Testing on Soil Nails

In the whole soil nail construction process, the

following tests must be carried out for quality
assurance.

Soil nail steel bar Tensile test, bending test, re-

bend test, galvanizing test.
Cement Grout Bleeding test, flow cone test,
compressive strength test.
SOIL NAIL STEEL BAR TEST
The soil nail steel bar is the most
essential element of soil nail system
and withstands tension, bending and
shear force in soil mass. Therefore, all
ranges of testing are needed to be
carried out before soil nail installation.
Tensile test, Bending test, Re-bend test,
Galvanizing test
 Tensile Test

Tensile strength, yield stress and elongation are

given out in these tests.
According to Hong Kong Construction Standard 2
(1995), the tensile stress shall be at least 10%
greater than the actual yield stress measured in
tensile test.
The acceptable elongation shall not be over 12%
of 5 times the diameter of test piece in high stress
steel bar. (CEDD CS2, 1995)*

Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), GEOTECHNICAL

ENGINEERING OFFICE .(1995). Construction Specification 2 ,Hong Kong.
 BENDING TEST

This is the test for bending of a steel bar to meet the

bending requirements.
According to CEDD CS2 (1995) noted that the test
piece shall withstand being bent through 180
degrees around a former of a specific diameter.
The test specimens shall satisfy the requirement
which states that no sign of cracks on visual
examination are evident.
Re-bend Test
This test is for bending in opposite direction after
same process of bending test and acceptable
require the test specimens shall not break into two
pieces.
 Galvanizing Test

This is the measure of the content of galvanized
material which has been painted or spread on the
steel bar (CEDD CS2, 1995). The galvanized material
can prevent the corrosion of the steel bar which may
be caused by ground water or saturated soil.
 Cement Grout
O Cement grout is the surrounding material of
the soil nail which can protect the steel bar
against ground water and transfer the
frictional force from soil to steel bar.
Therefore, cement grout quality concrete is
essential.
O Bleeding test, Flow cone test, Compressive
strength test
Bleeding Test
This is the measure of water bleeding from cement grout.

According to CEDD CS2 (1992) & Australian Standard R64

mentioned that bleeding shall not exceed 1% of volume
at 60 minutes after mixing when measured at 20C
temperature in a covered 100mm diameter cylinder.
The bleeding rate is dependent on the humidity and
temperature. Therefore, a 20C constant temperature and
covered cylinder are necessary for this test. Moreover,
vibration should be avoided during the period of test.
Flow Cone Test
According to ASTM C939 (2002)
noted that this test is used to
determine the fluidity, or
viscosity, of the grout.
The fluidity is an indication of how
well the grout mix will flow when it is
pumped into the grout tube.
According to CEDD GS vol2 (1995),
the grout mix should pass
through this flow cone in at
least 15 seconds but should not
exceed 30 second.
If the grout mix that is too thick or
too viscous it may not be able to
pushed through the length of the
tendon, and if the grout mix that is
too thin it means the grout may
contain too much water and affect
the water/cement ratio.
 COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH TEST
Through the compressive strength test, the specimen sample
of cement grout can provide an indication of compressive
strength of material which provides an indication of the
mechanical and durability properties, in order to meet the soil
nail grout requirement. The specimen sample can be a 100 mm
sided square cube or 100 mm dia and 250 mm long
cylinder.
According to CEDD General Specification vol 2 (1992) and
AS R64 (2007)six samples are required for square cube samples
and three for cylindrical samples.
The compressive strength is calculated from the failure load
divided by cross-sectional area resisting the load and
reported in force per unit area.
SYLLABUS FOR MID SEMESTER

Length and cross-sectional area of reinforcing strip.

Applications of soil nailing.
Advantages of soil nailing.
Limitations of soil nailing.
Construction method of soil nails.
Components of the soil nails.
Soil nail construction equipment.
Soil nail construction procedure.
Testing on soil nails.