Rock bolts are a fast and effective way of stabilising rock cuttings, tunnels and bridges on infrastructure schemes. Rock bolts are long anchors and are commonly used in conjunction with wire fall-arrest netting.
What are rock bolts and netting used for?
Rock bolts are typically installed into pre-drilled boreholes in the rock (although some are self-drill) and grouted into place. Rock bolts are normally un-tensioned but can be post-tensioned. Boreholes are formed using rotary bored and rotary percussive rigs and down-the-hole hammers, depending on ground conditions.
Rock bolts are usually installed on a grid, and transfer loads from the unstable face into the load bearing solid rock behind. This ‘knits’ unstable sections of rock together, preventing movement. Rock bolts are used together with surface retention, such as wire mesh or shotcrete.
We have the capability to install rock bolts and netting using wheeled excavator based machine or tracked Soilmec and Casagrande drilling rigs.
What are the advantages of Rock Bolts and Netting?
- Fast and easy to install using lightweight equipment
- High tensile strength achieved almost immediately
- Netting is flexible to match existing slopes and rock profiles
- The netting does not inhibit vegetation regeneration
Common Uses
- Improve the stability and load bearing characteristics of a rock mass
- Civil engineering industry – used for fixing rock netting and cliff/slope stabilisation
- Rock bolts can be used for structural repairs to retain walls, bridge walls and tunnels
- Typically used on infrastructure projects including rail and highways schemes
