Engineered Structure
Our system replaces other shoring systems, including sheet piles, soil nails, h-pile and lagging, caissons, secant piles, and slurry walls. Taking into account actual site and soil conditions, contractor’s construction needs, live loads, earth pressures, and many other factors, each SoilFreeze system is designed and stamped by a professional engineer specifically for your project. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and their related state agencies have inspected and approved many of our systems and have always accepted them as the only form of shoring necessary.

Cost Efficient
SoilFreeze is a leading innovator of new applications and technologies for shoring and ground water control. With this innovation, you get cost efficiency. Our prices are competitive with all types of shoring methods, especially those that control ground water. Our goal on every project is to minimize or eliminate ground water infiltration while providing a proven, structural ground support system. A dry excavation can result in additional cost savings to the contractor and owner with regard to dewatering costs, excavation time, and material handling costs.

Greatly Limit or Eliminate Dewatering
Many owners and agencies are recognizing the serious environmental impacts of dewatering and are placing severe restrictions on the discharge and removal of ground water.

Frozen soil is impermeable. Once fully formed, ground water and/or contaminates will be unable to move through the frozen wall. The goal of each system design is to give the contactor a “dry excavation” even in soils that are water saturated or well below surrounding ground water.

Any probability that ground water may infiltrate from below the frozen soil perimeter wall is addressed by investigating the underlying soil’s permeability. The design engineer, using computer analysis, can estimate the probability of any seepage. To greatly reduce or eliminate any ground water seepage, the freeze pipes are installed deep enough to penetrate low permeable soils or they’re installed at angles to create a frozen “bottom.”

Effective in All Soil Types
Most shoring systems, including freezing, will work in cohesive soils with little or no ground water. Soft or non-cohesive soils, however, are extremely difficult for most shoring systems. SoilFreeze walls are appropriate for these soil types. Even soils with multiple strata form a homogenous structural wall after the strata are fused together by freezing. Cobbles, boulders, and other obstructions will freeze and become part of the structure once the freeze pipes are installed and turned on.

Shoring Completely Formed Before Excavation Begins
Many types of shoring require the excavation process to be delayed while internal braces, lagging, tie-backs, soil nails, or shot-crete are installed. Only after these types of shoring are installed and tested at each level can the excavation continue. In addition, internal bracing can limit access to the excavation and slow construction. SoilFreeze walls are completely formed before your excavation begins so that, once you start, you can continue until the excavation is complete—no internal bracing and no excavation delays.

Flexible and Adaptable
Frozen soil shoring can be used for simple or complex excavation shapes and depths. Existing utilities do not have to be removed and rerouted but can remain in service and be simply incorporated into the frozen soil shoring wall. Foundations and large utilities can be protected from settlement or movement by frozen soil. Freeze pipes can be installed horizontally (for tunnel excavation), vertically, or any angle in between.

Friendly to the Community and Environment
System installation requires minimal lay-down area. Installation noise and operational noise can be minimized by using comparatively small, all electric, refrigeration units. Our system is completely temporary, totally enclosed, and allows the soils to return to their natural state after thaw with no permanent changes to ground water flow patterns.