There are numerous causes for cracking distress and differential movement of a structure and collapse features. Among them are deleterious foundation soils such as high organics, shrink-swell clays, buried debris, inadequate compaction of the soil prior to construction and sinkhole activity. Florida, along with many other parts of the southeast US and the Caribbean is prone to areas of sinkholes due to the limestone bedrock. MEG’s professional staff of engineers and professional geologists is acknowledged experts in the State of Florida for geotechnical engineering having performed over 5000 subsidence investigations. We have the expertise to determine, whether the disturbances are really sinkhole related or if the disturbances may be from another cause such as soil compaction, soil type, poor construction methods, behavior of sediments, organics, clays and other soft soils, behavior of soils generated or disturbed by mining activities or other related geotechnical issues. We provide the total engineering and geologic package, including: preliminary site visits; photo-documentation of damages; test pits for foundation assessment; non-intrusive geophysical surveys including but not limited to ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity imaging; floor elevation surveys; standard penetration test and direct push cone penetration testing (SPT and CPT) borings; dynamic hand cone penetration tests for shallow soils; hand auger borings; and emergency response services. We also have an in-house structural specific group that provides evaluations and recommendations regarding the integrity of structures that are inspected for subsidence damage. Section 2.3 offers more details regarding the capabilities and expertise of our structural engineering group. MEG compiles and thoroughly evaluates all the data collected from each project site into a comprehensive professional signed and sealed report.

Additionally, MEG designs structural stabilization plans if any stabilization is recommended or required. As a service to the client and to ensure the remediation program is conducted according to MEG specifications, we provide expert monitoring services. The intent of these services is to fully document the remediation and provide a summary report to the client. Our field technicians record all contractor activities and provide assurance the contractor is in compliance with the site specific specifications we recommend for each project. Signed and Sealed Completion Reports are completed in an efficient, timely manner and are customized to the needs and requests for each client whether private or business and can properly address specifics for each individual policy requirement should there be some.

Madrid Engineering Group, Inc. (MEG) has developed an innovative product and method, called PhosphoCrete™, to economically chemically stabilize soft soils on areas previously mined for phosphate. Pockets of soft, phosphatic waste clays (often called ‘slimes’) are highly compressible and weak and may be too extensive and expensive, or time consuming to excavate and replace, sometimes preventing properties in desirable locations from being developed. Through a chemical process PhosphoCrete™ can permanently alter those clays to create a stabilized platform which provides a permanent solid stable platform on which to build.

This MEG propitiatory technology is based on research previously conducted for the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research (FIPR) in Bartow, Florida, involving some of the world’s leading experts in clay stabilization. MEG has expanded that original research, concentrating on developing mix designs and installation techniques that make the technology cost-effective compared to deep foundations such as pilings, excavating and replacing, or surcharge techniques. This process can usually be performed with a quick turnaround time frame keeping the project from having expensive time consuming related delays.