Advantages of Mudjacking For Use in Slab Leveling

The Materials and Structures laboratory at NJIT recently wrote a paper about the advantages of using mudjacking grouts over polyfoam materials. Author’s Matthew P. Adams, Ph.D., FACI and Matthew J. Bandelt, Ph.D., PE presents information on each of these materials based on their material constituents, structural performance, sustainability, and environmental health and safety impacts. A review of how both mudjacking grouts and polyfoam materials are made and used is presented followed by the material properties for both types of concrete leveling materials. A review of the sustainability of each material is then provided with a particular focus on recyclability of the materials. Finally, a review of the environmental health and safety concerns when using each material is provided, with a focus on both worker safety and public safety.

Conclusions and Recommendations 

Both mudjacking grouts and polyfoam can lift concrete slabs and fill in the space underneath of the lifted slab.  However, only mudjacking grouts provide a system that can be tailored to specific applications, can be used in a broad array of situations, and provide a higher level of sustainability.

In an age of environmental consciousness, banning of other plastic products such as straws, plastic bags and styrofoam containers due to recycling challenges, portland cement based mudjacking grout should be the obvious choice over polyfoam when lifting or raising concrete.

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