Soil nailing is a ground stabilisation technique that can be used on either natural or excavated slopes. It involves drilling holes for steel bars to be inserted into a slope face which are then grouted in place. Mesh is attached to the bar ends to hold the slope face in position.
Soils which are particularly suited to soil nailing include clays, clayey silts, silty clays, sandy clays, glacial soils, sandy silts, sand, gravels. Soil nailing can be used on weathered rock as long as the weathering is even (i.e. without any weakness planes) throughout the rock.
A drainage system may be inserted once all the nails are in place. This involves a synthetic drainage mat placed vertically between the nail heads, which extends to the wall base and is connected to a footing drain.
Advantages of using soil nailing include:
- They are good for confined spaces with restricted access.
- There is less environmental impact.
- They are relatively quick and easy to install.
- They use less materials and shoring.
- They are flexible enough to be used on new constructions, temporary structures or on remodelling processes.
- The height is not restricted.