Field Testing Methods on Early Shotcrete Strength for Tunnel Quality Control

터널의 품질관리를 위한 숏크리트 초기강도의 현장강도 시험기술

Generally, the strength of the field shotcrete is heavily dependent on the field mixing and spraying conditions so that it is different from the strength of the shotcrete mixed in laboratories. As a support member, the early strength of shotcrete unlike concrete as structural material is very important to the initial stabilization of the excavation face in tunnels. Therefore, the field methods to efficiently test the early strength of shotcrete have been highly required. This paper aimed to verify the pneumatic pin penetration test and the point load test for measuring the early strength of the field shotcrete. Through a series of uniaxial compression, pin penetration, and point load tests for the range of the early shotcrete strength, two equations to estimate reliably the uniaxial compressive strength by the pin penetration and the point load tests were derived. Field tests in working tunnel were carried out in order to estimate the economic efficiency. As a result, pin penetration method was proved to be the most effective method for testing the early strength of the field shotcrete.