Driving innovation in Ground Engineering

Geobear has been implementing innovative, cost-effective solutions to stabilise ground and correct settlement or subsidence in the UK and throughout Europe since 1983. Now, positioned to continue their growth, Geobear are exploring socioeconomic impact through widespread use of it’s technology.

In the summer of 2018, weather patterns led to a record number of subsidence claims in the UK. After a summer like that, it’s hard to remember a time when the only solution to subsidence or settlement issues was to leave your home for weeks while contractors tore it apart to stabilise the foundation or, even worse, just wait it out and hope the problem wouldn’t increase.

For most people, the idea of leaving your home for weeks on end, spending money on hotels, and dealing with the aftermath of a major construction project can be considered a major inconvenience. Others, such as the elderly, disabled, or families with small children, have a hard time leaving their homes for any extended period.

In many cases, ground injection solutions can allow people to stay in their homes. For businesses or infrastructure projects, leaving the building or shutting down business when you discover a settlement issue can be financially debilitating.

What is Geopolymer Injection?

Geopolymer injection is when a multi-component polymer liquid is injected into strategically drilled holes in the ground and improves the soil. In a short period of time, this liquid expands and hardens to form a solid. This mixture becomes a geopolymer, stabilising loose soil, filling voids, and re-leveling structures.

Originally, the geopolymer injection technique was invented as a re-leveling solution for subsidence problems caused by weakened ground in Northern Europe. Since then, a variety of projects have benefitted from the use of the geopolymer injection technique.

Today our method has applications in the residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure sectors, being used everywhere from major roadways, homes, manufacturing facilities, ports, and even railways and runways across the globe.

The Cost Benefits of Geopolymer Injection

Geopolymer injection requires minimal equipment, meaning that mobilization and demobilization is discreet and speedy. The liquid polymer mixture can harden in seconds, achieving 90 % of the mechanical properties in as little as fifteen minutes, meaning the solution can often be implemented in one day with no disruption to normal activity.

Less disruption and less time means homeowners and business owners alike can reduce their overall spend on projects with less wait time, cost overruns, and outside expenses (e.g. the cost of moving out or shutting down a business).

In 2018, an independent report by Volterra, a leading transport economics consultant, analyzed the potential financial benefits of using their method in UK road, rail, and aviation infrastructure.

It concludes that our method is less disruptive with the ability to perform ground stabilisation ten times faster than traditional methods.

Volterra estimated that across the UK, Geobear could save taxpayers and their respective governments almost £5M daily.

Across all G7 countries, the benefits of using Geobear technology were estimated to be between £700M and in excess of £4bn per year.

The Environment and Geopolymer Injection

While the economic benefits could be substantial in both the private and public sector, we have also committed to working toward less environmental impact with their solution and their company’s business model.

Our solutions have a lower carbon footprint when compared to alternative methods due to reduced time on the job, less truck journeys, reduced material usage, and improved efficiency.

Looking toward the future, the company worked with their research and development, verified by independent institutions, to develop geopolymers that don’t affect groundwater. Not only does this expand the applications of their solution, it reduces the environmental impact of the geopolymer.

Responsible Design

Consulting engineers, technical experts, and project management professionals across an array of industries rely on Geobear’s engineering team and technical experts. Polymer injection is not a one-size-fits-all solution and not all mixes are created equal.

Depending on ground conditions and the degree of treatment required, there are specially developed geopolymer mixes that can be prescribed to treat subsidence issues.

The Future of Geobear

In the last 36 years, over 200,000 projects have been completed using our geopolymer technology.

Today, we continue to increase that number, with contracting businesses spread across Europe and Asia. With our faster, more cost-effective geopolymer solution, we are proving to the world- the future is now.

Otso Lahtinen, CEO of Geobear, explained his vision for the future.

“We are investing in our people, our processes, and our technology. Ultimately, this business is about our customers and we are dedicating resources and time to continue helping our customers as their needs and technical requirements change.”

Our focus on training, development, and coaching impacts the success of each and every employee. Many of our team members have been with the company for over 5 years.

Lahtinen adds,

“We have an exceptional team. It is our team of technical experts, customer service, engineers, sales, and support staff that allow us to leverage this technology in new ways each year. They truly are dedicated to solving the unique problems of each customer we meet.”