Handbook - Soil mix walls

For several decades now, the deep mixing method has been used for ground improvement works.

A more recent application is the use of soil mix as structural elements for the construction of earth-water retaining structures and cut-off walls. Since 2000, due to the economic and environmental advantages of the method, these particular applications have shown an amazing growth. Nevertheless, in practice, no pragmatic standards or guidelines were available for the design, the execution, the quality control and the maintenance of this kind of applications. This is the reason why the present publication was initiated.

The Handbook - Soil mix walls is based on existing literature and the knowledge and experiences of committee members, and includes an extensive description of the design and execution processes.

It also establishes the link between the conditions of use (functional requirements), the design and the quality control of the final soil mix structure that is especially important in the construction of soil mix walls.

Based on a large test campaign, a methodology is proposed for the design of the soil mix walls for which the interaction between steel and soil mix can possibly be taken into account dependent upon the application. Each potential function of the soil mix wall is described (e.g. earth retaining wall, cut-off wall, bearing capacity, etc.) and the temporary or permanent character of the application (its lifetime) is always considered. Furthermore, the design methodology presented in this handbook is in agreement with the Eurocodes.

The Handbook - Soil mix walls also includes aspects such as the hydromechanical characterisation and the durability of the soil mix material, the interaction between steel and soil mix and the monitoring and quality control of soil mix structures. The purpose of this publication is to contribute to the realisation of soil mix walls of high quality and to minimise the risk of calamities or damage.

This manual has been drawn up under the responsibility of a joint committee of SBRCURnet (the Netherlands) and the Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI, Belgium). There is a certain difference in the design approach between Belgium and the Netherlands. These differences are also discussed in this handbook.

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