MC-Bauchemie MC-Montan Grout 02
A Component-A additive that keeps MC-Bauchemie’s two-component annular gap grout pumpable and settlement-safe behind shield TBMs.
What is it?
A liquid additive dosed into Component A of MC-Bauchemie’s two-component (A/B) annular gap grout, used to backfill the tail void behind shield TBMs.
Where is it used?
Metro rail, road/rail and hydropower tunnels driven by shield TBMs, plus pipe-jacked utility tunnels, especially in settlement-sensitive urban ground.
Why use it?
Keeps the backfill slurry pumpable over long lines, disperses fines, and extends working time so grouting keeps pace with TBM advance.
How is it applied?
Metered at the batching plant or TBM backup gantry via calibrated dosing pumps into Component A, then combined with the Component B activator at the injection point.
About MC-Bauchemie MC-Montan Grout 02
MC-Montan Grout 02 belongs to a specialised corner of MC-Bauchemie’s range: two-component annular gap grouting systems used behind shield tunnel boring machines. Marketed as MC-Montan Grout 02-pro and MC-Montan Grout 02-pure, it is the Component A additive in an A/B system, dosed into the backfill slurry to keep it stable, dispersed and pumpable as it travels from the surface batching plant, down the TBM backup gantry, and out through tail-skin lines into the gap left behind the advancing shield. Paired with an activator such as MC-Montan Grout 01, it becomes half of a system engineered to gel and gain strength within seconds, locking the segmental lining into stable ground.
It isn’t something a contractor picks up for a machine foundation — it’s specified and dosed as part of an engineered TBM grouting programme, usually with MC’s own tunnelling systems (MCU) engineers involved in the mix design. The approach carries a genuine track record: MC’s cementless annular gap grout was proven on the Stuttgart 21 Filder Tunnel, one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects, and the MC-Montan Grout range now serves shield-driven tunnels worldwide. MC-Bauchemie India manufactures out of its Goa and Halol plants, giving metro, highway, hydropower and utility tunnelling contractors local access, with Space Arc positioned to connect qualifying projects to MC’s technical team.
The technical insight
The point of a viscosity-reducing, dispersing additive here is pumping distance and time, not compressive strength. Annular gap grout travels through long lines from the batching plant to tail-skin injection ports, often while the TBM keeps advancing. If Component A thickens or its fines flocculate en route, line pressure climbs and the gap risks being under-filled, which shows up on the surface as settlement. MC-Montan Grout 02 keeps the slurry dispersed and pumpable for longer, buying the site team time to match grout output to advance rate before the Component B activator triggers the fast gel reaction that locks the gap.
Where it is used
- Tail-void/annular gap backfilling behind shield TBMs (EPB and slurry shield)
- Metro rail tunnel construction in settlement-sensitive urban corridors
- Road and rail tunnels driven through hill and mountain terrain
- Hydropower headrace and tailrace tunnel annulus backfill
- Pipe-jacked/micro-tunnelled sewer and utility conduit annular fill
- Long-pumped-line grouting from surface batching plant to TBM backup gantry
- Two-component grout systems needing extended open time on slow TBM advance
Key advantages
- Keeps Component A pumpable over long delivery lines, cutting blockage risk on the TBM run
- Dispersing action holds fines in suspension for a more homogeneous, bleed-resistant grout
- Extends processing time so grouting isn’t rushed to match TBM advance rate
- Works with both cementless and cement-based MC annular grout formulations
- Field-proven on major references including the Stuttgart 21 Filder Tunnel
- Backed by MC-Bauchemie India’s Goa and Halol plants plus MCU tunnelling engineers
- Supports fast, controlled gel and early strength gain once paired with the activator
Limitations & considerations
- Not a standalone grout — it only functions as the Component A half of MC’s A/B system
- Project-specific supply against a confirmed TBM mix design, not routine distributor stock
- Needs calibrated dosing equipment and batching plant control, not site hand-mixing
- Exact dosage and TDS figures are project-specific and must be confirmed with MC’s tunnelling team rather than an open retail data sheet
- Irrelevant to machine-base, bearing-plate or anchor-bolt grouting — use MC’s structural grout range for that
Selection & best practice
Treat it as an engineered system, not a generic admixture: bring MC-Bauchemie’s MCU tunnelling team in at mix-design stage so dosage matches your ground conditions, advance rate, pumping distance and Component B activator, and run a trial batch against a project-specific TDS before full-scale grouting starts. Don’t substitute it into unrelated structural grouting work.
Specifications
| Product type | Liquid admixture — Component A additive for a two-component (A/B) annular gap grout system |
| System pairing | Used with an activator such as MC-Montan Grout 01 (Component B) to complete the A/B backfill grout |
| Key functions | Stabilising, viscosity reduction, dispersing action, improved pumpability, extended processing time |
| Application zone | Tail void/annular gap behind shield TBMs (EPB and slurry shield machines) |
| Product family | MC-Montan Grout range, part of MC-Bauchemie’s MCU (MC Underground) tunnelling systems portfolio |
| Variants offered | MC-Montan Grout 02-pro and MC-Montan Grout 02-pure |
| Reference project | Two-component annular gap grouting used on the Stuttgart 21 Filder Tunnel (S21), Germany |
| India manufacturing | MC-Bauchemie India Pvt Ltd — production plants at Goa and Halol |
Industry use cases
Metro rail tunnelling
Annular gap backfill behind shield TBMs on urban metro corridors, where surface settlement control protects utilities and structures above.
Highway & rail tunnels
Two-component annular grout support for hill and mountain tunnels, including Himalayan highway corridors, driven by shield machines.
Hydropower tunnelling
Backfill grouting of headrace/tailrace tunnel annulus in hydroelectric projects excavated by TBM.
Utility & sewer micro-tunnelling
Annular gap fill behind pipe-jacked sewer and utility conduits in dense urban networks.
Tunnelling EPC contractors & consultants
Mix-design and technical support engagement for main contractors specifying the annular backfill grout on a shield-driven project.
Frequently asked questions
Is MC-Montan Grout 02 sold as a stand-alone product?
Can we use this for machine foundation or anchor bolt grouting?
Does Space Arc keep this in stock?
What’s the difference between the 02-pro and 02-pure variants?
Where has this technology actually been used?
How do we get exact dosage and technical figures for our project?
How we position MC-Bauchemie MC-Montan Grout 02
Inside MC-Bauchemie’s own tunnelling range, MC-Montan Grout 02 (offered as the 02-pro and 02-pure variants) is the Component A partner to MC-Montan Grout 01 (Component B activator), and sits alongside MC-Montan Grout AA 03 for anti-washout ground conditions — together forming MC’s two-component annular gap grouting family, backed by the MC-Montan Injekt and MC-Montan Drive ranges for pre-injection and soil conditioning on the same TBM drive. It doesn’t compete with conventional structural grouts: for machine-base, bearing-plate or anchor-bolt work on a typical building or industrial project, MC-Bauchemie’s own structural non-shrink grout range, or Fosroc’s well-established Conbextra cementitious grout series, remain the right specification, and Space Arc stocks both for routine supply. This product instead belongs to the project-engineered, TBM-specific end of the business, where our role is connecting tunnelling contractors and consultants to MC’s MCU technical team for mix design and on-site support.
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