ACI RAP Bulletin 12

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FIELD GUIDE TO Concrete Repair

CONCRETE REPAIR by Shotcrete
APPLICATION PROCEDURES Application

Concrete Repair by Shotcrete Application (ACI RAP-12) 1

2 Repair Application Procedures Bulletin
 ACI RAP Bulletin 12

Field Guide to Concrete Repair Application Procedures

Concrete Repair by Shotcrete Application

Reported by ACI Committee E706

David W. Whitmore*
Chair

J. Christopher Ball H. Peter Golter Kenneth M. Lozen George I. Taylor

Gerald Churray Fred R. Goodwin John S. Lund David VanOcker
Paul Gaudette Bob Joyce Kelly M. Page Patrick M. Watson
Timothy R. W. Gillespie Brian F. Keane Jay H. Paul Patrick Winkler

*
The committee wishes to acknowledge the primary authors of this report: R. Curtis White Jr. and Dudley R. Morgan.

It is the responsibility of the user of this document to Structural Disclaimer

establish health and safety practices appropriate to the specific
circumstances involved with its use. ACI does not make any This document is intended as a voluntary field guide for
representations with regard to health and safety issues and the use the Owner, design professional, and concrete repair con-
of this document. The user must determine the applicability of tractor. It is not intended to relieve the user of this guide
all regulatory limitations before applying the document and of responsibility for a proper condition assessment and
must comply with all applicable laws and regulations,
including but not limited to, United States Occupational structural evaluation of existing conditions, and for the
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) health and specification of concrete repair methods, materials, or
safety standards. practices by an experienced engineer/designer.

ACI Repair Application Procedure 12.

Copyright © 2010, American Concrete Institute.
All rights reserved including rights of reproduction and use in any The Institute is not responsible for the statements or
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the copyright proprietors. Printed in the United States of America. the information provided.

Concrete Repair by Shotcrete Application (ACI RAP-12) 3

Introduction
One of the most economical and effective methods of
concrete repair is by the shotcrete process. This is particularly
true for repairs that would otherwise require forming, such as
vertical and overhead repairs. Repair materials, comprised of
cementitious products with aggregates, are placed pneu-
matically onto prepared substrates, finished, and cured with
no additional steps required. The use of bonding agents is not
required or advised because consolidation and bonding of
the material occurs during proper shotcrete application. As
with all repair techniques, proper surface preparation is
paramount in attaining a permanent repair solution. Fig. 1—Repair areas with feathered edges (left) should be
avoided by making sawcuts along the edges.
When do I use this method?
This technique is most economical on vertical surfaces,
such as columns, walls, beam sides, pier caps, and overhead
horizontal surfaces such as ceilings, beam bottoms, slab
soffits, and deck overhangs.

What is the purpose of this repair?

The shotcrete process is typically used to restore structural
integrity, increase concrete cover over reinforcement, or
both. It’s typically used when forming requirements are
difficult or prohibitively expensive or as another repair tool
in the designer’s and contractor’s tool kits.

How do I prepare the surface?

The most important requirement for successful concrete
repair is surface preparation. Deteriorated or spalled concrete
should be removed back to sound concrete. If reinforcing bars
are exposed, they must be undercut to provide mechanical Fig. 2—Separate lap splices of reinforcing bars by one bar
bond for the shotcrete. Corrosion products on reinforcing diameter to facilitate placing of repair material between the
bars should be removed by abrasive or high-pressure water bars: A—Correct; B—Incorrect; and C—Incorrect.
blasting. The repair boundaries should be left at an out-
sloping 45 degree angle to facilitate air and rebound escape.
The outer edge of the repair area should be sawcut to a depth contractors, who often select the process they are most
of about 3/4 in. (20 mm) to prevent the formation of feathered comfortable with and have the right equipment for.
edges (Fig. 1). Maximum aggregate size will generally be less than 1/2 in.
Step-by-step procedures for surface preparation are: (13 mm), and the grading of the total aggregate constituent
• Observe or sound the concrete to determine areas of should conform to ACI 506R, “Guide to Shotcrete,” or
delamination or deficiency; ASTM C1436, “Standard Specification for Materials for
• Remove unsound concrete with a hand-held chipping Shotcrete,” requirements. The materials can be ready mixed,
hammer or ultra-high-pressure water blaster so as not to prepackaged, or site batched. They can include fibers, silica
unnecessarily damage substrate concrete and reinforcing fume, or other additives for enhancing physical properties
bar. Remove any resulting loose or fractured material; and performance. Bonding agents are not recommended as
• Replace or supplement damaged reinforcement as they may act as bond breakers. Potential drying shrinkage
necessary. Consult the designer for required sizes and problems can usually be minimized with the addition of
spacing. Separate lap splices by one bar diameter to fibers and proper curing conditions. An attempt should be
facilitate placement of repair material. Do not place made to generally match the substrate concrete and the repair
new reinforcing steel directly behind or in front of material in strength characteristics unless the substrate
existing reinforcing steel (Fig. 2); concrete is very weak.
• Abrasive blast or water blast the reinforcing steel and Ready mixed shotcrete should be batched and delivered in
the surface of the area to be repaired to remove any accordance with ASTM C94/C94M, “Standard Specifica-
contaminants; and tion for Ready-Mixed Concrete,” or ASTM C1116/C1116M,
• Spray the surface with water and allow to dry back to a “Standard Specification for Fiber-Reinforced Concrete.”
saturated surface-dry (SSD) condition. Materials for shotcrete mixtures should meet the require-
ments of ASTM C1436. Prepackaged product should meet
How do I select the correct materials? the requirements of ASTM C1480/C1480M, “Standard
Shotcrete can be placed by two processes: wet-mix and Specification for Packaged, Pre-Blended, Dry, Combined
dry-mix. In most repair operations, the choice is left to the Materials for Use in Wet or Dry Shotcrete Application.”

4 Repair Application Procedures Bulletin

What equipment do I need? Use a blow pipe to remove any overspray and rebound that
An extensive discussion of the equipment requirements accumulates in corners or on reinforcing steel. Repair thick-
for shotcrete application is contained in ACI 506R. nesses are not limited by the thickness that can be placed in
Equipment necessary for wet-mix shotcrete includes: a single layer. Additional layers can be placed as necessary.
• A concrete pump; Preparation of the immediately preceding layer is crucial to
• An air compressor; obtaining a successful bond. Single layer thicknesses can be
• Concrete hoses; increased by the use of additives. Continue bringing the
• Air hoses; and material out to just past the desired plane and allow it to
• Shotcrete nozzles with air rings. stiffen. When the shotcrete can be worked without disturbing
Equipment necessary for dry-mix shotcrete includes: the bond, use a sharp-edged trowel or cutting instrument to
• A cement gun; trim the plastic material back to the desired plane. Do not
• A mixer/elevator; overwork the material because this could create delaminations
• An air compressor; and spalls.
• Shotcrete hoses; Finish and cure—Excessive finishing is discouraged,
• A water pressure booster pump; although rodding to straight lines is not a problem. Proper
• Water hoses; and curing procedures will enhance the physical properties of the
• Shotcrete nozzles with water rings. shotcrete and reduce shrinkage cracking. These procedures
Equipment common to both processes includes: include moist curing and use of curing compounds as
• Finishing tools and screeds; outlined in ACI 308R, “Guide to Curing Concrete.”
• Air lances for blowing away rebound/overspray;
• Abrasive blast equipment or water blaster; and How do I check the repair?
• Chipping hammers. One of the many benefits of the shotcrete repair process is
that it can be observed during placement because there are no
What are the safety considerations? forms hiding what is going on in the cavity. Inspectors and
Shotcrete operations have multiple hazards, and job-site applicators can both observe the corners being filled and rein-
safety practices should include, but are not limited to, the forcing steel being encapsulated. The possibility of honey-
following, where applicable: combing is largely eliminated if care is taken to prevent voids
• Material safety data sheets (MSDS); and unconsolidated overspray and rebound is removed as it
• Protective clothing or skin barriers; accumulates. Once the shotcrete has set, the bond can be
• Protective eye wear, hearing protection, and dust verified by sounding for voids with a hammer. If additional
masks; and bond information is desired, the test methods described in
• Forced-air respirators during abrasive blasting. ASTM C1583/C1583M, “Standard Test Method for Tensile
It is the responsibility of the user of this document to Strength of Concrete Surfaces and the Bond Strength or
establish health and safety practices appropriate to the Tensile Strength of Concrete Repair and Overlay Materials by
specific circumstances involved with its use. ACI does not Direct Tension (Pull-off Method),” can be followed. A good
make any representations with regard to health and safety repair should typically fail in the substrate and, in most
issues through the use of this document. The user must deter- cases, have a tensile strength exceeding 150 psi (1 MPa).
mine the applicability of all regulatory limitations before
applying recommendations in this document and must References and additional reading
AASHTO Task Force 37 Reports, 1998, 1999, “Guide
comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including
Specifications for Shotcrete Repair of Bridges,” (TF37-1),
but not limited to, United States Occupational Safety and
108 pp.; and “Inspector’s Guide for Shotcrete Repair of
Health Administration (OSHA) health and safety standards.
Bridges,” (IGSRB-1), 80 pp., American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC.
Preconstruction meetings
Prior to proceeding with the repair, a preconstruction ACI Committee 308, 2001, “Guide to Curing Concrete
meeting is recommended. The meeting should include (ACI 308R-01) (Reapproved 2008),” American Concrete
representatives for the owner, engineer, contractor, and any Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 31 pp.
other parties involved to explain the means, methods, and ACI Committee 506, 2005, “Guide to Shotcrete (ACI
materials necessary to achieve the repair objectives. 506R-05),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills,
MI, 40 pp.
Repair procedure ACI Committee 506, 2008, “Guide to Fiber-Reinforced
Prepare material—Receive transit, site-batched, or Shotcrete (ACI 506.1R-08),” American Concrete Institute,
prepackaged mixture. Farmington Hills, MI, 14 pp.
Material placement—Thoroughly wet the prepared ACI Committee 546, 2004, “Concrete Repair Guide (ACI
surface and bring it to an SSD condition. Begin material 546-04),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills,
placement, filling the corners first and continuously moving MI, 53 pp.
the nozzle to encapsulate reinforcing steel and avoid buildup American Shotcrete Association, Shotcrete Magazine,
of shotcrete at any one spot. A bond coat of neat cement will 43 published articles on Shotcrete Repair, 1998-2008,
automatically be placed due to the initial aggregate rebound. www.shotcrete.org.

Concrete Repair by Shotcrete Application (ACI RAP-12) 5

 ASTM C94/C94M-09, 2009, “Standard Specification for Resulting from Reinforcing Steel Corrosion,” International
Ready-Mixed Concrete,” ASTM International, West Concrete Repair Institute, Des Plaines, IL, 12 pp.
Conshohocken, PA, 11 pp. ICRI Guideline No. 310.2-1997, 1997, “Guideline for
ASTM C1116/C1116M-09, 2009, “Standard Specifica- Selecting and Specifying Concrete Surface Preparation for
tion for Fiber-Reinforced Concrete,” ASTM International,
Sealers, Coatings, and Membranes,” International Concrete
West Conshohocken, PA, 7 pp.
Repair Institute, Des Plaines, IL, 41 pp.
ASTM C1436-08, 2008, “Standard Specification for
Materials for Shotcrete,” ASTM International, West ICRI Guideline No. 310.3-2004, 2004, “Guideline for the
Conshohocken, PA, 2 pp. Preparation of Concrete Surfaces for Repair Using
ASTM C1583/C1583M-04e1, 2004, “Standard Test Hydrodemolition Methods,” International Concrete Repair
Method for Tensile Strength of Concrete Surfaces and the Institute, Des Plaines, IL, 16 pp.
Bond Strength or Tensile Strength of Concrete Repair and
Overlay Materials by Direct Tension (Pull-off Method),” American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO):
ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 5 pp. www.transportation.org
American Shotcrete Association (ASA): www.shotcrete.org
ICRI Guideline No. 310.1R-2008, 2008, ”Guideline for ASTM International (ASTM): www.astm.org
Surface Preparation for the Repair of Deteriorated Concrete International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI): www.icri.org

6 Repair Application Procedures Bulletin