System and Method for Ground Consolidation

The present invention relates to a method for inducing ground consolidation. The method comprises providing a first chamber (7) in a first hole (3) in the ground (5), and a second chamber (7) in a second hole (3) in the ground (5), the first and second chambers (7) being liquid-impermeable and electrically conductive; providing a first electrolytic fluid in the first chamber (7) and a second electrolytic fluid in the second chamber (7); placing at least a first electrode (9) in the first chamber (7), and at least a second electrode (9) in the second chamber (7), the first and second electrodes (9) being operatively connected to a power supply (25); feeding consolidation fluids into the ground for feeding reactants of a consolidation process, and catalysers for the reactants into the ground; and applying to the first and second electrodes (9) an electric current. The current causes the first electrode to operate as an anode and the second electrode to operate as a cathode thereby inducing electric polarisation in the ground to cause the reactants and catalysers to cross paths to thereby cause consolidation of the ground (5).

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Related concepts (2)

Electric current

An electric current is a flow of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is defined as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface. The moving particles are called charge carriers, which may be one of several types of particles, depending on the conductor. In electric circuits the charge carriers are often electrons moving through a wire. In semiconductors they can be electrons or holes.

Soil consolidation

Soil consolidation refers to the mechanical process by which soil changes volume gradually in response to a change in pressure. This happens because soil is a two-phase material, comprising soil grains and pore fluid, usually groundwater. When soil saturated with water is subjected to an increase in pressure, the high volumetric stiffness of water compared to the soil matrix means that the water initially absorbs all the change in pressure without changing volume, creating excess pore water pressure.