1

Introduction

QC Casing Installation Guide, 1/2009 1

 Introduction

The Advantages of QC Inclinometer Casing

QC inclinometer casing combines the quality and precision
of Slope Indicator’s traditional inclinometer casing with a
patented* coupling system that saves time and virtually
eliminates assembly mistakes.
The patented QC coupling system provides snap-together
convenience and creates strong, flush joints without glue,
rivets, or tape. The QC joint won’t pull part. It won’t twist
out of alignment. It won’t break if you bend it. And it
won’t leak or collapse under the pressure of grout.
Quality and precision are easily seen in the spiral-free,
machine-broached guide grooves. The shape of the
grooves promotes repeatable positioning of the inclinome-
ter probe. The uniform depth of the grooves prevents weak
spots along the casing wall that could fail under the pres-
sure of grout.
If you’re an engineer who requires accurate inclinometer
data, or if you are installer who needs reliable casing that
installs quickly, you’ll like the way QC inclinometer casing
performs.
*US Patent #5,015,014

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 Introduction

QC Casing Part Numbers

85 mm (3.34 inch) Casing . . . . . . . . Part No.

10-Foot Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150310
5-Foot Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150311
Telescoping Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150320
Bottom Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150330
Top Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51100500
Locking Cap with Padlock . . . . . . . . . . . 51100550
Splice Kit, Male. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150350
Splice Kit, Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150351
85 mm Grout Valve, Gasket-Type. . . . . . 51150335
85 mm Grout Valve, Quick-Connect. . . . 51150340
Pipe Clamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50100200

70 mm (2.75inch) Casing. . . . . . . . . Part No.

10-Foot Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150210
5-Foot Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150211
Telescoping Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150220
Bottom Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150230
Top Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51101500
Locking Cap with Padlock . . . . . . . . . . . 51101550
Splice Kit, Male. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150250
Splice Kit, Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51150251
70 mm Grout Valve, Gasket-Type. . . . . . 51150235
70 mm Grout Valve, Quick-Connect. . . . 51150240
Pipe Clamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50100200

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 Introduction

QC Casing Performance Tests

During the development of QC casing, Slope Indicator
established a series of tests to quantify and improve the
strength of QC coupling system. The final testing of QC
casing was observed by Pacific Testing Laboratories and
the results of the testing were certified in a report entitled
“Engineering Review of Inclinometer Casing Strength
Tests.” Please contact Slope Indicator if you are interested
in obtaining a copy of the PTL report.

Pull Test
Purpose: To test the performance of QC casing joints
under tensile loads.
Materials: QC casing section samples, loading frame, and
NIST-traceable equipment including a calibrated hydraulic
ram and pressure gauge.
Procedure: The casing section samples were assembled
and mounted in the loading frame. The samples were
loaded until the casing joints failed.
Results: Both 85 mm (3.34 inch) and 70 mm (2.75 inch)
casing sample joints withstood 635 kg (1400 lb) of tension.

Torque Test
Purpose: To test the performance of QC casing joints
under twisting forces that could cause misalignment of
casing grooves.
Materials: QC casing section samples, torque test frame
with lever arm, NIST Class F traceable weights.
Procedure: The casing section samples were assembled
and mounted in the torque test frame. The weight sus-
pended from the lever arm was increased until the casing
joints failed.
Results: Both 85 mm (3.34 inch) and 70 mm (2.75 inch)
casing sample joints withstood 33 N.m (25 ft.lb) of torque.

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 Introduction

Bending Test
Purpose: To test the performance of QC casing joints
under bending moments.
Materials: QC casing sections, a test frame, and NIST
Class F traceable weights.
Procedure: Casing sections were assembled and then sup-
ported at opposite ends, with the unsupported joint in the
middle. Weights were suspended from the casing sections
on both sides of the joint to create a bending moment
across the joint. Weight was then increased until the joint
failed.
Results: Both 85 mm (3.34 inch) and 70 mm (2.75 inch)
casing joints withstood a bending moment of 186 N.m
(140 ft.lb).

Pressure Test
Purpose: To test the O-ring seals and the collapse strength
of the QC joint by subjecting them to compressive forces.
Materials: QC casing sections, a water-filled pressure
vessel, and an NIST-traceable pressure gauge.
Procedure: Casing sections were assembled and placed in
the pressure vessel, which was designed to apply pressure
to the casing wall and joint, but not to casing ends, which
were left open to atmosphere. Water pressure was
increased until the casing failed.
Results: The 85 mm (3.34 inch) casing joints withstood a
minimum of 12.4 bar (180 psi). The 70 mm (2.75 inch)
casing joints withstood 16.5 bar (240 psi).

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 2

Assembling QC Casing

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 Assembling QC Casing

Assembling QC Casing
QC Casing Sections
Each section of casing has a male end with an alignment
key, an O-ring, and a lock ring, and a female end with a
keyway. It takes about 30 pounds to snap two sections of
casing together.
The O-ring and lock-ring are greased at the factory and
protected by a cap. At assembly time, remove the cap and
check that the O-ring and lock ring are still greased. Be
sure to keep casing ends clean.

Installing a Bottom Cap or Grout

Valve
1. Remove protective cap.
2. Place bottom cap or grout
valve on ground with male
end up.
3. Push female end of casing
section onto bottom cap or
grout valve. You will hear a
“snap” as the lock ring is
seated.

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 Assembling QC Casing

Assembling Casing Sections

1. Remove protective caps and
check that O-ring and lock
ring are greased.
2. Align the key and keyway of
the two sections.
3. Push the sections together
until the joint snaps closed. If
the O-ring is caught in the
keyway, pull the sections
apart and start again.

Speed Hint
You may find this alternative
assembly procedure easier:
1. Push the sections together until
the end of the casing touches the
alignment key.
2. Turn the casing into alignment.
3. Snap the joint closed.

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 Assembling QC Casing

Assembling Telescoping Sections

Each QC telescoping section allows six inches of compres-
sion or extension. The sliding sleeves of the section are
equipped with QC ends, allowing the telescoping section to
be inserted between two QC casing sections.
To accommodate settlement, the telescoping sections
should be installed with sleeves extended. Use one rivet to
hold each sleeve. Place the rivet about 1/2 inch from the
edge of the section body and aligned with the key and key-
way (see drawing on the next page). To counter buoyancy,
be sure to apply a down force to the bottom of the casing.
The single rivets may not hold if you apply a down force
from the top.

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 Assembling QC Casing

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 Assembling QC Casing

Taking Apart QC Casing

1. Use a hacksaw to cut the casing. Start cutting just
below the alignment key. End the cut about 3½ to 4
inches above the joint as shown in the drawing. Cut
through the first layer of casing only. Do not allow cuts
to intersect.
2. Pry the casing loose, starting at the key. Then bend the
casing until you can remove it.

Reassembling QC Casing
1. Remove burrs and rough edges.
2. Glue and rivet the reassembled joint. Place rivets at 90
degree intervals around the joint, starting the first rivet
just above the keyway.
3. Seal the entire joint with tape.

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 Assembling QC Casing

Splicing QC Casing
Damaged QC casing can be repaired using a QC casing
splice kit. Splice kits include a male or female coupling,
self-tapping screws, and vinyl tape. You will need a hack-
saw, drill, and screwdriver.
1. Cut off damaged casing. Remove burrs.
2. Slide the splice coupling onto the end of the casing and
align it with the grooves in the casing.
3. Drill holes in the casing using the pre-drilled holes on
the splice coupling as a guide.
4. Insert the self-tapping screws into the pre-drilled holes
and screw them into the casing.
5. Seal the joint with vinyl tape.
6. The casing section now has a good QC end and can be
used normally.

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 3

Installing QC Casing

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Installation Concerns
How to Store Casing
Casing should be supported evenly so that it does not warp
or bend during storage. In the field, keep casing in the
shade, if possible, since prolonged exposure to the heat of
direct sunlight can cause deformation.

Check Borehole Depth

Check the depth of the borehole before you begin installing
the casing. Also consider that grout valves or external
weights may require a deeper borehole.

Align Grooves with Direction of Movement

It is important to align one set of casing grooves with the
expected direction of movement (see drawing below). A
guide line is printed on the casing to help you maintain this
orientation.

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 Installing QC Casing

Using Pipe Clamps

Use pipe clamps to hold the casing at the borehole collar
while you add the next section of casing. In dry boreholes
or in situations where down hole problems seem likely, rig
a safety line to provide extra security and a way to retrieve
the casing, if necessary.
1. Attach Clamp A to the top of the first section of casing.
Lower the casing into the borehole until the clamp rests
on the borehole collar.
2. Attach Clamp B to the top of the next section. After
you snap the new section onto the casing, remove
Clamp A and lower the new section into the borehole
until Clamp B rests on the borehole collar.
3. Now attach Clamp A to the next section of casing,
make the joint and lower it into the borehole. Continue
alternating Clamp A and clamp B on successive sec-
tions of casing.

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 Installing QC Casing

Casing Buoyancy
Casing will float in water-filled boreholes, so you must fill
it with water to install it down hole. However, when you
pump grout into the borehole, the water-filled casing
becomes buoyant again, because the grout is denser than
water.
To counter this buoyancy, use a casing anchor or apply a
down force at the bottom of the casing. For example, lower
a steel pipe to the bottom of the casing.
If you apply a down force at the top of the casing, the cas-
ing will go into compression and loose its straightness. For
this reason, we recommend that you do not park a drill rig
over the casing or apply any other top-down method of
counteracting buoyancy.

Grouting
You will need a mixer, a grout pump, a pipe or hose for
delivering the grout, and optionally, a grout valve installed
in the bottom section of the casing. We recommend that
you do not mix the grout by hand. We also recommend that
you do not use a water pump to place the grout, since
pumping grout would damage it.
Properly mixed grout should be free of lumps. It has to be
thin enough to pump but thick enough to set in a reason-
able length of time. If the mixture is too watery, it will
shrink excessively, leaving the upper portion of the bore-
hole ungrouted. Also, avoid the use of admixtures and
grouts that cure at high temperature since these may dam-
age the casing.
During mixing, monitor the temperature of the grout. If the
temperature exceeds 92 F (33 C), consider remixing with
ice rather than water. Casing will become weak if the heat
of hydration later exceeds 190 F (88 C).

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 Installing QC Casing

Grouting continued
Grout Mixes for Inclinometers
Mix cement with water first. Then mix in the bentonite.
Adjust the amount of bentonite to produce a grout within
the consistencey of heavy cream. If the grout is too thin,
the solids and the water will separate. If the grout is too
th8ick, it will be difficult to pump.
The mix for hard and medium soils has a 28 day compres-
sive strenth of about 100 psi, similar to hard clay. The mod-
ulus is about 10,000 psi.
The mix for soft soils has a 28 day compressive strength of
about 4 psi, similar to very soft clay.

Bentonite-Cement Grout for Hard and Medium Soils

Materials Weight Ratio by Weight
Portland Cement 94 lb (1 bag) 1
Bentonite 25 lb (as required) 0.3
Water 30 gallons 2.5

Bentonite-Cement Grout for Soft Soils

Materials Weight Ratio by Weight
Portland Cement 94 lb (1 bag) 1
Bentonite 39 lb (as required) 0.4
Water 75 gallons 6.6

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 Installing QC Casing

Installation Methods
Pre-Grouting the Borehole
1. Clear the borehole of debris. Check the borehole depth.
Lower the grout pipe to the bottom of the borehole.
Pump in the grout and then retrieve the grout pipe.
2. Attach the bottom cap to the bottom section of casing.
3. Install casing to the specified depth. Keep casing filled
with water to counteract buoyancy and grout pressure.
4. Lower a steel bar or drill pipe to the bottom of the
casing to counteract buoyancy. Allow the grout to set.
Later, top off the borehole with grout and install a
protective cover.

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 Installing QC Casing

Using an External Grout Pipe

This method is when a grout pipe or hose will fit between
the casing and the borehole wall.
1. Clear debris from the borehole. Check the borehole
depth. Attach bottom cap. Attach grout hose, if used.
2. Install casing to the specified depth.
3. Lower the grout pipe to the bottom of the borehole.
Then pump in grout.
4. During grouting, you must keep a balance between the
hydraulic pressures inside and outside the casing. If the
casing is already full of water, no further action is
needed. If the borehole is dry, raise the water level
within the casing to match the level of the grout.
5. Take measures to counter bouyancy, then allow the
grout to set. Later install a protective cover.

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 Installing QC Casing

Using a Grout Valve

Grout valves are used when casing is installed in small
diameter boreholes that do not allow use of an external
grout pipe. The grout valve is a one-way valve installed in
the bottom cap of the casing. A grout pipe is lowered
through the casing to mate with the grout valve and deliver
grout.
Grout valves add about two feet to the effective length of
the casing, so the borehole should be about two feet deeper
to compensate.

Types of Grout Valves

Grout valves are illustrated on the next page.
The gasket-type grout valve couples with the grout pipe via
a straight pipe with a rubber gasket at its base. The grout
pipe is lowered onto the grout valve rest on the gasket. This
prevents grout from entering the casing. However, when
the grout pipe is withdrawn, grout spills out of the pipe into
the casing and must be flushed out with water.
The quick-connect grout valve has a quick connect fitting
that mates with another quick-connect fitting that is
attached to the grout pipe. When the grout pipe is with-
drawn, very little grout leaks into the casing. However, as
you are retrieving the pipe, you must be careful not to spill
grout into the casing, since you will have to flush it out.

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 Installing QC Casing

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 Installing QC Casing

Using a Grout Valve

1. Install grout valve on bottom section of casing.
Install casing to the required depth.
2. Lower the grout pipe into the casing until it contacts the
grout valve. Rotate the pipe until it slips onto the grout
valve connector. Successful coupling can be tested by
pumping water through the grout pipe. If the water
level inside the casing rises, reposition the pipe and test
again.
3. Pump in grout until it spills out at the surface. The
weight of the grout pipe will keep the casing from float-
ing. Note: If you installed dry casing, pump water into
the casing as the grout level rises to balance hydraulic
pressures inside and outside the casing.
4. When you retrieve the grout pipe, the casing will float
upwards, so you must be prepared to hold the casing
down as you retrieve the pipe. Follow either of the two
procedures below:
• Gasket-type valve: If you are using the gasket-type
grout valve, raise the grout pipe well above the grout
valve and pump water into the casing to flush out the
grout. When clean water spills out at the surface,
gradually lower the pipe and continue to flush until
you have flushed grout from the bottom of the casing.
Then disconnect the pipe at the surface and leave it in
the casing to counteract buoyancy. When the grout
sets, withdraw the pipe.

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 Installing QC Casing

Using a Grout Valve continued

• Quick-connect valve: If you are using a quick-con-
nect grout valve, retrieve the grout pipe and flush it
with water. Then lower pipe into the casing to coun-
teract buoyancy. You must avoid contact with the
quick-connect valve, since it can be opened easily.
You can fabricate a bracket that fits over the quick-
connect valve (the quick connect fitting stands about 3
inches off the bottom of the casing) or you can use a
1.5-inch schedule 40 water pipe (which has ID of
about 1.6 inches), which will slip over the quick-
connect valve. After the grout sets, withdraw the pipe.
5. Finally, top off the borehole with grout and install a
protective cover.

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 Installing QC Casing

Stage Grouting
In stage grouting, grout backfill is placed in stages, so that
the pressure of grout never exceeds the collapse strength of
the casing. In general, you should consider stage grouting
when the depth of the borehole exceeds 200 feet.
• Grout can be delivered by hose or pipe. Hose must be
installed with the casing, but it is disposable and can be
left in place after grouting.
• Stage grouting with hoses requires at least two hoses.
The first pipe should extend to the bottom of the bore-
hole. The next pipe should extend to bottom of the the
next stage, and so on.
• During grouting, you must keep a balance between the
hydraulic pressures inside and outside the casing. If the
casing is already full of water, no further action is
needed. If the borehole is dry, raise the water level
within the casing to match the level of the grout.
• Be sure to label or color-code each grout pipe to avoid
accidentally pumping grout or water down the wrong
pipe.
• Make some provision to counter buoyancy of the cas-
ing. This is best done by applying a down force at the
bottom of the casing.

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 Installing QC Casing

Overview of Stage Grouting with Hoses

1. Hoses are fixed to the casing as shown in the drawing
below. In Stage 1, calculate the volume of grout needed
to backfill the borehole above the end of the Stage 2
grout hose. Pump in that volume of grout plus about
30%. Leave the Stage 1 grout hose in place.
2. Pump water through the Stage 2 grout hose. The bot-
tom of the Stage 2 hose should be below the surface of
the grout, and pumping in water should flush grout
from the borehole. If no grout appears, pump more
grout through the Stage 1 hose and then test again.
Using this method, you can be relatively certain that
Stage 1 is grouted
satisfactorily. Continue pumping water through the
Stage 2 hose until “clear” water flushes from the bore-
hole. This ensures that the Stage 2 hose will be clear for
use later.
3. When the State 1 grout has set, grout Stage 2. Since the
bottom of the casing is now grouted in place, buoyancy
will no longer be a problem.

To prepare a polyethylene hose for grouting,

cut a wedge-shaped end and several additional
holes. Then tape the hose to the casing.

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 4

Termination

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 Termination

Protective Caps and Enclosures

Project specifications usually require that the installation
be protected from traffic, vandalism, and debris. In some
locations, a locked cap may provide sufficient protection.
In other locations, a locking steel enclosure or a monument
case may be required.

Locking Caps

Monument Case

Accommodating a Pulley Assembly

Keep in mind that the inclinometer user will want to attach
a pulley assembly to the top of the casing. If the top of the
casing is deep inside a protective pipe, the user will not be
able to attach the pulley. Ideally, the enclosure should be
installed so that the top of the enclosure is only an inch or
two above the top of the casing. When the top of the casing
is deeper, the enclosure must provide a 10 inch clearance
around the casing if the pulley is to be attached directly to
the casing.

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