Overview

EKG Geochemical Soil Improvement

Environmental Sustainability

How EKG Slope Stabilisation works

Improvement in soil shear strength

Over a period of 5-7 weeks through the application of a DC voltage (80V) water is removed from the ground by electroosmosis. Importantly this is accompanied by an increase in the effective stress resulting in consolidation without the use of a surcharge load. This volume change along with electrochemically induced changes in the soil improves the strength and stiffness. The soils most significantly affected are soft normally consolidated materials and disturbed soils such as on slip planes or poorly compacted or weathered fill.

Reinforcement

After completion of active electroosmotic ground improvement the anodes are filled with grout and are converted to internally reinforced soil nails with electrochemically enhanced soil/nail bond.

Drainage

The role of the cathodes is to collect DC current and electroosmotically transported water during the active phase. The close spacing required to achieve the desired potential gradient at a safe operating voltage means that in the long term, the slope benefits from the action of a large number of drains installed throughout the slope which intercept the groundwater and relieve pore pressure.

Electrodes are usually installed by a slope climbing rig. Each anode and cathode installation provides dynamic penetration data and soil arisings. Taken together these provide valuable information to check, confirm and modify the ground model and design. As such the system is compatible with the ‘observational method’.

Further information