Straight Line Construction has successfully installed soil nails and shotcrete on hundreds of projects throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Wyoming.
What are Soil Nails?
Soil nails are drilled and grouted tension elements that are utilized to create a reinforced soil mass for either temporary and permanent earth retention or shoring. The design of soil nail walls and shotcrete are largely influenced by the wall height, face batter angle, backslope, and surcharge loads. Soil nails can be designed for a wide range of factors that allow the use of a single type of earth retaining system for a wide variety of conditions.
How are soil nails installed?
Soil nails are installed using either open-hole drilling techniques or with hollow bar injection reinforcing. Open hole drilling methods are appropriate in favorable soils where the drill hole can be excavated using conventional drilling or auger techniques and the hole stays open without collapsing. The reinforcing bar is then set into the drill hole and grout is placed with a tremie from the bottom of the hole. If caving soils occur, temporary casing may be used to facilitate soil nail installation. Hollow bar injection reinforcing can be used in a wide range of soil conditions. A sacrificial drill bit is attached to the end of the hollow reinforcing steel and the grout is pumped through the reinforcing, flushing the drill spoils from the drill hole as it is drilled.
Once a row of nails is installed, drain strips and reinforcing are placed against the face of the excavation and shotcrete is pneumatically applied. The next lift is then excavated for the next row of nails and the process is repeated. Shotcrete generally consists of an initial construction facing and, depending on the deign use (temporary or permanent) a, final reinforced shotcrete section may be applied.
What benefits can soil nails and shotcrete provide on my projects?
Soil nails and shotcrete can be constructed under a wide variety of soils and loading conditions. Excavations for soil nail walls can be constructed vertically, reducing the need to slope back excavations. Differing loading and geometric factors can be accounted for with varying lengths of nails, size of reinforcing, and drill hole diameter, allowing the same earth retention system to be used for the varying conditions.
In what applications can soil nails and shotcrete be used?
Soil nails and shotcrete can be used in a variety of applications including:
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Temporary earth retention or shoring for excavations
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Permanent earth retention and shoring
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As tie-backs to provide lateral resistance for existing retaining walls
What advantages do soil nails & shotcrete provide?
Some of the advantages of soil nails and shotcrete:
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Relatively economical as compared to soldier pile and lagging
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Top down installation
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Shotcrete facing can be covered with a wide variety of architectural treatments