Shotcrete

Shotcrete, gunite ('gVnait), or sprayed concrete is concrete or mortar conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface. This construction technique was invented by Carl Akeley and first used in 1907. The concrete is typically reinforced by conventional steel rods, steel mesh, or fibers. The concrete or mortar is formulated to be sticky and resist flowing when at rest to allow use on walls and ceilings, but exhibit sufficient shear thinning to be easily pumpable through hoses. Shotcrete is usually an all-inclusive term for both the wet-mix and dry-mix versions invented by Akeley. In pool construction, however, shotcrete refers to wet mix and gunite to dry mix. In this context, these terms are not interchangeable. Shotcrete is placed and compacted/consolidated at the same time, due to the force with which it is ejected from the nozzle. It can be sprayed onto any type or shape of surface, including vertical or overhead areas. Shotcrete has the characteristics of high compressive strength, good durability, water tightness and frost resistance. Shotcrete, then known as gunite, was invented in 1907 by American taxidermist Carl Akeley to repair the crumbling façade of the Field Columbian Museum in Chicago (the old Palace of Fine Arts from the World's Columbian Exposition). He used the method of blowing dry material out of a hose with compressed air, injecting water at the nozzle as it was released. In 1911, he was granted a patent for his inventions: the "cement gun", the equipment used; and "gunite", the material that was produced. There is no evidence that Akeley ever used sprayable concrete in his taxidermy work, as is sometimes suggested. F. Trubee Davison covered this and other Akeley inventions in a special issue of Natural History magazine. The dry-mix process was used until the wet-mix process was devised in the 1950s. In the 1960s, an alternative method for gunning dry material with a rotary gun appeared, using a continuously fed open hopper.