Join! Membership is available to all Professionals!

What is Shotcrete?

Shotcrete is a mortar or concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface or substrate. It is most commonly used to stabilise ground in underground spaces such as tunnels and mines, but is also widely used to create retaining walls, basement walls, swimming pools, and some above-ground structures such as buildings. In other countries it is also referred to as sprayed concrete, and in past years some forms of shotcrete have been referred to as Pneumatically Applied Mortar (PAM) or gunite.



The first step on the path to the development of modern shotcrete occurred in 1907, with the development of the air-operated dry-process shotcrete pump by Carl Ethan Akeley in the USA. This machine had the capability to place dry materials pneumatically with the addition of water at the nozzle. In Australia, shotcrete was first used for lining water tanks in 1914, and as slope stabilization and refractory linings in the 1930s though to the mid-1950s. Since then, shotcrete application has been extended and developed for numerous types of structures



While shotcrete is widely used internationally, this website provides information about how shotcrete is produced and used in the Australian market. There are some differences in the way shotcrete is used in Australia compared to other countries, most notably the greater emphasis on wet-mix spraying compared to dry-mix. Users and potential users of shotcrete will find information about the ingredients, properties, and uses of this material in the pages accessible through the drop-down menu at the top of this page.
The Australian Shotcrete Society comprises industry professionals focused on the ongoing development and promotion of Shotcrete as a construction material. A key activity of the society is the provision of guidance to designers and practitioners on current and effective best practice.

The Society engages with other international bodies such as the American Shotcrete Association to maintain international parity in the understanding and identification of both common challenges, and mutually beneficial learnings. The Australian Shotcrete Society steering committee worked collaboratively with the Concrete Institute of Australia in the development and publication of the guide to Recommended Practice for Shotcreting in Australia. The society has arranged and convened several major International conferences on Engineering Developments in Shotcrete in both Australia and New Zealand as well as providing workshops in both Regional and Metropolitan Australia, often in conjunction with other industry bodies and institutions, focusing on the dissemination of information regarding current and evolving best practice in material science, engineering design, detail, aesthetic outcomes and guidance in the practical application fields of Shotcrete and its associated services.
barchip.png
jaconlogo.png
jetcretelogo.png
rixlogo.png
stratacretelogo.png
barmincologo.png
aureconlogo.png
sikalogo.png
mastersbuilderslogo.png
redpathlogo.png
normetlogo.png

About Us

"A key activity of the society is the provision of guidance to designers and practitioners on current and effective best practice."

Engineers Australia

Australian Shotcrete Society is a Technical Society of Engineers Australia.

Search