Kemroc is a specialist in the development and manufacture of milling attachments for excavators and backhoe loaders for many applications. At the InnoTrans 2024 trade fair which took place in Berlin from 24 to 27 September 2024, Kemroc focused on its Kemsolid division. Under the tagline ‘KSI – Kemsolid Soil Injection’, the company markets a mixing attachment for soil stabilisation and installation of foundations in infrastructure projects, including road and rail building, as well as the production or renewal of internal impermeable barriers for dams. In this process, the blade of the KSI mixing attachment, mounted on a standard crawler excavator, penetrates the soil. A chain running along the length of the blade mixes the soil with a binder suspension pumped to the blade through hoses from a mixing plant. 

The whole process is called the ‘milling-mixing-injection’ (MMI) method. After hardening, this creates a homogeneous, stable, load bearing and dense soil/concrete structure in the soil. This process is very sustainable as it mixes the soil with a binder in-situ. This eliminates the costly transportation of large quantities of materials and concrete, as well as the removal and disposal of excavated material.

The MMI process is already being used with large and heavy purpose built carriers. The core elements of the method developed by Kemroc is its KSI mixing attachments. Depending on the blade length, they are suitable for use on carriers with operating weights ranging from 35t to 200t. Mounted on standard excavators, they are designed to provide a lighter and more flexible alternative, with lower capital costs and lower transport costs to and from site. Construction companies without their own dedicated MMI machine can now carry out this work using a KSI mixing attachment on their own standard excavator.

The MMI process with KSI mixing attachments is used for many applications such as soil stabilisation and permeability issues. For example, it is used where new traffic routes are being built on low load soils or where ground conditions must be improved to handle higher traffic loads and speeds. These include rapid transit routes and motorways. The method is particularly useful in the railway sector where it is used to strengthen old railway embankments for higher speeds and to produce barriers for noise and vibration emissions. 

KSI mixer attachments for excavators are available in various lengths from 5m to 16m and with cutter widths from 350mm to 950mm. Kemroc is currently developing a KSI mixing attachment with a double blade, specifically designed for use in railway construction work.