Concrete Leveling: Mudjacking and Slab jacking
In the world of construction, concrete leveling is often a long needed and difficult process. When a construction project is finished and the dirt needs to be removed from one floor to another, often portions of the building will have not been leveled properly. This creates problems with the foundation, walls, stairs, and parking lot, among other things. In civil engineering, concrete leveling basically is a process which attempts to correct a slope problem on an uneven concrete surface by modifying the original base that the structure sits upon. This method of construction is necessary when a building has multiple levels and a large amount of ground must be traveled through to reach all parts.
The concrete leveling process starts with a newly dug hole. This hole is called the in-field injection holes. Once this is done, the hole will be filled with concrete so that it is completely level. This concrete mixture will be injected into the new slab once the injection holes are complete. After the concrete mixture has been poured in the hole the leveling process can begin.
Concrete Leveling
The slab will then be lifted off of the ground. The concrete leveling crew will then place steel jacks in the hole. These jacks are placed on top of the slab and are used to keep the concrete slab off of the ground while it is being leveled. The jacks are typically made out of iron. After the jacks are in place, they are lifted up using crane equipment. At this point the entire area will need to be covered with plywood to ensure that nothing gets damaged during the actual concrete leveling process.
Another common practice in concrete leveling involves mudjacking. This process involves a specially designed truck that is used to pour a specially designed mix of mud, water, and concrete into the hole. The purpose of the mudjacking mix is to create a very strong layer of mud in an area. This mud layer acts like a traction layer that can make it much easier to drive over. Once this layer has been added to to to the concrete slab can be leveled as usual.
Many times when people notice that their concrete leveling slabs are not level they will try to angle them. An inclined plane or slope will help to level a poorly slab’s surface. However this is something that should only be used in extreme cases. Laying wooden boards down on uneven soil is one way that people try to angle concrete slabs. However this can actually damage the soil and will take more time than if one were to use a plane.
Concrete slabs can become uneven and unsightly due to holes in the soil. When these holes occur a contractor will often times sink holes into the soil surrounding the slab in order to create a deeper hole that will seal against the slab. Slabjacking and mudjacking can be used together or in some cases just one of these techniques can be used to level a sunken slab.
