I am trying to find an article on the bond strength between two layers of shotcrete. My company is placing a 22″ thick shotcrete retaining wall and, at a later date, we are placing a small amount of shotcrete over the existing shotcrete wall. The Engineer thinks the shotcrete will just falls off over time. Is this true? Can you point me in a direction that might have information on the bond strength between two layers of shotcrete?

There is a paper by Denis Beaupre about this issue in the May 1999 issue of Shotcrete magazine. The simple answer to bonding layers of shotcrete is the same as bonding layers of concrete in typical repair applications. Bonding agents are not recommended. The bond strength between shotcrete layers is generally superior to cast interface because of the impact of velocity and the matrices that form at the bond plane and provide a denser, therefore stronger interface. The key in any bonding situation is primarily dependent on the surface preparation before application of the next layer. The surface must be clean and free of latence and any other unsound materials and should be roughened or textured (gun finish is sufficient) to provide sufficient keying or mechanical locking as required. The surface should be SSD and overspray from progressive application should be controlled. ACI International and the International Concrete Repair Institute can provide direction for surface prep. AASHTO/AGC/FHWA Task Group 37 Report, “Guide for Shotcrete Repair of Bridges and Structures” contains spec and procedure information that should be useful.