News from our Prime Sponsor Bekaert

ASA Outstanding Shotcrete Project Award 2022 in the category « International Project » for the M4-M5 Link Tunnels.
The awards took place February 27-March 1, 2022 during the 2022 ASA Shotcrete Convention and Technology Conference, in the US. 
Congratulation to all involved partners in this projects

• Contractor: Acciona Bouygues Samsung Joint-Venture
• Architect/Engineer: Jacobs Aurecon Joint-Venture
• Material Supplier/Manufacturer: Bekaert NA
• Equipment Manufacturer: Normet Asia Pacific Ltd.
• Concrete supplier: Hanson Group
• Project Designer: Jacobs Engineering Group
• Owner:  Westconnex-Transurban

As part of the 33 km long Westconnex Road Tunnel (AUSTRALIA, Sydney) M4-M5 link tunnel, a major new underground motorway in Sydney, Australia, there is a shaft and adit at Kingsgrove. Besides acting as the temporary access for tunnelling, part of the adit will form part of the permanent works of the road tunnel.
The tunnel is quite shallow, located in sedimentary rocks under the Wolli Creek which added additional geotechnical risks such as reduced rock cover.

Use of high-performance steel fibers in shotcrete reinforcement:

• The benefits to the project of using Dramix 4D in shotcrete are detailed in the attached document*.
• Allowance for the use of high values of residual flexural tensile strength in the design of Permanent Sprayed Concrete Linings
• Approximate reduction in tunnel support (lining) thickness in the order of 20%
• Statistically consistent production test results over the 250,000m3 applied with 95% confidence characteristic values compliant throughout construction.

Overall increased confidence in shotcrete quality and easy Quality Control.

The ASA Outstanding Shotcrete Project Awards Program exists to recognize excellence and innovation on projects in which the application of shotcrete has played a significant role.