Application of Thin spray-on liners in tunneling support

Thin spray-on liners (TSL) are the latest products to gain acceptance for ground support applications. And the TSL has replaced the wire mesh as a standard surface support system within the mining cycle in some places. The new sprayed liners whose thickness is typically about 4 mm is proposed that they could support losing rock blocks, enhance support effect of support structures, protects steel support elements from corrosion and minimize the damage of rockburst in highly stressed ground conditions. There are many TSL on the market and the development of the new products and proper test criteria to determine the mechanical properties are ongoing. This paper focuses on the newest researching accomplishments on the support mechanism of the TSL in tunnels and the latest test process of TSL.