Shotcrete without scaffolding: excavator, rig or tracks

The most important difference is where the concrete comes from: the spraying head and the tracked machine must be connected to a separate pump or rotor machine, while the rig has the pump on board.

Excavator-mounted spraying head: Aliva-101

Aliva-101 is mounted on the excavator's quick coupler and driven by the machine's hydraulics. It is operated by radio remote control, and the version with an integrated dynamo needs no external power; without the dynamo it runs on 12 or 24 V DC. According to the manufacturer, it removes the need for scaffolding or a scissor lift, and the excavator gains a wider range of uses.

The first thing to check is the excavator: whether the hydraulics deliver what the spraying head requires, and whether the machine can carry the head at the end of the arm. The spraying head is used for both dry-mix and wet-mix shotcrete, and Aliva lists slope stabilisation, excavation pits and tunnel work as applications. The material must come from a separate rotor machine or concrete pump.

• Standard — for DN65 hoses at 210 bar, 210 kg
• Large — for DN80 at 210 bar or DN65 at 180 bar, 230 kg. Makes it possible to spray with a DN80 dense-flow nozzle
• Hydraulics — min. 210 bar and 15 l/min, max. 350 bar and 480 l/min

Spraying rig for tunnels: Dragon

Dragon is a complete rig for underground work which, according to Turbosol, is designed for tunnels and galleries with small and medium cross-sections. The concrete is fed by an on-board twin piston pump with a theoretical capacity of 15 m³/h and up to 80 bar material pressure.

The rig weighs 5 300 kg, or 6 600 kg with a compressor. It is diesel-driven, while the pump runs on a 30 kW electric motor, and the 50-metre power cable is wound on a drum.

• Four-section telescopic boom — max. 8.9 m vertical and 7.1 m horizontal, min. 2.5 and 2.4 m
• Nozzle that rotates 360° and tilts 240°, with automatic brushing motion
• Accelerator pump synchronised with the concrete flow, max. 16 l/min, 600-litre tank
• Four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering with crab steering, and an open FOPS cab where the operator's station swivels 180°

Tracked machine for tight spaces: TSR 7

TSR 7 runs on two rubber tracks and stands on four hydraulic outriggers while spraying. The machine is 120 cm wide and weighs 2 210 kg, and it can be used for both dry-mix and wet-mix spraying.

It has a dual power supply, so it can also work where access to electricity is limited. TSR 7 does not pump on its own; Turbosol names Beton Master and TB 30 as pumps to connect it to.

• Telescopic arm with 3 m stroke — max. 8.80 m vertical and 7.70 m horizontal, min. 2.5 and 2.4 m
• Spraying head that rotates 360° and tilts 240°, nozzle Ø 45 mm
• 18.5 kW Kubota diesel or 7.5 kW electric motor, and travel speed 1.5–3 km/h

Spraying arms in the Aliva range

Aliva also has its own spraying arms: the 302.1 for mines and small tunnels, and the telescopic 503.3. Both are specified with a reach of 2 to 9 metres. The rotor machine Aliva-267 was developed specifically for mechanised spraying with these arms.

How they differ

The rig and the tracked machine have almost the same reach and the same minimum reach. The difference therefore lies in what comes with each machine and where it can get to. As a rough guide:

• An excavator and pump already on hand, and the job is a slope or excavation pit — the spraying head makes use of the equipment you already have
• A tunnel or gallery with a small to medium cross-section, and you want the pump and accelerator dosing in the same machine — the rig
• Rough, cramped sites or uncertain access to power — the tracked machine, with a choice of diesel or electric motor

When you contact us

Tell us what is to be sprayed — slope, excavation pit, tunnel or hall — and the cross-section if it is underground. Tell us which pump or rotor machine you have. If the spraying head is going on an excavator, we need the hydraulic pressure and oil flow from its data sheet.