Geopolymer Injection - Applications for Track

Maintenance

WE KEEP YOUR WORLD RUNNING

Contents❖ Who is Geobear ❖ Technical Credentials ❖ Most Common Problems We Solve ❖ Geobear Solutions

❖ Geobear Case Studies

❖ Kentish Town Case Study - Detail

❖ Questions

Contactkdoyle@geobear.com07718 447358

UK company and global leader in non-disruptive solutions for

foundation and infrastructure settlement and subsidence

problems

Finnish family owned, with 120 employees, operating across 9

countries

London HQ remains the main business focus sourcing 60% of

company revenue

Who is Geobear?

London-based Head Office

Original founding team Uretek – the innovative Finnish ground

improvement technology company

Company successfully treated over 15,000 sites in the UK and

completed 200,000 projects worldwide

Thousands of UK residential properties successfully treated for subsidence and settlement

on all soil types

Innovator and licensor for the globally renowned alternative

geopolymer resin injection and advanced ground injection solutions

Who is Geobear?

Technical Credentials

7

Test Facilities

● Heat ageing and compressive strength testing conducted at the world-renowned, UK materials testing lab that validated the method.

● Follows the methodology of:o ISO 11346o EN ISO 2578o “Ageing of Rubber”, RAPRA 2001

8

Arrhenius Method● The Lifetime of a material at normal environmental

temperatures can be estimated from the accelerated degradation rates at higher temperatures through the application of the Arrhenius principle.

● Materials are heat aged at elevated temperatures for varying periods and the change in a property (Compressive Strength) is monitored with time.

9

Durability

● Independent durability assessment undertaken using accelerated temperature-dependent Arrhenius law for chemical reactions, as embodied in ISO 11346 and EN ISO 2578.

● Geopolymers in the ground are Chemically and Physically stable.

● Longevity significantly longer than the design life commonly required for infrastructure projects (>120 years)

Most Common Problems We Solve

11

Experience

StructuralSupportStabilisation Void Filling

GroundImprovement

Slab Track Instability & Geometry Issues

Wet BedsPoor Track Geometry Resulting

From Formation Failure

Bridge Abutments Needing Support

Voided Tunnel Linings Or Shafts

Stations Being Built Needing Structural Support

Platform Voiding Water Leaks Track-Bed Instability

12

Experience

Typical Site Injection Unit

Restricted Access mobile unit

Rail restricted Access mobile unit - within rail tunnel

environment-

Rail restricted Access mobile unit - Simplicity of the

lift -

Geobear Case Studies

F3 Ferry Wagon Lift at Motorail

18

Experience

Our Projects

Tunnel water sealing & stabilisation - Italy

Rail releveling – United Kingdom

Ilford rail depot improving – United

Kingdom

Railway base stabilisation - Croatia

Railway crossing support - Germany

19

Project: Farnham Rail Depot Slab Releveling

50%

● Farnham rail depot slabs were subsiding due to washout, crushing of loose materials, and long term consolidation of clay layers

● Geobear appointed by Osborne Rail to resolve the subsiding issue whilst keeping the rail shed open for the trains

● Fast, localised solution allowed trains to operate

● Injection of geo-polymer resins beneath the slabs, filling the voids and lifting the slabs to tolerances of +/- 10mm.

● Geobear achieved the target tolerances complying with the stringent health and safety standards.

Project Duration: 5 weeks

Location: Surrey, UK

Alternatives: Piling or breaking out and replacing the 6000m2 of slabs, not feasible due to cost and time £millions/months

Project: Farnham Rail Depot

BEFORE AFTER

21Project: Ilford Rail Depot - Ground Improvement

50%

● Part of the Crossrail development depot refurbished and required ground improvement to foundations for additional loading

● Geobear improved the bearing capacity of the ground beneath the main frame foundations and perimeter walls

● 2 load plate trials were conducted to confirm our design. 4 injections per pad and injections at 1.5m centres along the wall to depths up to 5m

● Using ground injection the foundations could support the increased loads of 350kN

Project Duration: 12 days

Location: Ilford, UK

Alternatives: Piling or Demolition

22Project: Railway Crossing in Germany

50%

● At a railway crossing in the port area of Regensburg a track of concrete has lowered and slacked (Stelcon system) to about 35mm, live traffic caused excessive track vibration.

● This problem was solved using PowerPile expanding geopolymer pillars.

● Installation of four Power piles took 1 shift, re-levelled the track to original level (raised by 32mm).

● The treated areas were reopened for the rail and road 15 minutes after the last injection.

Project Duration: 1 day

Location: Regensburg, Germany

Alternatives: The complete dismantling of the track with removal of the affected slab track and the subsequentinsertion of vibro soil stabilization, installation of a new base layer and the insertion of the track base plate.

Kentish Town Midland Mainline

Case Study

Project Kentish Town Slab Track Emergency Stabilisation WorksProject Background

o The Kentish Town slab-track was constructed during 1979 within an open-cut section of track

o Due to geological problems causing cracking of the concrete slab and differential settlement of 8-9mm a 270m length of the slab-track on the Midland Mainline suffered ongoing failure.

o The failure affected the track geometry to such an extent that it was necessary on grounds of safety to reduce speed limits from 70mph to 30mph on the affected section.

o The project was important to carry out monitoring and speedy repairs in order to maintain train movements.

Project Solution

o To achieve acceptable track geometry and stability, based on the local ground conditions and confinement, an exact calculated amounts of geopolymer resin grout was pumped at specified locations and depths.

o Once injected, the resin expands, forcing out ground water, consolidating the foundation strata, and raising the slab. The resin then hardens, forming a safe and secure base layer for the existing slab and track.

o Over a critical 51m section the slab was progressively lifted in a controlled manner between 1 and 30 mm. The ability to jack up the slab to such tolerances was absolutely critical to maintaining a safe and reliable train schedule on a key route into the capital.

o This was a temporary design enabling detailed permanent design to not be a critical issue.

o Now in detailed design for permanent solution - Option 1

Successive Ground Penetrating Radar Scans before grouting, after the Phase 1 and Phase 2 works highlighting progressive densification of the foundation strata

Photo1: injection on the down fast Photo2: injection on the down fast at second location within the four 4ft

Photos 1 & 2 show a Geobear technician is using an injection mechanism to install material via injection tubes. Multiple lasers are in situ to monitor lift across three points on the slab.

Track Monitoring Records indicating the vertical operational track displacements for different train classes, before and after the stabilisation works

Rail: Before and after stabilisation - unknown voidingKentish Town Stabilisation works

Project Finnieston Slab & Ballast track ground improvement

Project performance and the Geobear Index

Geobear Index

Geobear Injection plan

Geobear Injection Cross section

Health & SafetyHealth & Safety, Quality

o Accreditation

o Professionally trained and certified employees

o Directly employed labour

o Clean, organised worksite – self contained

o No large plant

o Less exposure to site risk due to faster installation times

o Less raw material than traditional methods

Product Safety

o Environmentally safe, inert product

o Hydro-insensitive

o Bund/Spill kits on all vehicles

o Post testing and product test information available

Get in TouchGlobal Business Established in 1983 in Finland. Company was Uretek until Dec 2017 before global rebranding as Geobear. UK business established in 1989 and currently have offices in London, Banbury and St.Helens. Global leader in non-disruptive solutions for foundation and infrastructure settlement and subsidence problems. Full in house design team - also work with 3rd party Consulting Engineers and material testing labs. We have successfully completed over 200,000 projects worldwide

Euston House, 24 Evershott Street, London NW1 1AD

enquiries@geobear.com

www.geobear.com

We keep your world running