The type of soil will affect how melbourne buildings are underpinned. Soil is important for foundation stability, load capacity and resilience. Understanding soil type can be used to help create underpinnings solutions that are designed to maintain the structure’s stability for a long time. Continue reading?

Clay soils are prone to swelling and shrinking. Over time this cyclical variation can cause structural and foundation damage. Underpinning is needed to stabilize and reduce soil humidity fluctuations in these situations. Pier-and-beam underpinning involves the use of deep piers, which allow for easier access to soil layers that are more stable below the clay active zone. This reduces soil shrinkage and expansion.

Other problems may arise due to the weak cohesiveness of sandy soils. Because of poor load support, structures built on sandy land may settle. In sandy conditions concrete or grout injections will fill the voids. This strengthens the foundation. This approach can reduce settlement and increase soil load bearing capacity.

Silty, or sandier, soils drain better than sandier soils. But they also compress more readily, and this can lead to subsidence. In such cases, the weight can be spread out by using a raft-slab to avoid excessive sinking because of local soil compacting.

Because of the high content of organic material, peaty bogs are not only rare but also difficult to decompose. In order to avoid ground movement, buildings constructed on peaty sand require extensive underpinning. In deep soil mixtures, stabilizing chemicals are added to organic soil in order to strengthen it and reduce its compaction.

Loamy sands are composed of a combination of silt, clay and sand. High clay content may cause problems. For foundations made of loamy clay, it is necessary to evaluate the composition as well as seasonal variations. The underpinning techniques may include a mix of clay soil and sandy soil to assess loam.

Rocky soils tend to support foundations better and require less substinning than other soils. Cracked and weak rock may need additional underpinning. Pincing foundation portions to solid stone may prevent them from shifting.