Development and Application of Fiber Reinforced Shotcrete in Tunnel and Underground Engineering

The steel and synthetic fibers have been used widely in the reinforcement of shotcrete in tunneling and mining industries. Properties of fibers and cements differ from their manufacturers which cause the difficulty in the constructions. A lot of tests are made to guarantee the quality of fiber reinforced shotcrete for replacement of mesh installations. The application of fiber reinforced shotcrete in tunneling and mining industries in Australia and other countries is presented in this paper. The strength and weakness of each type of fiber when used in shotcrete are tested to identify the most suitable use for a given tunneling or underground condition. In addition, the batch mix design is also discussed in detail.