ACI Shotcrete Certification Test Panel Examples
Hi Concrete Fans,
I’ve had two ACI Shotcrete Nozzleman classes in the last month at the American Concrete Institute campus in Kensington WA near Seattle.
We took a few still photos of the practical test where we shot the shotcrete test panels. A couple of the shots really did a great job in illistrating exactly why you need to get your shotcrete and gunite crews trained and certified.
Without it, your jobs could look like some of the failures and you would never know it until it failed structurally at the worst time.
Here’s what an empty shotcrete nozzleman test panel looks like before we start:
Empty Shotcrete/Gunite Test Panel
Then, the nozzleman students fill the panel in with shotcrete/gunite wet or dry mix. They put to work the skills they learned the day before in class and on the job prior to certification training.
The Evaluator then removes the backs of the test panel to check for obvious failures… can you tell which one failed below?
ACI Shotcrete Nozzleman Certification test panel failure example.
The rest were then cored to verify full coverage of the steel rebar inside. Those that failed here, had a chance to review their work and their technique and then retested the same day.
Your real jobs may not show a problem until it’s too late… can you and your insurance company afford that risk?
Here’s an example of a failed panel in the overhead shotcrete course:
If not applied correctly, shotcrete and gunite wet and dry mix both can fall out with little structural pressure.
Now you should have some idea why all government contracts and many of the largest contracts… especially those on public buildings and highways are all making it mandatory that their nozzleman be ACI certified.
Even if you are just working on pools and concrete fences… how much more competitive are you if you can tell your clients that your nozzlemen are all ACI/ASA trained and certified.
I don’t think your competition could stand the results… do you?
Until next time,
Leo Waddell
