ACI RAP Bulletin 12

American Concrete Institute

Advancing concrete knowledge

FIELD GUIDE TO
CONCRETE REPAIR
APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Concrete Repair by Shotcrete Application (ACI RAP-12)

Concrete Repair
by Shotcrete
Application

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
Gerald Churray

H. Peter Golter
Fred R. Goodwin

Kenneth M. Lozen
John S. Lund

George I. Taylor
David VanOcker

Paul Gaudette
Timothy R. W. Gillespie

Bob Joyce
Brian F. Keane

Kelly M. Page
Jay H. Paul

Patrick M. Watson
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

establish health and safety practices appropriate to the specific
circumstances involved with its use. ACI does not make any
representations with regard to health and safety issues and the use
of this document. The user must determine the applicability of
all regulatory limitations before applying the document and
must comply with all applicable laws and regulations,
including but not limited to, United States Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) health and
safety standards.

Structural Disclaimer
This document is intended as a voluntary field guide for
the Owner, design professional, and concrete repair contractor. It is not intended to relieve the user of this guide
of responsibility for a proper condition assessment and
structural evaluation of existing conditions, and for the
specification of concrete repair methods, materials, or
practices by an experienced engineer/designer.

ACI Repair Application Procedure 12.

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The Institute is not responsible for the statements or

opinions in its publications. Institute publications are
not able nor intended to supplant individual training,
responsibility or judgment of the user, or the supplier of
the information provided.

Concrete Repair by Shotcrete Application (ACI RAP-12)

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 pneumatically 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. 1Repair 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. Its typically used when forming requirements are
difficult or prohibitively expensive or as another repair tool
in the designers and contractors 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
bond for the shotcrete. Corrosion products on reinforcing
bars should be removed by abrasive or high-pressure water
blasting. The repair boundaries should be left at an outsloping 45 degree angle to facilitate air and rebound escape.
The outer edge of the repair area should be sawcut to a depth
of about 3/4 in. (20 mm) to prevent the formation of feathered
edges (Fig. 1).
Step-by-step procedures for surface preparation are:
Observe or sound the concrete to determine areas of
delamination or deficiency;
Remove unsound concrete with a hand-held chipping
hammer or ultra-high-pressure water blaster so as not to
unnecessarily damage substrate concrete and reinforcing
bar. Remove any resulting loose or fractured material;
Replace or supplement damaged reinforcement as
necessary. Consult the designer for required sizes and
spacing. Separate lap splices by one bar diameter to
facilitate placement of repair material. Do not place
new reinforcing steel directly behind or in front of
existing reinforcing steel (Fig. 2);
Abrasive blast or water blast the reinforcing steel and
the surface of the area to be repaired to remove any
contaminants; and
Spray the surface with water and allow to dry back to a
saturated surface-dry (SSD) condition.
How do I select the correct materials?
Shotcrete can be placed by two processes: wet-mix and
dry-mix. In most repair operations, the choice is left to the
4

Fig. 2Separate lap splices of reinforcing bars by one bar

diameter to facilitate placing of repair material between the
bars: ACorrect; BIncorrect; and CIncorrect.
contractors, who often select the process they are most
comfortable with and have the right equipment for.
Maximum aggregate size will generally be less than 1/2 in.
(13 mm), and the grading of the total aggregate constituent
should conform to ACI 506R, Guide to Shotcrete, or
ASTM C1436, Standard Specification for Materials for
Shotcrete, requirements. The materials can be ready mixed,
prepackaged, or site batched. They can include fibers, silica
fume, or other additives for enhancing physical properties
and performance. Bonding agents are not recommended as
they may act as bond breakers. Potential drying shrinkage
problems can usually be minimized with the addition of
fibers and proper curing conditions. An attempt should be
made to generally match the substrate concrete and the repair
material in strength characteristics unless the substrate
concrete is very weak.
Ready mixed shotcrete should be batched and delivered in
accordance with ASTM C94/C94M, Standard Specification for Ready-Mixed Concrete, or ASTM C1116/C1116M,
Standard Specification for Fiber-Reinforced Concrete.
Materials for shotcrete mixtures should meet the requirements of ASTM C1436. Prepackaged product should meet
the requirements of ASTM C1480/C1480M, Standard
Specification for Packaged, Pre-Blended, Dry, Combined
Materials for Use in Wet or Dry Shotcrete Application.
Repair Application Procedures Bulletin

What equipment do I need?

An extensive discussion of the equipment requirements
for shotcrete application is contained in ACI 506R.
Equipment necessary for wet-mix shotcrete includes:
A concrete pump;
An air compressor;
Concrete hoses;
Air hoses; and
Shotcrete nozzles with air rings.
Equipment necessary for dry-mix shotcrete includes:
A cement gun;
A mixer/elevator;
An air compressor;
Shotcrete hoses;
A water pressure booster pump;
Water hoses; and
Shotcrete nozzles with water rings.
Equipment common to both processes includes:
Finishing tools and screeds;
Air lances for blowing away rebound/overspray;
Abrasive blast equipment or water blaster; and
Chipping hammers.
What are the safety considerations?
Shotcrete operations have multiple hazards, and job-site
safety practices should include, but are not limited to, the
following, where applicable:
Material safety data sheets (MSDS);
Protective clothing or skin barriers;
Protective eye wear, hearing protection, and dust
masks; and
Forced-air respirators during abrasive blasting.
It is the responsibility of the user of this document to
establish health and safety practices appropriate to the
specific circumstances involved with its use. ACI does not
make any representations with regard to health and safety
issues through the use of this document. The user must determine the applicability of all regulatory limitations before
applying recommendations in this document and must
comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including
but not limited to, United States Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) health and safety standards.
Preconstruction meetings
Prior to proceeding with the repair, a preconstruction
meeting is recommended. The meeting should include
representatives for the owner, engineer, contractor, and any
other parties involved to explain the means, methods, and
materials necessary to achieve the repair objectives.
Repair procedure
Prepare materialReceive transit, site-batched, or
prepackaged mixture.
Material placementThoroughly wet the prepared
surface and bring it to an SSD condition. Begin material
placement, filling the corners first and continuously moving
the nozzle to encapsulate reinforcing steel and avoid buildup
of shotcrete at any one spot. A bond coat of neat cement will
automatically be placed due to the initial aggregate rebound.
Concrete Repair by Shotcrete Application (ACI RAP-12)

Use a blow pipe to remove any overspray and rebound that

accumulates in corners or on reinforcing steel. Repair thicknesses are not limited by the thickness that can be placed in
a single layer. Additional layers can be placed as necessary.
Preparation of the immediately preceding layer is crucial to
obtaining a successful bond. Single layer thicknesses can be
increased by the use of additives. Continue bringing the
material out to just past the desired plane and allow it to
stiffen. When the shotcrete can be worked without disturbing
the bond, use a sharp-edged trowel or cutting instrument to
trim the plastic material back to the desired plane. Do not
overwork the material because this could create delaminations
and spalls.
Finish and cureExcessive finishing is discouraged,
although rodding to straight lines is not a problem. Proper
curing procedures will enhance the physical properties of the
shotcrete and reduce shrinkage cracking. These procedures
include moist curing and use of curing compounds as
outlined in ACI 308R, Guide to Curing Concrete.
How do I check the repair?
One of the many benefits of the shotcrete repair process is
that it can be observed during placement because there are no
forms hiding what is going on in the cavity. Inspectors and
applicators can both observe the corners being filled and reinforcing steel being encapsulated. The possibility of honeycombing is largely eliminated if care is taken to prevent voids
and unconsolidated overspray and rebound is removed as it
accumulates. Once the shotcrete has set, the bond can be
verified by sounding for voids with a hammer. If additional
bond information is desired, the test methods described in
ASTM C1583/C1583M, Standard Test Method for Tensile
Strength of Concrete Surfaces and the Bond Strength or
Tensile Strength of Concrete Repair and Overlay Materials by
Direct Tension (Pull-off Method), can be followed. A good
repair should typically fail in the substrate and, in most
cases, have a tensile strength exceeding 150 psi (1 MPa).
References and additional reading
AASHTO Task Force 37 Reports, 1998, 1999, Guide
Specifications for Shotcrete Repair of Bridges, (TF37-1),
108 pp.; and Inspectors Guide for Shotcrete Repair of
Bridges, (IGSRB-1), 80 pp., American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC.
ACI Committee 308, 2001, Guide to Curing Concrete
(ACI 308R-01) (Reapproved 2008), American Concrete
Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 31 pp.
ACI Committee 506, 2005, Guide to Shotcrete (ACI
506R-05), American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills,
MI, 40 pp.
ACI Committee 506, 2008, Guide to Fiber-Reinforced
Shotcrete (ACI 506.1R-08), American Concrete Institute,
Farmington Hills, MI, 14 pp.
ACI Committee 546, 2004, Concrete Repair Guide (ACI
546-04), American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills,
MI, 53 pp.
American Shotcrete Association, Shotcrete Magazine,
43 published articles on Shotcrete Repair, 1998-2008,
www.shotcrete.org.
5

ASTM C94/C94M-09, 2009, Standard Specification for

Ready-Mixed Concrete, ASTM International, West
Conshohocken, PA, 11 pp.
ASTM C1116/C1116M-09, 2009, Standard Specification for Fiber-Reinforced Concrete, ASTM International,
West Conshohocken, PA, 7 pp.
ASTM C1436-08, 2008, Standard Specification for
Materials for Shotcrete, ASTM International, West
Conshohocken, PA, 2 pp.
ASTM C1583/C1583M-04e1, 2004, Standard Test
Method for Tensile Strength of Concrete Surfaces and the
Bond Strength or Tensile Strength of Concrete Repair and
Overlay Materials by Direct Tension (Pull-off Method),
ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 5 pp.
ICRI Guideline No. 310.1R-2008, 2008, Guideline for
Surface Preparation for the Repair of Deteriorated Concrete

Resulting from Reinforcing Steel Corrosion, International

Concrete Repair Institute, Des Plaines, IL, 12 pp.
ICRI Guideline No. 310.2-1997, 1997, Guideline for
Selecting and Specifying Concrete Surface Preparation for
Sealers, Coatings, and Membranes, International Concrete
Repair Institute, Des Plaines, IL, 41 pp.
ICRI Guideline No. 310.3-2004, 2004, Guideline for the
Preparation of Concrete Surfaces for Repair Using
Hydrodemolition Methods, International Concrete Repair
Institute, Des Plaines, IL, 16 pp.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO):
www.transportation.org
American Shotcrete Association (ASA): www.shotcrete.org
ASTM International (ASTM): www.astm.org
International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI): www.icri.org

Repair Application Procedures Bulletin