Open this publication in new window or tab >>2026 (English)In: Connecting Communities Through Underground Infrastructure / [ed] Erik Eberhardt, Jonathan D. Aubertin, Jean Habimana, Monika Mitew-Czajewska, Mike A. Mooney, London: Taylor & Francis Group, 2026Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
In hard rock tunnelling, the bond between the shotcrete (sprayed concrete) lining and the rock substrate is critical for structural safety and long-term performance. With a complete bond, composite action between the shotcrete and rock exists, which reduces cracking and fallout risk. Despite its importance, a predictive function for tensile bond fracture energy as a function of tensile bond strength remains unclear. In this study, experimental data from a range of literature were compiled, standardised, and analysed to investigate this relationship. The dataset includes results from multiple quasistatic direct uniaxial tensile and three-point bending tests across different surface roughness levels, curing conditions, and shotcrete compositions. A statistically significant correlation between tensile bond strength and fracture energy was identified. A linear relationship is proposed, motivated by the observed data distribution, providing a simple function for an initial estimate of the fracture energy when bond strength is known. The model was compared to and agreed with finite element simulations that reproduced experimental data. The proposed function is therefore suitable as an initial estimated input for numerical modelling of rockshotcrete interfaces and for energy-based analytical formulations.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
London: Taylor & Francis Group, 2026
Keywords
Shotcrete, Tunneling, Bond, Fracture
National Category
Structural Engineering
Research subject
Civil and Architectural Engineering, Concrete Structures
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-384080 (URN)10.1201/9781042001064-296 (DOI)
Conference
World Tunnel Conference 2026, Montréal, Canada, 15–21 May 2026
Funder
Rock Engineering Research Foundation (BeFo), DX6477Swedish Research Council Formas, DX6477
Note
Part of ISBN 978-1-041-35997-5
QC 20260626
2026-06-252026-06-252026-06-30Bibliographically approved