A review of jet grouting practice and development

The jet grouting technique was originally initiated in the UK and progressively developed following the needs for larger geometries, ease of implementation, economic rationality, and better mechanical properties. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the development and practice of jet grouting through some fundamental concepts and relevant case studies. Subsequently, a laboratory testing program is performed to investigate the factors affecting the efficacy of the twin grouting system. The principal objective of this study is to define the suitable conditions for the jet grouting efficacy regarding economic rationality as well as quality control. For the first phase, a particular emphasis is placed on the properties of jet columns, site geological conditions, implementation methods, and the justification of each selected treatment option, while the second phase mainly focuses on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests. It follows that the mono-fluid jet grouting system presents a valuable flexibility in dealing with complex configurations; yet, the double- and triple-fluid systems are more indicated for cases of mass treatments for which large portions of space must be treated and overlapping is fundamentally important for the reliability of the treatment. Furthermore, it was established that the efficacy of the twin-jet method primarily relies on the proper adequacy of some critical parameters, namely, the cement content, the water-cement ratio, and cement slurry-water glass ratio. In spite of some uncertainties inherently related to the technique, the UCS test represents the quintessential laboratory index for evaluating the mechanical properties of grouted elements, deriving jet grouting efficacy and the economics of jet grouts.     

Gravity Modeling of the Au–U Mineralized Crust at the North-Central Cameroon Illustrating Crustal Permeability

Natural Resources Research - The north-central Cameroon is located at the northern edge of Archean Congo–Sao Francisco craton and at the east of the West African craton. This area includes...     

On the modified groundwater flow equation: analytical solution via iteration method

To take into account the variability of the medium through which the groundwater flow takes place, we presented the groundwater flow equation within a confined aquifer with prolate coordinates. The new equation is a perturbed singular equation. The perturbed parameters is introduced and can be used as accurately replicate the variability of the aquifer from one point to another. When the perturbed parameter tends to zero, we recover the Theis equation. We solved analytically and iteratively the new equation. We compared the obtained solution with experimental observed data together with existing solutions. The comparison shows that the modified equation predicts more accurately the physical problem than the existing model. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A multiscale electrical survey of a lateritic soil system in the rain forest of Cameroon

Resistivity investigations were carried out on an elementary watershed in SW Cameroon, firstly to assess the applicability of direct-current (DC) resistivity methods to solve various pedological problems in intertropical regions, and subsequently to determine the relationships between electrical resistivities and pedological properties of lateritic soil systems. The survey included measurements in pits with a small Wenner fixed-spacing array (SWA), vertical electrical soundings (VES) and vertical electrical “quick soundings” (VEQS) both using the Schlumberger configuration. The VES data were interpreted using a conventional multilayer inversion program to obtain best-fit models. Constraints to the interpretation of these data were provided by SWA and pedological information from existing observation pits. The results of the interpretation reveal five distinct geoelectrical layers overlying a resistive bedrock. The first is a thin organo-mineral upper layer with low resistivities in the range 250–450 Ωm. The second layer corresponds to micro-aggregated clayey materials and is more resistive (1300–1800 Ωm). The third represents the main part of ferruginous materials and is even more resistive (2000–4500 Ωm). The fourth corresponds to unsaturated saprolite and the last to saturated saprolite (ground water) with resistivities ranging from 800 to 1500 Ωm and from 150 to 250 Ωm, respectively. Estimates of soil volumes for the entire study area were obtained from VEQS interpretations. Most of the soil cover corresponds to saprolite (74%, being saturated by ground water), while topsoil and ferruginous materials represent 14 and 12%, respectively. Finally, geophysical results based upon 1-D inversion provide a satisfactory approximation of the various lateritic components' 3-D geometry over the watershed. The study provides original quantitative results concerning the behaviour of intertropical soil systems as well as some geomorphological keys for soil mapping at a regional scale.