Experimental evaluation of the performance of a geotextile for a pressure-grouted soil nail

A new idea that adopts a geotextile instead of a latex membrane to improve the performance of a pressure-grouted soil nail, was proposed. First, based on the self-developed device, a series of cement slurry filtration tests were carried out to study the influence of the water-cement ratio, slurry volume, and grouting pressure on the geotextile's filtration performance. The variations in filtration time and water-cement ratio, derived from the changes in the aforementioned influencing factors, during pressure grouting were obtained. Second, corresponding penetration tests for the surrounding sands after filtration tests were conducted, and the strength improvement due to infiltration of cohesive substances was subsequently evaluated. Third, uniaxial compression tests were carried out for cement blocks before and after the filtration tests. The grout bulb strength (cement block) was largely increased because the water-cement ratio in the grout bulb was significantly reduced during filtration of the geotextile. This study can help optimize the design of pressure-grouted soil nails using geotextiles.