Performance of polymer support fluids for piling and diaphragm walls

聚合物支撑液在打桩工程行业中出现，但在英国尚未用于地下连续墙，尽管据报道它们在美国被广泛使用。使用适当管理的聚合物流体进行的桩试验表明，它们可以产生比膨润土泥浆更好的轴摩擦力。此外，聚合物流体比其膨润土泥浆对应物具有更简单的场地占地面积，特别是因为聚合物流体不需要复杂且昂贵的土壤-泥浆分离设备。由于缺乏测试数据和理解，目前的指南对聚合物流体的使用提供了有限的建议。目前，尚未对这些聚合物流体的作用机理进行广泛的研究。在学生期间，将对聚合物支撑液的理论和更实用的方面进行研究，对聚合物流体的行为有更全面的了解，然后专注于现场实践的优化，包括在使用中和现场控制程序中维护泥浆性能。对聚合物载体流体作用的机理有清楚的了解，将是开发现场方法的必要条件，通过现场方法可以快速简单地确定聚合物的状况。这种方法的开发是学生的最重要的成果之一，因为它将使承包商能够在施工现场测试聚合物，从而使他们能够确定聚合物的状况，并确保所使用的聚合物支撑流体在混合阶段或聚合物流体的清洁过程中没有降解。

Polymer support fluids are emerging in the industry for piling work, but have yet to be used for diaphragm walls in the UK, though they are reported to be widely used in the USA. Pile tests with properly managed polymer fluids have shown that they can result in better shaft friction than bentonite slurries. Furthermore, polymer fluids have a simpler site footprint than their bentonite slurry counterparts, especially as complex and costly soil-slurry separation plants are not required for polymer fluids. Current guidelines provide limited recommendations on polymer fluid use due to a lack of test data and understanding.At present, there has not been extensive research into the mechanism through which these polymer fluids act. Over the course of the studentship, research in to both the theoretical and the more practical side of polymer support fluids will be conducted, developing a fuller understanding of the behaviour of polymer fluids and then focusing on the optimisation of site practices, including maintenance of slurry properties while in use and, in site control procedures. Having a clear understanding of the mechanism through which the polymer support fluids act, will be integral in developing on site methods through which the condition of the polymers can be determined quickly and simply. The development of such methods is one of the most crucial outcomes of the studentship, as it will enable contractors to test the polymers while at the construction site thus allowing them to determine the condition of the polymer, and to ensure that the polymer support fluids being used have not been degraded either during the mixing stage or during cleaning of the polymer fluid.