Techniques

Jet grouting is a ground reinforcement technique. One or several jets of fluid with high kinetic energy are used to break apart and mix the ground with a liquid cement slurry so as to form a column of “soil concrete”.

Menard developed Controlled Modulus Columns in the 1990s to overcome problems of lateral confinement in highly compressible and organic soils. They are now used in all types of soil (cohesive or granular) up to depths of 30 metres or more.

Menard Vacuum™ is used to accelerate consolidation of cohesive, highly compressible soils. The process consists in creating a negative pressure under an airtight membrane laid over the soil, which generates atmospheric pressure on the soil, equivalent to the pressure exerted by a 4 metre embankment.

Vertical drains, also known as prefabricated vertical drains or wick drains, are made up of a plastic core surrounded by a geotextile that acts as a filter to prevent clogging.