Investigation of shrinkage cracking in shotcrete on tunnel drains

The presented investigation combines in situ observations, measurements, testing and theoretical modelling. The in situ work was done to map and evaluate the shrinkage related cracking of shotcrete on short and long sections of soft, plastic drains. The occurrence of variation in shotcrete thickness and crack widths were of particular interest. The theoretical analysis focuses on the stresses that can occur due to uneven drying shrinkage in the two-layered shotcrete. The models used include variation in shotcrete thickness and in time of waiting between turns of spraying, with or without watering of the shotcrete. Watering will delay the shrinkage but has no effect on the strength development. Long times of waiting without watering before spraying a second layer will increase the tensile stresses in the shotcrete. It is recommended that the further work is directed towards establishing guidelines for the design of future drain constructions with shotcrete. Different methods for repair and strengthening of cracked shotcreted drains must be developed, tested and evaluated.