Alchatek Blog

In this post we'll take a look at a couple of important, early articles we posted on soil stabilization.

The first article is an overview of the causes of unstable soil.  I wrote this post as an introduction to a multi-part series on the subject.  A thorough understanding of why soil becomes unstable is helpful for anyone looking at soil stabilization products and trying to determine which one is appropriate for a particular job.  Study this subject if you want to deepen your understanding on the subject of soil stabilization in general.

The other article is about stabilizing soil in wet environments.  Not every stabilization product is designed to work properly in wet soil.  Read this article for brief breakdown on the matter. 

The Causes of Unstable Soil: A Brief Overview

Unstable soil can be defined as soil that will not stay in place on its own, and therefore requires extra support. It should be noted that unstable soil can threaten the stability, security, and safety of infrastructure and can damage, degrade, and even destroy a number of structures, such as buildings, bridges, and roads.

There are a variety of factors that can cause unstable soil, including:

• Erosion
• Poor Compaction
• Freeze/Thaw
• Decomposition

Erosion refers to processes in which external elements (wind, water, etc.) remove soil or rock from a certain location and transport it to another location. There are a variety of different erosion types, including river and gull erosion, wind erosion, and erosion attributed to human activity. Erosion ultimately destabilizes soil and can lead to landslides and sinkholes.

Read more in the post The Causes of Unstable Soil: A Brief Overview.

Soil Grouting - Polyurethane vs. Water

Not all two component polyurethane lifting and stabilizing foams are specifically designed for wet environments.  In most situations when you are injecting polyurethane foam into the ground, there is a high probability that the environment is going to be wet.  You need to be confident that the foam will react and retain the desired properties in these wet environments.  If the foam you are using is not specifically designed for wet environments, then you may be cheating yourself and your customer out of the best possible results.

Read more in the post Soil Grouting - Polyurethane vs. Water.

Want more in-depth info on soil stabilization products and procedures?

On March 23rd 2016, Alchemy Polymers Technical Consultant Andy Powell was interviewed on the Business Radio X podcast.  Andy is an expert on all of the products and their infinite applications, with many years of infrastructure repair work and on-site consulting under his belt. 

In this excerpt, he sums up the Alchemy Polymers committment to quality...

Ultimately, the customer is the property owner, somebody who’s got a problem. Even though we’re selling to contractors, we kind of all have to be on the same page, and so we’re ultimately dealing with the property owner, and sometimes they don’t understand what they can’t see, and we’re oftentimes fixing things that you can’t see like, “What’s going on underneath my slab? I can’t believe that you’re telling me there’s a hole big enough to park a VW down under my slab and it’s going to cost this much.”

There’s got to be an element of trust. You’ve got to be able to prove what’s going on...you’ve got to be able to let them know that if they’re not going to treat this now, it’s not going to get better. The contractors that we work with, we train, and that’s the only way that we can really stand behind it because we can provide a product warranty, but if it’s not installed correctly, then it can come back and reflect on us. So we kind of all have to be on the same page, and it’s good for the industry as a whole, too, because if somebody’s polyurethane fails, it reflects on everybody.

Over the course of this 15 minute interview, Andy discusses the history of the business, the state of the industry, and the various types of infrastructure problems that can be solved with polyurethane resin. Take a moment and give it a listen. If you have any questions, give us a call afterwards at 404-618-0438. Want to hear more from Andy? Click here for a complete listing of all the Alchemy Polymers blog posts written by Andy Powell.

Want more info on polyurethane infrastructure repair?