Multi-million-dollar underground stations are currently under construction on Metro and LRT lines in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Traditionally, the thick, heavily reinforced structural concrete station walls have been constructed using the conventional form-and-pour concrete construction method. This construction method, while widely used, is not without its challenges.
#2 – Spraying Shotcrete on Synthetic Sheet Waterproofing Membranes
#1 – Spraying Shotcrete Overhead in Underground Applications
ASA Outstanding Shotcrete Awards Program
The ASA Outstanding Shotcrete Project Awards Program exists to recognize excellence and innovation on projects in which the application of shotcrete has played a significant role.
ASA’s Annual Outstanding Shotcrete Project Awards Program provides an exciting real-world demonstration of the exceptional advantages of placing concrete via the shotcrete process. Many sustainability advantages are also inherent in the shotcrete process and play a significant role in winning projects as well as the project owner’s ultimate decision to use shotcrete as the method of concrete placement. Projects must be completed between January 1, 2021, through September 1, 2023, and can be submitted in the following areas: Architecture │ New Construction, Infrastructure, International Projects, Pool & Recreational, Rehabilitation & Repair, Underground.
To assist in your submission, we have provided submission resources to inform you of the submission guidelines, a list of questions, and a copy of the owner release form. Please email any questions to [email protected].
Award Archive
2024 – Twentieth Annual Outstanding Shotcrete Project Awardees
The Jetcreter – The First Continuous-Feed, Dry-Mix Gun
During the summer of 1970, on my 18th birthday, my father woke me up and told me they needed me on a job. I drove out that morning in July to the Crucible Specialty Steel plant in Midland, PA. It was my first experience working on a Gunite job. We were gunning refractory in a vessel, and I was throwing 100 lb (46 kg) bags of pre-packaged refractory into a paddle mixer to pre-dampen the material. We emptied the paddle mixer on sheets of plywood and shoveled the pre-dampened refractory material into the dry-mix shotcrete gun’s hopper. The Jetcreter was a continuous-feed gun, and it was tough for us to keep up with it. It was a very long day for me because it took 15 hours to complete the gunning. I left the house that morning in the dark and returned home in the dark. That was my introduction to “Gunite” (now referred to as dry-mix shotcrete).
Mapei’s London Underground Bank Station’s Capacity Upgrade
Deep in the heart of London’s financial centre, work has been continuing to make one of the world’s largest stations safer and easier for passengers to use. Finding your way around the existing labyrinth of tunnels, connecting five London underground lines, is a task worthy of the most experienced navigator.
Advances in Shotcrete Technology for Ground Support in Tunnels and Mines in North America
In recent years, shotcrete has been widely used for ground support in civil tunnels and mines in North America. Shotcrete technologies have advanced with robust robotic sprayers, high-performance shotcrete mixture designs, and high-performance fiber reinforcement in conjunction with rigorous qualification of shotcrete nozzlemen and QC inspection and testing programs. Design engineers and contractors are using shotcrete more and more often for various underground applications including ground support and final linings in tunnels in soft ground and hard rock mines, as well as in repair and rehabilitation projects in railway tunnels and other underground openings. Large underground caverns have been constructed using shotcrete as the initial liner in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and for both the initial liner and final liner in New York and Washington D.C. This article focuses on recent underground shotcrete technology developments from project experience and provides lessons learned. It also demonstrates that proper quality control and shotcrete qualification programs are critical for successful shotcrete projects.
Earth and rock excavations are effectively stabilized with shotcrete and a variety of reinforcement and anchoring systems. Using shotcrete to stabilize soil for excavation has advantages over traditional timber and steel shoring techniques. Shotcrete is also ideal for ground support in tunneling and mining. It provides early ground support after blasting or excavating; early strength development, which provides flexibility to allow for ground stabilization and stress relief; and offers the ability to conform to the natural irregular profile of the ground without formwork, making it ideal for any tunnel. It is also the preferred material/process for underground stations, side drifts, and shops, and provides long-term stability. It can be used as a final or permanent lining for underground structures.
