Thanks to more than one hundred years of expertise in the field of shotcrete with the development of high performance and sustainable solutions, Sika positions itself as the market leader with it’s newest generation of shotcrete
technologies.
A successful shotcrete operation requires a combination of several key parameters, including selecting quality raw materials for a reliable mix design and ensuring that the correct specialized equipment is used and operated by experienced and certified workers.
Sika’s state-of-the-art technologies are supported by our team of highly qualified professionals with extensive experience and knowledge who are available to provide you with on-the-ground technical support.
Shotcrete has many advantages:
- Speed of execution
- Concrete placement without formwork
- Labor saving
- Excellent adhesion to substrate
- Possibility of several surface finishes
- Adjustable application thickness
- Specifically designed to meet project requirements (fiber reinforcement, early strength, etc.)
- Great adaptability for all projects, especially those with major logistical challenges including:
- Frequent or unscheduled starts and stops
- Application at different elevation levels
- Working at heights or in confined spaces
- Application for curved and irregular surfaces
Shotcrete offers a wide range of applications due to its high flexibility, superior physical properties, and cost effectiveness. One of the greatest advantages over traditional concrete placement is the application of concrete without formwork.
Advances in mix design, equipment and improved operator training have created even more opportunities for the use of shotcrete in different environments.
The main applications where shotcrete is used are the following:
- Reinforcement and support of tunnel and mine excavations
- Stabilization of slopes and trenches
- Concrete repair: replacement and reinforcement of infrastructure
- Protective linings
- Retaining walls
- Restoration of historic buildings
- Construction of curved and irregular shaped structures (pools, domes, skateparks, etc.)
- Lining of thermal enclosures (furnaces, reactors,
- combustion chambers, etc.)
In mining and tunnel construction, shotcrete is generally used for the reinforcement and support of excavations, while in open pit or shafts, it is used for the stabilization of soils and excavated slopes.
For structural rehabilitation, such as bridges, viaducts, dams, and other civil infrastructure, shotcrete is often used for concrete repair, resulting in savings on formwork, time and labor costs.