Foundation settlement is often attributable to inadequate fill material such as frozen fill or improper base compaction; drying out of the ground surface layers (desiccation); reduction in water table level; wash-out caused by leaking water pipes, sewers and drains; excavations adjacent to buildings; inadequate foundation design; vibrations caused by heavy road traffic or adjacent construction sites; and base soils with different geological strata. Whatever the cause for subsidence in the building foundation, the base soils will require densification to enhance their load-bearing capacity to bear the loading of the building structure.
NOTE: POLY-MOR Canada Inc. highly recommends that a third party Geo-Technical engineering report be undertaken prior to foundation lifting and/or soils stabilization treatment by POLYMOR Canada Inc. to determine the types of soils being considered, bearing capacity, moisture content and soils strata to be treated and to what depths. Further, and in all cases, injection at depth is done blindly and there is no telling exactly where the expanding resin is traveling. Before and after Standard Penetration Tests are the only way to determine if the base soils have been densified sufficiently to accomplish the desired load bearing objectives.
POLY-MOR uses a special high density, hydro-insensitive expanding polymer resin is used to fill, densify and stabilize low density, compressible soils and then lift the foundation.
The POLY-MOR resins are firstly delivered directly under the base of the foundation to fill any void condition that may be present. Further injection directly under the foundation base or into the base soils some 2’ – 2 1/2’ under the foundation to effect lift of the foundation.
For a more secure and long term “fix” to settled footed foundations, consideration should be given to the use of micro- piles in conjunction with POLY-MOR’s technology. Typically, if the foundation has settled then the interior floating floor slabs have also settled and POLY-MOR can then lift and align the floor slabs. In the case where the floor slabs are tied into the footings, assisting in the lift of the footings can be provided by lifting the floor slabs at the same time the footings are being lifted either via expanding resins or mechanically.
This technology is applicable in the industrial, commercial, residential, public works and institutional markets where the lifting and/or stabilization of settled foundations is required.
