How It Works

Trench “collapse” is a very serious problem where workers are constantly in and out of excavated trenches—especially where proper safety measures are not observed. With LeveeLock, all work is performed at the surface to significantly improve worker safety on the job.

cut-off wall stages
Cut-off wall stages

The freshly-excavated narrow trench is held open with air-lift cushions (air-pads). It is interesting to note that these custom-designed air-pads work better in narrow trenches than in standard-width trenches. The air-pads effectively “tighten” (compacts) the exposed soil in the trench sidewalls. After sufficient side-wall tightening, the air-pads are removed, and the patented* process installs a double geo-membrane liner to the bottom of the trench.

After the liner is in place, the air-pads may be re-inserted into the “lined” trench to keep the trench open should the galvanized steel reinforcement matting not be set immediately within the liner. Otherwise, as soon as the liner material is in place, the reinforcement matting will be set, and the concrete will be poured completely over the matting. The weight of the vibrated wet concrete will push the liner material tight against the trench side-walls to avoid “air pockets”.

Where reinforcement matting and concrete is used within the lined trench, an appropriately-sized portable concrete plant may be placed on-site to ensure concrete availability when needed.

Where soil/soil-bentonite material will be placed into the lined trench (vs. steel matting and concrete), a soil/clay mixing box will be used to assure proper soil mix and moisture for compaction within the lined trench.

A small, highly-trained crew will see that all work is performed in a safe and coordinated/productive fashion to make LeveeLock the best answer and perfect choice wherever needed.

View the gallery below for more in-depth diagrams of the process.

Safety

Levee Lock is safety-conscious. We promote safe worksites according to OSHA regulations. Please refer to the OSHA Trench & Excavating Safety Manual (PDF, 1.51 MB) prior to commencing your project.

Select an image below to view it at full-size. Navigate through images with the on-screen controls.