An experimental study on the durability of high performance shotcrete for permanent tunnel support

Recently, many studies about the development of high performance shotcrete for permanent tunnel support have been carried out in Korea. In this concern, it is important to achieve long-term durability accompanied by the enhancement of the strength of shotcrete during service time of one tunnel. In this study, accelerated durability tests consisting of freeze-thaw test, rapid carbonation test and accelerated chloride penetration test were conducted for 3 months. From the laboratory accelerated tests, the durability of HSFS (high performance shotcrete) composition was better than that of SFS (conventional shotcrete) composition. Furthermore field exposure durability test have been carried out to consider all factors affecting long-term durability of shotcrete. (A) This paper was presented at Safety in the underground space - Proceedings of the ITA-AITES 2006 World Tunnel Congress and the 32nd ITA General Assembly, Seoul, Korea, 22-27 April 2006. For the covering abstract see ITRD E129148. Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.