Soil Nailing: A Practical Guide

Soil nailing is an in situ soil reinforcement technique that can be used to enhance the stability of slopes, retaining walls, embankments, and excavations. It involves installation of closely spaced, relatively slender unstressed tension-carrying structural elements into the ground to stabilize the soil mass. These elements, which are called soil nails, comprise steel or other engineering materials such as fiber reinforced polymer.

Soil nailing did not gain popularity until the 1970s when engineers started to realize that the technique could offer an effective, robust, and economical reinforcing system for a variety of ground conditions. More importantly, the track record has been excellent in that no major collapses have been reported in properly designed and well-constructed soil nailed structures so far. Considerable experience and knowledge of the technique have been gained in the past few decades through systematic technical development work comprising laboratory tests, numerical modeling, physical modeling, site trials and field monitoring covering design, and construction practices.

Soil Nailing: A Practical Guide consolidates the experience and advances made in the development and use of the soil nailing technique and encourages a wider adoption of the technique by practitioners. The book is intended for use by postgraduate students, researchers, and practicing civil and geotechnical engineers, who wish to have a more in-depth and fundamental understanding of the theory and practice behind the technique. It presents the basic principles of the technique as well as state-of-the-art knowledge and recommended standard of good practice in respect of design, construction, monitoring, and maintenance of soil nailed structures.

Raymond Cheung is Deputy Head of the Geotechnical Engineering Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.

Ken Ho is Deputy Head of the Geotechnical Engineering Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China and an Adjunct Professor of The University of Hong Kong.