SLOPE STABILISATION

Electrokinetic

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SLOPE FAILURE AND STABILISATION

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. EKG 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.

Unstable soil slopes can fail due a range of factors, including:

  • weak soil strength
  • excessive pore water pressures
  • slope angles exceeding frictional strength of soil grains
  • excessive soil loading

EKG Slope Stabilisation

The EKG slope stabilisation system is a cost-effective, adaptable and minimally disruptive light engineering approach to soil slope improvement. 

Slope Stabilisation System

The system involves the installation of a series of anodes and cathodes according to the design code for soil nailing. Anodes then act as passive resistance to shear forces while fulfilling their primary function of soil drainage, whereby drainage is promoted through electroosmosis. Further methods of EKG include the use of geogrid reinforcement, counterfort drains and electrokinetic geosynthetics and chemical treatment.

Geochemical Soil Improvement

EKG materials introduce chemicals via electroosmotic flow and ion migration to take part in cation exchange and cementation reactions within clay mineral surfaces to modify surface chemistry, altering the plasticity , reducing shrink swell behaviour and increasing 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

EKG drainage and slope stabilisation combines ground improvement, reinforcement and drainage in a manner that accommodates a large variety of ground and groundwater conditions with a low environmental impact, low carbon footprint and reduced cost compared with conventional approaches. Reduction in large scale earthworks alleviates habitat destruction, reduces workforce health and safety risks and further promotes soil stability through natural vegetation drainage and increases in soil root cohesion.