Author(s)

E. Verwimp, T. Tysmans & M. Mollaert

Abstract

This paper describes a new method for constructing concrete shells using textile reinforced cement (TRC) composites as flexible formwork and tensile reinforcement. By means of a case study on a synclastic concrete shell, which is a compression-only structure under its self weight, the paper presents the analysis of the TRC formwork on the one hand and the TRC reinforcement on the other hand. The analysis of the formwork and the reinforcement is performed using the finite element software Abaqus. For this synclastic shell, the formwork stage is the deciding stage. Local buckling of the edges of the shell’s formwork is the determining factor for the TRC thickness. For this reason, special attention is paid to these edges and to solutions which decrease the needed TRC thickness. Keywords: textile reinforced cement composite, flexible formwork, synclastic shell.

Keywords

textile reinforced cement composite, flexible formwork, synclastic shell.