Types of Soil Nails or Tendons

A cost effective geotechnic process used for retaining large soil slopes, notably highway and railway
embankments.

Function: After excavating and removing the natural slope msupport, the remaining wedge of exposed unstable soil is pinned or mnailed back with tendons into stable soil behind the potential slip plane.

Types of Soil Nails or Tendons:

• Solid deformed steel rods up to 50 mm in diameter, located in bore holes up to 100 mm in diameter. Cement grout is pressurised into the void around the rods.
• Hollow steel, typically 100 mm diameter tubes with an expendable auger attached. Cement grout is injected into the tube during boring to be ejected through purpose-made holes in the auger.
• Solid glass reinforced plastic (GRP) with resin grouts. Embankment Treatment ~ the exposed surface is faced with a plastic coated wire mesh to fit over the ends of the tendons. A steel head plate is fitted over and centrally bolted to each projecting tendon, followed by spray concreting to the whole face.