Overwhelming benefits of the Shotcrete process
Posted on 02. Oct, 2014 by Michael Le-Roy in Construction
Process of Shotcrete and it’s Benefits
The most convenient way to bring you to terms with the word shotcrete is by using structures that you closely relate to. Swimming pools, Theme parks and underground tunnels have been a wonder to many of their ability to be very stable, air tight and water proof’ yet their aesthetic value is not compromised. That is the good work of shotcrete.
To clear the air, shotcrete is not a product, it is a process. It is a technique where concrete is projected from a hosepipe at very high velocity to a surface during construction. The benefits of shotcrete have made this process popular. Its application is widely used in all upcoming structures and existing structures that undergo renovation.
The most important among the benefits of shotcrete is its durability and high strength. Structures that have gone through the process of shotcrete application are the most compact due to the extremely strong bond that the process creates with most substrates.
Compared its counterpart process, cast-in-place concrete method, structures that have utilized the shotcrete process are more impermeable and more airtight. Constructors have exploited the benefits of shotcrete is tunnel construction because the process is not limited to any kind of surface elevation or inclination. It can be done in any direction and it penetrates to the hidden of surfaces and to the hidden and restricted surfaces of any structure.
Of all the benefits of shotcrete besides durability and sustainability, decoration is equally popular. This process does not restrict decoration to rigid shapes like squares, rectangles and circles. The process can suit different construction demands to produce an unlimited number of shapes for decoration purposes. A good example is the Thunder Mountain in Walt Disney world.
The long term benefit of shotcrete is it is cost effective and time saving. This is because it can achieve complex shapes easily with little formwork. Also, cranes and other equipment are eliminated during the process. In cases of repair, it reduces downtime because it takes the shortest time.