Design and Uses of Reinforced Shotcrete in Underground Projects in Canada

The first use of steel fibre reinforced shotcrete (SFRS) in Canada was using the wet-mix process in the support of deteriorated ground in 80 year old railway tunnels in the Fraser Canyon, British Columbia. Rapid advancements in the addition of fibres to the mix led to the use of SFRS in many civil engineering applications but less so in mining where mesh reinforced shotcrete still prevails. In 1983, silica fume was added to Portland cement in the dry-mix process to considerable advantage, and steel fibre reinforced silica fume shotcrete (SFRSFS) is now specified in the majority of civil openings underground in Canada. The role of SFRSFS depends on the loading conditions applied to the shotcrete, and the design should be carried out with the end product in mind.