Shear resistance contribution of support systems in double shear test

Rockbolt and surface support systems such as shotcrete and thin spray-on liners (TSLs) are widely used as underground support elements to resist the convergence and maintain the stability of excavations. In order to evaluate the bearing capacity of combined reinforced rockbolt and surface support systems in preventing sliding along discontinuities, double shear tests (DST) was carried out using fully grouted rockbolts installed in three separate blocks. These blocks were covered with a 5 mm layer of TSL followed by a 50 mm layer of shotcrete. Two rockbolts were installed at an inclined angle of 45°, and 20 kN lateral constraining force was applied to clamp together the three blocks. Three different support combinations were tested: 50 mm shotcrete only, 5 mm TSL only, and combined shotcrete and TSL, with and without rockbolts. It was confirmed that the shotcrete plays a mechanical role in resisting the shear load, and TSLs increase the bond strength between shotcrete and substrate replicating the side wall of an excavation. The contribution of rockbolt and surface support system in resisting joint movement was also compared. The failure mechanism of rock substrate, rockbolt and surface support system was also analysed.