EKG SLOPE STABILISATION SYSTEM & GROUND IMPROVEMENT
Part of our Low Impact, Innovative Solutions for Ground Engineering, Mining & Waste Management
EK Slope Stabilisation Improves:
Increases shear strength
Improved drainage
Structural enhancement
Remediation of failed or failing slopes combines a series of practices that increase the shear resistance and/or tensile strength of the soil, adding passive and active resistance to soil movement. EK slope stabilisation systems increase stability by promoting drainage of water within the soils to increase the material strength of the soil body, as well as passive shear resistance from anodes acting as soil nails.
What is the EKG Slope Stabilisation System?
The EKG (electrokinetic geosynthetics) slope stabilisation system is a cost-effective, adaptable and minimally disruptive light engineering approach to soil slope strength improvement, based around the design code for soil nailing.
It involves the installation of a series of tubular steel anodes, typically at 10 to 30° below the horizontal and steel mesh armoured, polymer pipe cathodes at 5° above the horizontal into a slope, in a grid pattern with typical spacings of one to three metres. Direct current is passed through the ground from anodes to cathodes, drawing water to the cathodes where it drains. On completion of active treatment, anodes are converted to soil nails, with soil: nail adhesion and friction enhanced by EK processes, and cathode drains are left in place to maximise long term passive drainage of the slope.
Further methods of EK stabilisation include EK enhanced counterfort drains, EKG reinforced soil, EK biomineralisation and chemical treatment.
Unstable slopes can fail due to a range of factors including:
- Reduced soil strength
- Excessive pore water pressures
- Slope angles exceeding frictional strengths of soil grains
- Excessive soil loading
EK Biomineralisation
Biomineralisation is a technique that uses bacteria to induce the precipitation of minerals, forming a natural cement-like structure to bind soil particles together. Introduction of bacteria and cementation solution into the soil via EKG materials and EK flow enhances the movement of both bacteria and cementation solution into the soil, leading to more uniform and efficient ground improvement through EK biomineralisation.
Geochemical Soil Improvement
EKG materials are used to introduce chemicals via electroosmotic flow and ion migration to take part in cation exchange and cementation reactions on clay mineral surfaces to modify surface chemistry, altering the plasticity, reducing shrink-swell behaviour and increasing the drained shear strength of clay materials. The critical difference between conventional lime stabilisation and EKG methods is the ion migration and electroosmotic flow; the introduction of chemical ground improvement is achieved without mechanical disturbance to the ground, beyond the introduction of anodes and cathodes.
Environmental Sustainability
The EKG slope stabilisation system combines ground improvement, reinforcement and drainage that accommodates a large variety of cohesive ground and groundwater conditions. With a low environmental impact, a low carbon footprint and reduced cost compared with conventional approaches, it can be used in ground conditions involving weak wet, low permeability cohesive soils, which are typically inappropriate for conventional soil nailing.
Reduction in large-scale earthworks alleviates habitat destruction, reduces workforce health and safety risks, reduces haulage and traffic movements and further promotes soil stability through rapid natural vegetation regeneration, and increases in soil root cohesion.
Central Alliance offers a turnkey solution for design and implementation of our innovative EKG Slope Stabilisation System. The electrodes are installed using our agile slope climbing rigs, which can also be used for slope and difficult access ground investigation.