Project Overview
Client: Confidential
Location: Sharjah, UAE
Duration: 4 nights
Solution: Geobear Geopolymer Ground Improvement
A major shopping mall in Sharjah was experiencing severe differential settlement beneath two foundation pads, posing a risk to structural integrity and long-term serviceability. Geobear was commissioned to design and implement a targeted geopolymer injection solution to restore ground strength, mitigate further settlement, and extend the asset’s operational lifespan — all without major disruption to mall operations.
Significant settlement was detected beneath two column foundations, accompanied by surface-level damage and subsurface anomalies. Investigations revealed that the soil below the foundations was saturated and soft, leading to a loss of bearing capacity. Key contributing factors included:
• Water leakage from damaged underground pipes and a cracked manhole structure.
• Soil erosion and void formation beneath the slab due to continuous leakage.
• Lack of as-built structural data, complicating early ground assessment.
Traditional remediation approaches, such as underpinning or complete foundation replacement, would have required large-scale excavation, extended closure of the shopping centre, and significant cost and time investment.
Geobear implemented a staged geopolymer injection programme designed to increase soil strength and re-establish contact between the soil and the foundation base. The process involved:
• Installing injection tubes and delivering expanding geopolymer resin at depths up to 2 m below the foundation base.
• Conducting operations exclusively during night shifts to avoid disruption to mall operations.
• Performing additional injections under the smaller foundation after follow-up investigations confirmed water-induced voiding.
A total of 4m3 of geopolymer was installed during the works.
The leakage was repaired and voids were filled with structural fill to restore soil–slab contact. This step was critical to ensure that the benefits of soil strengthening were not undermined by ongoing water ingress.
Figure 1. Damaged manhole structure contributing to water ingress beneath the foundations.
Figure 3. Installed injection tubes
Post-injection verification was performed through dynamic probing and comparative testing. Key results included:
• A 3× increase in equivalent SPT N₁(60) values beneath the large foundation compared to pre-treatment conditions, indicating medium-dense sand conditions and successful soil densification.
These results confirmed the effectiveness of the geopolymer treatment and the significant improvement in soil bearing capacity.
Outcome and Recommendations
The Geobear solution successfully addressed the underlying settlement issues, stabilising the affected foundations and improving ground conditions without major excavation or operational disruption. The project demonstrated the value of geopolymer injection in treating complex settlement problems, especially where water ingress and erosion are contributing factors.
This project illustrates how Geobear’s geopolymer ground improvement technology provides a rapid, non-intrusive, and effective alternative to conventional foundation repair. By targeting the root causes of settlement — water ingress, soil erosion, and void formation — and densifying the underlying soil, the solution restored the load-bearing capacity beneath the mall’s foundations, ensuring long-term stability and structural resilience.
