Expanding Polyurethane Foam Injection for Ground Improvement: Mechanisms of Soil–Resin Interaction, Field Verification Methods, and Practical Design Considerations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59796/jcst.V16N3.2026.195Keywords:
cone penetration test, ground improvement, lifting, underpinning, polyurethane foam, polyurethane grouting, resin injection, soil stabilizationAbstract
Expanding polyurethane (PU) foam injection has emerged as a technically versatile alternative to cementitious grouting for geotechnical rehabilitation, offering rapid cure, low unit weight, and suitability for both dry and actively seeping ground conditions. Despite growing field adoption, systematic guidance on material selection, injection design, and performance verification remains absent, with knowledge distributed across disparate testing protocols and performance metrics. This review synthesizes laboratory experiments, field case studies, and monitoring data to address three deficiencies: an incomplete mechanistic understanding of soil–resin interactions across injection regimes; the absence of an integrated verification protocol; and the lack of standardized design codes. PU systems span hydrophobic and hydrophilic types across a density range of 35–1,000 kg/m³, achieving cured compressive strengths of 0.3–10 MPa and hydraulic conductivities of 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁸ m/s. Three injection configurations, which are slab jacking, tunnel void grouting, and deep foundation underpinning, are distinguished by borehole geometry, pressure limits, and staging sequence. Field evidence confirms pavement faulting reductions of 2 to 5 mm, a 160% foundation stiffness increase at Noi Bai International Airport, and a 98% seepage reduction in tunnel waterproofing applications. Comparative analysis demonstrates that PU foam outperforms cementitious grouting in cure speed, fine-void penetrability, and faulting correction, while cement retains advantages in bulk compressive strength and unit material cost. Key limitations include buoyancy risk in saturated ground, chemical sensitivity above pH 9, exothermic damage risk in confined spaces, and insufficient long-term durability data to support design codification. The review consolidates the evidence into a structured framework linking PU material class, injection parameters, and verification method to specific geotechnical objectives, providing a unified resource for researchers and practitioners.
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