Guniting is a process used in construction for slope stabilization and various other rehabilitation purposes in the construction of retaining walls, water retaining structures and concrete repair works.
This process was developed in the US and the term “Guniting” was coined owing to the fact that a spray gun was used to apply the mortar or concrete mix to the surface. Gunite is a mixture of cement and sand usually in a proportion of 1:3. This method hence is also called dry mix shotcrete process. The dry material is then conveyed from the machine to surface of application through a nozzle by means of compressed pressure and high velocity. The application of the mixture is further facilitated by the addition of water at the nozzle area. The mix that finally comes out is a combination of dry material and water. The operator decides the ratio of water to the dry mix depending on the needs of the structure.
Over the past decade BUILDTECH® INDIA has mastered this process so integral towards the repair and rehabilitation of structures. We have learnt the ability of rapidly adapting our mix as well as application process to suit the unique needs of various structures, ensuring superior quality of work done.
There are a few general requirements for undergoing a good quality guniting process, these are listed as follows:
- A high quality finished work through guniting is obtained by having careful and skilful operation and control of the nozzle
- The surface of application should be thoroughly cleaned and must be free from dirt, grease or any other defective material. This can be achieved by cleaning the surfaces by a high-pressure water jet or by air blast
- Sand blasting can be carried out on the surface of application before carrying out the guniting process this helps in the removal of rust on the reinforcement.
- If the surface of treatment has high adsorption, then it must be kept wet for a suitable period of time depending on the structure, before undergoing guniting.
- In order to reduce permeability and increase the resistance to weather and chemical attack, it is imperative to use high quality mortar in the guniting process.
The process of guniting is highly versatile in nature hence can be applied for structures to occupy any shape say undulating, spherical or curves. This is one of the major reasons for it being so popular in the construction of dams, reservoirs bridges, pipelines and canals.
This process also makes it easier to control the addition of water to the mixture as it is carried out at the nozzle. This also makes it possible to make the mixture wet or dry based on the demand. One of the major advantages of the gunite mixture is that is can be prepared quickly and on short notice hence leading to lesser wastage making it more economical. It has hence become one of the favoured process in the field of restoration and repairs and quite rightly so.