Background

In July 2022, a European viscose fiber raw material factory based in Nanjing invited Geobear to the site to check the ground settlement. Established at the end of the 19th century, the company is a well-known manufacturer of chemical fiber products in Europe.

As the corrosive sulfuric acid waste liquid is produced in the production process, a small part of the waste liquid leaked into the ground through the floor gaps, resulting in voids in the foundation, cracking and settlement of the floor, with an average settlement of 100 mm. The equipment is also inclined with subsidence, which has an impact on production. The waste liquid infiltrating into the soil not only continued to erode the soil but also caused damage to the buried pipeline, resulting in potential safety hazards.

Therefore, the materials selected and construction duration for settlement repair are the most important concerns of customers. After comparison of various options, geopolymer injection solution stands out with outstanding characteristics, including but not limited to:

• Geopolymer materials are acid, alkali and corrosion resistant, and offer protection for the pipeline

• Completely waterproof

• Geopolymer is light and will not add additional load to the original foundation

• High expansion, can easily relevel the slab and fill the void.

• The solidification is fast after injection, which will not interrupt the equipment running.

• Stable features and long effective life

• The whole construction process will not change environmental factors (sound, heat, no waste)

• Competitive price

Difficulties in site construction

Due to the abnormally high temperature this summer and the heat generated by the on-site production equipment, the temperature onsite was almost 70 degrees. The operation platform is only a narrow corridor, which greatly increases the construction difficulty. In order to keep the operation of the customer’s production, the team shifts every half an hour to overcome the heat.

The acidic waste liquid continuously flew out for non-disrupted running. In order to avoid contact with waste liquid during construction, construction personnel must wear thickened protective clothing to ensure safe construction.

Geobear’s solution

The construction team carefully checked and avoid the pipeline layout under the floor on the site. Drilled 12mm holes on the ground and injected geopolymer into the ground through the inserted tube. The expanded material filled the voids of corroded ground and strengthened the foundation to increase its strong bearing capacity of the foundation.

When the back pressure reached a certain level, it lifted the slab to the desired level. The laser level measurements were taken to ensure that various locations on the site were treated to achieve the desired lift in each area of settlement within 1mm tolerances. The whole process did not produce any waste, nor did it cause any interference to the production on the site.

Customer reviews

In order to ensure that the construction is completed on time without affecting the whole production, Geobear completed impressively by scientific arrangement and perseverance. The whole team is of admirable professionalism!  The slab releveling effect has also reached the our expected.

Geobear is indeed a trusted partner.