Insitu soil mixing is a geotechnical technique that has numerous cost effective applications for civil/infrastructure projects and environmental remediation. Typically, large mixing augers (3 to 12 ft. diameter or more) or modified excavator tools are used to mix soil or sludge with a cement grout or other reagents to improve their properties or treat buried contamination. Insitu soil mixing has the significant advantage of soil treatment without excavation, dewatering or shoring. Soil mixing has the capability to go to depths greater than 10 feet. Insitu soil stabilization has been used to build retaining walls, cutoff walls, and other foundation systems. Insitu treatments can be used to volatilize or oxidize contaminants, stabilize sludges, mix and inject biological or reactive media and to implement a wide variety of other insitu treatments.

The design of insitu soil mixing projects requires a comprehensive understanding of the site conditions and the goals of the construction. Usually a pre-construction laboratory testing program is enacted to establish performance criteria, material requirements and budget cost. The testing may be used to determine workability, volume increase, strength, permeability, leachate chemistry, or biological characteristics of the treated soils. A pilot program, or field test can also be implemented, if required, to better determine the specifics of the project. A well designed laboratory performance and/or pilot program will usually provide an accurate prediction of project performance.

INQUIP was one of the first contractors to use modified caisson-type equipment (12 ft. diameter) for soil stabilization. INQUIP has also used modified excavators to stabilize soft soils and wastes. This line of work has been a natural extension of our normal slurry trench work of mixing soils and grout. Our staff has been involved in many of the largest and innovative soil mixing projects including combinations of soil mixing with soil vapor extraction, zero valent metals, and biological agents. New concepts in soil mixing include the use of special soil mixing patterns, combinations of soil mixing with slurry cutoff walls and special mixing patterns to create a composite soil structure for retaining walls and foundations.

Soil mixing is an extremely flexible geotechnical technique which has a variety of applications for contaminated soil treatment, as well as for soil improvement. Insitu soil mixing continues to evolve and suggest new methods for soil improvement and treatments.

If you have an immediate or future application for any of our specialty construction techniques, please contact us. If you need additional information please e-mail us at: info@inquip.com, or call one of our offices.

Eastern Region: P.O. Box 6277, Mclean, VA 22106
TEL: (703) 442-0143, FAX: (703) 442-0188

Western Region: P.O.Box 2182 , Santa Barbara, CA 93120
TEL: (805) 687-2007, FAX: (805) 682-0396