Design, manufacture and installation of Projected Concrete in underground works.

Design, manufacture and installation of shotcrete in underground works. Technical guide.

Working Group WG-12 Shotcrete.

SCOPE OF APPLICATION OF THE DOCUMENT

This document, promoted by the Spanish Association of Tunnels and Underground Works (AETOS) and elaborated by the WG 12 Working Group, constitutes a guide for the design, manufacture and commissioning of shotcrete in underground works.

The most common applications of shotcrete today are: as a protective layer or sheet, as a temporary structural support or as a definitive lining, both in new construction and in the repair of existing tunnels or underground structures.

PURPOSE OF THE GUIDE

This guide is intended for underground works professionals in various fields, both for the design, manufacture, construction and control of shotcrete.

There is currently a wide range of regulations, publications and technical associations that refer to the manufacture and use of sprayed concrete and which, in Spain, are regulated by the specifications published by the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification (AENOR).

There are various organisations and institutions that produce technical and informative documents on shotcrete, among which the following are worth mentioning: the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the American Shotcrete Association (ASA), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Association Française des Travaux en Souterranis (AFTES), the Concrete Society (CS), the European Federation of Producers and Applicators of Specialist Products for Structures (EFNARC) and the International Tunnel Association (ITA), in particular through the WG-6-Shotcrete use working group.

The numerous tunnels that have been built in Spain in recent decades have provided a wide and varied experience in the use and behaviour of shotcrete, as a fundamental element for different applications in the construction of underground works.

Based on this experience and the knowledge currently available, AETOS has compiled in this document recommendations and technical specifications that are considered to be of interest, with the aim of providing a reference guide that is of practical use for the design, manufacture, installation and quality control of shotcrete, highlighting the dual nature of this product made up of a composite material and its installation, specifically in the field of underground works.