Fibre Reinforced Shotcrete Increases Excavation Speeds by 25%

The twin tube Mt Ovit Tunnel is one of Turkeys most significant pieces of civil infrastructure. At nearly 15 km long, it’s the worlds 6th longest road tunnel and the longest in Turkey.

 During the early stages of construction, the project was met with delays and safety concerns presented by the installation of steel mesh ground support. The designers looked for alternative solutions, ultimately switching from steel mesh to macro synthetic fibre shotcrete reinforcement.

 After switching to BarChip fibre shotcrete, excavation speeds increased from 7m/day to 9m/day and overall production speeds increased 25%. The increased excavation speeds helped the contractors complete tunnelling works an estimated 106 days earlier than expected.

Furthermore, the shift to BarChip shotcrete fibers eliminated the need to install mesh, removing the safety issues being raised on the project.

Want more details? Download “An Overview of the Construction of Turkeys Longest Road Tunnel Focusing on Ground Support Using Macro Fibers as Shotcrete Reinforcement” which was presented at the World Tunnelling Congress 2014. 

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