Structural grouting of load-bearing precast concrete elements: Issues and solutions

The purpose of this paper is to raise construction industry awareness regarding structural grouting of precast concrete projects in the United States. Incidents related to structural grouting have occurred with both precast concrete systems and other building systems. Designers, architects, owners, insurance carriers, and the construction industry in general are becoming increasingly aware of deficient grouting installation methods and verification procedures. Concerns include the timeliness of grout installation during the erection process, the lack of grout on some components of finished projects, and the poor quality of installed grout. These concerns pertain to horizontal connection joints of critical load-bearing elements between foundations and precast concrete columns and walls, stacked precast concrete columns, and stacked precast concrete walls. Current building codes and standards provide no requirements and limited guidance for the installation or special inspection of these critical horizontal joints. In an effort to address this gap in building codes and standards, as it specifically relates to precast concrete structural products, some precast concrete producers and erectors are implementing several strategies and new procedures, as noted and further developed in this paper.