Natural Cement’s Shotcrete 430F was successfully used for Structural Repair work to the Wilpshire Rail Tunnel in Lancashire.
The brick-lined tunnel, which runs between Blackburn and Clitheroe on the Ribble Valley line, required significant structural strengthening to ensure long-term safety and performance. Due to the operational demands of the route, all works had to be completed within very limited weekend possession windows, placing strict time constraints on the project. These conditions made Natural Cement Dry-Spray Shotcrete the ideal solution, as its rapid set times and high early strength allowed the repair team to carry out efficient, high-quality strengthening works without disrupting normal rail services.
Approximately 200m2 of the existing tunnel lining was broken out and reinforced with around 65tn on Shotcrete 430F by Lancashire based specialist contractor Fineturret Ltd.
The Wilpshire Rail Tunnel project featured the use of SHOTCRETE 430F to support essential repair and upgrade works. The project was led by main contractor J Murphy & Sons, with specialist contractor Fineturret Ltd delivering the shotcrete application. Commissioned by Network Rail, the works aimed to enhance the tunnel’s structural performance and long-term durability.
The rapid set times and strength gain of Natural Cement Shotcrete enabled short possession periods for each section of the repair works. The material also has ultra-low rebound of less than 5% which means very little of the Shotcrete is wasted in comparison to alternatives. As the product is based on an environmentally friendly Natural Cement binder and contains no chemical additives any wasted material and packaging is also not contaminated waste.
For this project the Shotcrete 430F used was fibre reinforced with Bekaert Dramix 3D steel fibres to meet the specifications of the client Network Rail. The blended product enabled the project to be completed to a high standard and within the required short timeframes.
Date added: 12/04/2022