Robotic shotcrete shaft lining—a new approach

Abstract

There is a paucity of published material in the industry concerning shotcrete shaft lining, making it difficult to examine the evolution of techniques and current practices. Hustrulid & Bullock (2001) refer to "Shelob shaft shotcreting units" developed by Caledonian Mining Co Ltd, but no further detail is given. Rispin et al (2005) refer briefly to "shaft robo" machines used for application of shotcrete, although this type of machine appears to be designed to be slung beneath a man-access stage rather than to operate remotely. An ITA/ ATIA report in 2006 entitled "Shotcrete for Rock Support-A Summary of the State of the Art" refers to a submission from Canada detailing the "completely robotic, continuous placement of 75 mm of shotcrete in a 415 metre deep, 2.4 metre diameter shaft using wet mix materials and placement" but does not give further details.