Tekcrete Fast®: Fiber-reinforced, rapid-setting sprayed concrete for rib and surface control

Fiber-reinforced spayed concrete has been used for several years in civil and tunneling operations. Research conducted to reduce cure times and increase compressive and flexural strengths resulted in the development of Tekcrete Fast®, a cementitious product capable of obtaining 41 MPa compressive strength and 8 MPa flexural strength in only 3 h and reaching 7 d strengths of 62 and 11.7 MPa, respectively. A single bag product that uses conventional shotcrete and gunite application systems makes it a natural crossover product for mining applications. The discovery of incredible adhesion properties and high resistance to chloride permeability helps ensure long-term stability and increases the ease of application. Project results from Disaster City® in Texas and the application for rehabilitating a coal mine belt entry are presented. The case study illustrates the effectiveness of the product in stabilizing a coal mine beltway and adjacent cross-cuts that were subjected to progressive sloughage due to humidity and cyclical loading.