilisation and temporary works where a discreet and flexible solution is required.
Basic Technique
Soil-nailing is a slope-stabilisation process that uses fully-bonded ties installed in the ground. The ‘nails’ are usually grouted bars, made from steel, stainless steel or glass fibre and can be solid or hollow tubular. Soil-nails can be drilled in using a grout, flush-pumped through the centre, or simply pushed into or grouted into pre-drilled holes. Soil nails are then usually covered with mesh or geotextile which is held in place with a bolt on top of a flat plate.
On highway embankments and railway cuttings, these mesh-covered slopes are commonly seeded, allowing vegetation and roots to further stabilise the surface soils.
We also have a variety of rigs ranging from 3t to 30t giving us the capability to install soil-nails in various ground conditions and restricted-access conditions. For example, Quinn Piling have developed a specialist remote-controlled rig for applications on steep slopes where using standard drilling equipment might be deemed unsafe and perhaps not possible.
Soil-nailing is a slope-stabilisation process that uses fully-bonded ties installed in the ground.
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