INSIGHT | SUSTAINABILITY & CIRCULAR ECONOMY


Above: Precast concrete manufacture with steel fibres in tunnel segment casting factory for Fortezza–Ponte Gardena rail project, in Italy PHOTO CREDITS: BEKAERT


MOVING TO MORE SUSTAINABILITY


Steel fibre precast segment manufacture is moving to more sustainability with additional peace of mind, says Benoit de Rivaz, Global Technical Manager, Bekaert BP Underground Solutions


Mechanically excavated tunnels (tunnels excavated with a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)) are more and more used in civil engineering. In these tunnels, the tunnel lining is made by insitu assembly of precast segments behind the TBM, acting both as tunnel support and reacting element to help enable the ongoing excavation process. For such precast tunnel linings, segments


manufactured as steel fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) are becoming more and more a standard solution. The use of steel FRC allows the elimination of traditional steel bar or mesh reinforcement in the


22 | February 2026


production of precast concrete tunnel segments. Over the last 20 years, the use of this technology


has increased and allows for several advantages compared with mesh or rebar, according to fib bulletin 832


, and all main recommendations


published, as providing: ● Higher impact resistance; ● Cracking control during construction phases; ● Durability advantages at final stage; ● Reduction of costs; ● Sustainability advantages; and, ● Boosting of the production process.


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