TAM grouting is a method for grouting soils using sleeved (Tube a Manchette) pipes that facilitates grout injection at very specific depths using a packer inside the TAM tubing. TAM grouting is primarily used for permeation grouting, because the internal tubing & holes are all small, so really low viscosity grout is what works best.
Installing TAM Tubes
The manchette tubing for TAM grouting is typically installed using drilling, similarly to other small diameter PVC pipe installations for piezometers, monitoring wells, etc. A sonic or mud rotary drill installs casing, the TAM tubing is dropped down the casing, then the casing removed. If the soil collapses in on the TAM tubing, that’s fine. If the soil doesn’t completely collapse in, then bentonite slurry is used to grout the annulus of the hole. Sonic drilling is generally the most predictable method for installation manchette tubing.
Best Grout for TAM Grout Installation
The inside diameter of TAM tubing is relatively small, and the orifices within the internal packers are quite small. So, grout needs to be very low viscosity to work well without fouling the equipment. There’s no real way to “fix” fouled or clogged manchette holes, so it’s important to manage that risk by using very low viscosity grout. Acrylic grouts work really well for TAM grouting, and with larger diameter TAM tubing, cementitious grouting is also possible.
Mineral grouts, such as colloidal silica, are also well suited for installation through TAM tubing. Colloidal silica is even lower viscosity than acrylics, and goes through a non-exothermic reaction to create a stable gel.
Sodium silicate is a bit higher viscosity than acrylate, but is also well suited for installation using the TAM method.
Typical chemical grouts such as polyurethane resins are poor candidates for TAM grouting due to their expansive nature, fast reaction, and inability to be flushed with water.
Why Use TAM Tubing
Most shallow permeation grouting is most practical with driven tubing. However, you can only hammer small diameter tubing so far into the ground before deviation becomes too great. This is where TAM grouting comes into place. Because it’s drilled into place, there’s a high degree of control over the horizontal and vertical alignment of the tubing. This facilitates very precise grout placement.
One common use of permeation grouting with TAM tubing is closing gaps in SOE walls. The tubing is drilled down in an arrangement similar to a secant pile layout. Horizontally overlapping columns are grouted, reducing the permeability of soils and making them stand during excavation to facilitate lagging installation.
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