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Machinery epoxy grouting for mines in Quebec and Ontario

Epoxy grouting seats a heavy machine on its concrete foundation: the grout carries the load from the baseplate or sole plate into the concrete over the full contact area. Induscoat assesses failed grout, specifies the new grouting and coordinates and inspects the rework under SAG and ball mills, crushers, reciprocating compressors, pumps and pump skids, motors and gearboxes. The service covers mines and concentrators in Quebec (Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec) and northeastern Ontario (Sudbury, Timmins).

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The challenge: grout that no longer carries the machine

A grinding mill loads its sole plates permanently, a reciprocating compressor transmits unbalanced forces at every stroke, a crusher adds shock. When the grout fails, the signs repeat: alignment that drifts within weeks of being set, cracked or crumbling grout at the baseplate edge, dark oil-soaked grout, soft foot that returns after every shimming, vibration that changes with load or temperature, anchor bolts that will not hold torque. A dial indicator placed between the baseplate and the concrete with the machine running confirms it: relative movement means the grout bond is gone, and no alignment will last. Replacing bearings and seals then treats the symptom, not the cause.

The approach: from sounding to contact check

Whether grouting lasts depends less on the product than on grout design, concrete preparation and the pour. Induscoat works within your maintenance projects, following the machine manufacturer's installation manual, the project specification, API RP 686 and ACI 351.1R.

Assessment before the shutdown: hammer sounding of the existing grout, map of hollow areas, condition of the concrete and anchor bolts

Grout specification: full bed or poured chocks per the OEM, expansion joints, anchor bolt sleeves, grout selected from its data sheet

Preparation: removal of old grout and oil-soaked concrete down to sound concrete, profile to coarse aggregate, plate underside blasted to bare metal

Leveling on jackscrews, checked against the OEM tolerance before the forms are closed; anchor bolts debonded from the grout

Continuous pour from one side with a head box and vent holes, full kits mixed whole, temperatures within the data sheet range

Inspection and return to service: contact sounding, void injection, jackscrews backed off, bolts tensioned, soft foot and alignment re-checked

What well-designed grouting changes

Load goes through the grout over the whole surface, not through shims or jackscrews left in place
Low-porosity grout that resists most oils, where cementitious grout soaks up lubricant
An end to the cycle of realignments and bearing changes caused by a moving baseplate
Grout chosen on its creep data at the real operating temperature and on pour depth
Work planned inside the shutdown window, alongside the mill reline and crusher wear part change
Full traceability: temperatures, batch numbers, sounding map and alignment readings in the equipment file

Materials and references

Cementitious grout is cheaper, tolerates deep pours and creeps little; under dynamic, oily, warm machinery, its porosity and low bond become the failure mode. Epoxy grout bonds to steel and concrete and cures with negligible shrinkage, but it creeps under sustained load, more so when warm, and expands more than concrete. Selection is made on the data sheet: compressive creep (ASTM C1181) at the grout's real operating temperature, linear shrinkage (ASTM C531), minimum and maximum pour depth, resistance to the fluids present and application temperature range. The OEM installation manual and the project specification govern; API RP 686 and ACI 351.1R are the references they are written against.

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Frequently asked questions

Epoxy or cementitious grout under a SAG mill?+

Under a mill sole plate, permanently loaded and exposed to oil, epoxy grout is the usual choice for its bond and low porosity. There is no single best product: the deciding criterion is compressive creep at the grout's real operating temperature, followed by flow through the actual gap and the pour depths allowed by the data sheet.

Can a machine be regrouted without removing it?+

Localized repairs — edges, bolt pockets, voids filled by injecting a low-viscosity epoxy — can sometimes be done with the machine in place. Full regrouting of a sole plate or baseplate requires taking the load off the grout and preparing the plate underside; the method is set with the machine manufacturer.

Can epoxy grouting be done during a winter shutdown?+

Yes, provided temperature is controlled. Cold grout loses flow and leaves voids, and cure slows down. At northern sites, the foundation is tented and heated ahead of time, the components are stored at the temperature the data sheet requires, and the concrete temperature is measured, not just the air. The machine is loaded only once the stated cure is reached at the actual temperature.

Full-bed grouting or poured chocks?+

Full-bed grouting, where the plate is supported over its whole underside, is the normal approach for mills, crushers, motor and gearbox bases and pump skids. Poured epoxy chocks under the feet of a compressor or engine frame are a different design, with their own load calculation, following the OEM's requirements. Shim packs left under the plate become hard points that carry the load instead of the grout.

Which standards govern machinery grouting?+

In North America, API RP 686 (Machinery Installation and Installation Design) and ACI 351.1R (Report on Grouting between Foundations and Bases for Support of Equipment and Machinery) are the references specifications are written against. Grout properties are checked on the data sheet, including shrinkage (ASTM C531) and creep (ASTM C1181). The machine manufacturer's installation manual and the project specification govern.

Go deeper

Our technical notes on the subject — applicable standards, selection criteria and implementation traps.

Heavy machinery epoxy grouting: foundation repair and grout design for SAG mills, crushers, compressors and turbines

SAG and ball mills, crushers, reciprocating compressors and turbines load their foundations with weight, cyclic forces, impact and heat. Epoxy grout is the usual link between the machine and the concrete, but most grout failures come from design and pour, not from the product. This guide covers grout design, anchor bolts, concrete preparation, the pour and how to verify the result.

10 min

Pump foundation and baseplate repair: when epoxy grout beats re-pouring the concrete

A pump that loses alignment, vibrates after every overhaul, or shows cracked grout around the baseplate has a foundation problem, not a pump problem. Replacing bearings and seals treats the symptom. This guide covers how to tell a foundation failure from a machine failure, what epoxy grout does that cementitious grout cannot, and when the concrete itself has to be rebuilt.

6 min

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