Soil Nailing Works

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Soil Nailing

1.0 General Requirement

The installation of soil nails, including drilling and stressing shall be carried out in
accordance with this Specification. Typical soil nails details and nomenclature are as
shown in the Drawings.

Contractor shall submit to Engineer for approval the details of soil nails and fixtures
together wit the proposed method of installation and testing. The information to be
provided shall include full details of the components for the corrosion protection system,
manufacturing arrangement, centralisers, grouting arrangements and grout characteristics.
Contractor shall submit his proposal to Engineer at least fourteen (14) days before the
installation commences.

1.1 Contractor’s Responsibilities

Contractor shall be responsible for providing and installing the soil nails.

Contractor shall install trial soil nails at locations to be decided by Engineer and carry out
Pull-Out Test as per Sub-Clause 1.7.2 prior to installation of any permanent soil nails. The
maximum length of the trial soil nails shall be eight (8) metres.

After each stage of excavation and installation, Engineer shall select several soil nails for
Proving Test as per Sub-Clause 1.7.3. Contractor shall replace any soil nails that fails to
meet the test requirements specified by Engineer.

2.0 Materials

2.1 General Requirements

The requirements listed in the following Sub-Clauses shall apply, wherever relevant, to
materials used in all soil nailing systems. The handling, storage and use of materials shall
comply with manufacturer’s instructions.

2.2 Cement, Water and Additives

Cement, water and additives used for grouting soil nails shall comply with BS. 8110 : 1989.

2.3 Nails Bars

The nails bars shall be 32 mm diameters mild steel reinforcing bars complying with BS.
5950. The nails shall be threaded at the exposed end for a sufficient length to facilitate
fixing of nuts and stressing. Threaded ends of bars shall be treated to retain a film of
lubricating oil on the threads.

Couplers for nail bar sections shall be capable of developing 95 percent of the actual
characteristic strength of the nails bar.

2.4 Plastics

Sheathing, ducting and other plastic components for tendon protection shall be made from
high-density thermoplastic materials with a minimum wall thickness of 1.5 mm.
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The finished internal and external surfaces of the sheathing and ducting shall be smooth,
clean and free from flaws, pinholes, bubbles, cracks and other defects. The material shall
be homogeneous, thermally stable and chemically inert and shall be resistant to chemical,
bacterial and fungal attacks. Sheathing, ducting and other plastic protective components
shall not contain any substances that will promote corrosion or stress corrosion in steel.

Plastic shall comply with the requirement of Table 1.1, and if used in the anchorage zone
shall be resistant to slip in the region of the anchorage body and capable of withstanding
the effect of load transfer.

Contractor shall submit the following information to Engineer :-

(a) Product identification (manufacturer, brand name, type and etc.).

(b) Outer and inner diameters.
(c) Wall thickness.
(d) Amplitude and pitch (in mm) for corrugated sheathing and ducting.
(e) Standard length (in metres).
(f) Jointing details.

Table 1.1 – Properties of Plastics

Property Test Method² Units Acceptance Criterion

PVC PP HDPE
Mehtod 620A of
Density kg / m³ 1350 - 1400 900 - 910 950 - 940
BS. 2782 : Part 6 : 1980
Tensile strength at yield at
Method of 320C of
23°C MPa ≥ 45 ≥ 30 ≥ 29
BS. 2782 : Part 3 : 1996
Testing Speed 50 mm / min
Method 120A of
Softening Point °C ≥ 75 ≥ 150 ≥ 110
BS. 2782 : Part 1 : 1997
Method 365B of
Hardness (Shore D) - ≥ 65
BS. 2782 : Part 3 : 1996
Brittleness Temperature ASTM-D 746 °C ≤ 65
Environmental stress- 200
ASTM-D 1693 hour
cracking resistance (no cracking)
Rating 1 or less
Fungal resistance ASTM-G 21 -
(see Note 3 below)
ASTM-G 22 No bacterial growth on
Bacteria resistance -
Procedure ‘B’ surface of speciment
ASTM-D 570 % increase
Water absorption at 23±1°C in weight Max . 0.5%
Long term immersion
Hydrostatic pressure No localized swelling,
BS. 6437 : 1984 -
resistance leakage or weeping

Notes : 1. PVC = Polyvinyl Chloride ; PP = Polypropylene ; HDPE = High Density Polyethylene

2. The latest issue of the referenced document applies.
3. Observed trances of fungal growth shall not cover more than 10 % of the surface area.
4. Manufacturer’s certificates in respect of ALL the properties listed in the table above shall be
presented to show compliance with this Specification.
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3.0 Corrosion Protection

3.1 General

Permanent soil nails shall be provided with an outer sheath of plastic material. The
thickness of grout between the bar and sheath shall not be less than 5 mm.

The thickness of grout between the plastic sheath and the sides of the drill-hole or casing
shall not be less than 20 mm.

3.2 Centralisers

Centralisers shall be provided on the nails at maximum spacing of two (2) metres centre to
centre. The centralisers shall be of a form to permit the free flow of grout. The nails shall
be positioned in the grout column so that a minimum grout cover to the nails of 20 mm is
maintained.

4.0 Method of Installation

4.1 Drilling

Drilling shall be carried out in accordance with BS. 8081 : 1989.

A drilling record in an approved format shall be submitted to Engineer soon after the
drilling is carried out for each soil nail.

4.2 Insertion of Nail

Contractor shall submit the records of drilling to Engineer prior to seeking approval for the
insertion of the nails. Contractor shall also give all necessary assistance to Engineer in
the inspection of drill-holes.

Once the drill-hole has been accepted, Contractor shall proceed to insert the nail. If the
drill-hole proves unacceptable, Contractor shall seek instruction from Engineer as to
whether the drill-hole is to be grouted and re-drilled, re-used as a drainage hole or grouted
and abandoned. Any remedial work shall not be measured for payment.

The nail shall be inserted on the same day as drilling. The nail shall be handled with care
and inserted at a controlled rate to avoid damage to itself and the drill-hole. The nail shall
be positioned and secured to prevent further movement using approved spacers and
centralisers.

4.3 Grouting

Grouting operations shall be in accordance of BS. 8081 : 1989.

The proportion of grout and the minimum strength of work cubes shall comply with the
following requirements :-

Range of water / cement ratio (by weight) 0.40 to 0.50

Cube Strength
At 7 days 18 N/mm²
At 28 days 25 N/mm²
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The quantities of cement in the mix shall be measured by weight in an approved weight
batching plant or as per bag.

The grout shall be free from segregation, clumping and bleeding of water and fine
materials during and after placing. Grout shall be mixed adjacent to the area to be grouted
and shall be pumped into its final position as soon as possible and in not more than an
hour after mixing.

The drill-hole shall be grouted on the same day as the drilling is carried out. Grouting shall
be placed by termite under gravity or very low excess (less than 5 bar) pressure in one
continuous operation. Fill operation shall continue until injected grout of the same
composition and consistency as that mixed emerges from the outlet for at least one (1)
minutes.

A record in an approval format giving full details of the grouting operation for each soil nail
shall be supplied to Engineer immediately after the grouting is completed.

5.0 Stressing

Bearing plates for soil nails shall be seated either on an epoxy or cement mortar bed,
which shall be prepared to a plane normal to the nail axis.

Stressing can be carried out when the grout has reached the required seven (7) days
strength as specified above.

The soil nails shall be stressed to a load of five (5) kN with a torque wrench and lock nut
arrangement. The load shall be applied by means of hand operated torque wrenches.

Wrenches shall be recently calibrated by an approved laboratory and the calibration

certificates submitted to Engineer prior to any equipment being used for stressing.

6.0 Testing

6.1 General

Contractor shall provide all torque wrenches, jacks and other equipment required to test
the soil nails.

Contractor shall also submit current test and calibration certificates to Engineer for the
equipment that is proposed for testing.

6.2 Pull-Out Test

All trail soil nails shall be tested to destruction during the Pull-Out Test and the mode of
failure recorded. Modifications required as a result of Pull-Out Test shall be approved by
Engineer before Contractor commences the drilling for the working soil nails.

Contractor shall submit a proposed test procedure for the Pull-Out Test to Engineer for
approval before the test commences.

6.3 Proving Test

The test loads shall be determined by Engineer.

Contractor shall submit a proposed test procedure to Engineer for approval before the test
commences.
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6.4 Records

Contractor shall submit to Engineer a full report on each soil nail and this shall include
details of the nails, its installation and the results of all tests carried out.

6.5 Adjacent Activities

Contractor shall ensure that any activities in the immediate vicinity such as blasting, piling
etc. shall not affect the installed soil nails.