The basic concept of soil nailing, also known as ground anchoring, is to reinforced and strengthen the existing ground by installing closely-spaced steel bars called ‘nails’ into a slope as construction proceeds from “top-down”. These soil nails or anchors can be temporary or permanent structural elements designed to withstand lateral forces or ground deformations during construction.
Soil nailing is increasingly being used in Malaysia, for distressed and very steep cut slopes, even up to 25 metres high. This method has a distinct advantage of strengthening the slope without excessive earthworks associated with reinforced concrete wall and reinforced soil wall.