ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the many and various uses of shotcrete in structural applications. It starts with a historical review of the use of shotcrete in structural applications, such as seismic retrofit of masonry buildings in California in the 1930s, through to the current use of shotcrete in heavily reinforced mass shotcrete walls and other elements in underground stations. There is also discussion on the hybrid (shoot and vibrate) method for construction of walls, pilasters, columns, beams and other elements with congested reinforcing steel and other embedments. In cities on the Pacific Coast of North America (and increasingly in other states and provinces across North America), shotcrete has become the preferred method for structural wall construction for multiple-level underground parking structures. Examples are provided of seismic retrofit of historic masonry buildings, sports stadiums, dams and undersea tunnels. Examples are also provided of the use of shotcrete for construction of complex curvature structures which do not lend themselves well to construction with traditional formed cast-in-place concrete construction. Examples include shotcrete domes, prestressed water tanks, skate parks and bobsleigh/luge tracks.
