Fibre Reinforced Shotcrete Case Studies of Wet and Dry Processes

Both wet shotcrete and fibre reinforced shotcrete are being increasingly utilised in the South African mining industry. This Paper describes two applications of fibre reinforced shotcrete carried out by Basil Read Mining, the first being a dry shotcrete process, the second wet. For the dry fibre reinforced shotcrete, extensive large panel tests were carried out under the auspices of the University of the Witwatersrand to establish comparative performance of fibre reinforced shotcrete against conventional mesh reinforced shotcrete in a railway tunnel, for which shotcrete comprised the permanent lining. In the case of the wet fibre reinforced shotcrete, the comparative performance of three types of fibre is being evaluated, together with the benefits arising from the choice of wet fibre reinforced shotcrete in a deep level underground mining environment. This Contract is currently ongoing. The Paper highlights performance differences between fibre reinforced and mesh reinforced shotcrete, the considerable impact of highly priced imported fibres on the cost effectiveness of FRSC, and predicts that through improvement in the shotcrete industry's knowledge and expertise and the anticipated development of a viable local fibre manufacturing market, FRSC will be increasingly utilised in the South African mining industry.