Case Study – Seawall Soil Reinforcement
A resident of Punta Gorda, Florida noticed that the soil behind her seawall was eroding. She attempted various fixes such as dumping bags of concrete, backfill, and gravel, but the soil continued to wash out from below the seawall. It was determined that gaps and cracks in the seawall were allowing soil to be lost.
Repair Materials
Seawall Repair Network® contractor Anderson Dock and Lift used SW-RP1 polymer resin to fill the gaps, encapsulate the soil, and reinforce the integrity of the existing seawall structure. This material can expand 50 times its liquid volume and has an ultra-low viscosity allowing it to thoroughly permeate cracks and voids.
Procedures
A Polyshark pump was used to push SW-RP1 through two 400-foot lines to the seawall, where small 1/2” galvanized rods were inserted below the waterline. Upward staging was used to inject the material into the soil at every foot of elevation until the product could be seen as it reached small cracks in the wall and under the seawall. As the resin filled cracks and spaces behind the wall, bubbles could be seen releasing from known and previously undetected gaps as trapped air was pushed out.
Results
The expanding resin successfully filled leaks at the seawall base and permeated soil voids behind the entire wall face. The previously undetected leaks were also sealed, waterproofing the structure and stabilizing the soil behind it. This solution repaired the failing seawall and prevented further erosion issues.