Building underpinning refers to the installation of permanent or temporary support mechanisms to a building's foundation that is already in place. Underpinning is often carried out for additional depth of the foundation or to improve the load-bearing capacity of the building. Ideally, there is a host of house underpinning techniques that can be used to reinforce your foundation. Jet grouting is one of them. In this technique, a highly kinetic jet of liquid is used to break up and loosen the soil structure around and within the foundation of the building. The fluid uses its kinetic energy to push out the soil and replace it with grout or to create a soil-grout mixture. If your building needs underpinning, here are a few reasons you should go for the jet grouting technique:

Improves the Geo-mechanical Attributes of the Soil

Most of the other underpinning techniques (such as the use of micropiles) focus more on the foundation rather than the soil conditions within which the foundation lies. For instance, long micropiles reaching several metres into the ground will be used to optimise the anchorage of the foundation rather than strengthening the upper soil layers. However, this is not the case when using the jet grouting method. If the soil structure is weak and contributing to your ailing foundation, grout is injected into the soil. When the mixture cures, the soil bound onto the grout will have better load bearing capacity than before.

The Columns are Multi-purpose

The columns created during the jet grouting process come with a few other benefits other than adding strength to your building's foundation. First, they will help you keep water from entering into the work site during the underpinning process and the foundation itself. You can do this by using concrete proofing materials in the grout sprayed into the soil. Secondly, the columns absorb the soil impulses caused by secondary overloads other than your building, maintaining the integrity of your foundation. A good example is the added weight of a neighbouring building when a new structure is built on it.

No Vibrations and Noise

Most of the other underpinning techniques often lead to lots of noise and vibrations. For instance, the installation of micropiles into the ground leads to high-frequency vibrations as they are shoved into the ground. However, jet grouting in a pretty quiet procedure with no vibrations. This makes it ideal for buildings located in areas with noise and vibration restrictions such as hospitals and courtrooms.