Stay-In-Place FRP Form for Concrete Columns

Abstract

Advanced fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites can be used in combination with traditional materials in a number of different applications such as slabs, beams, columns and piles. The advantages of combined construction include the cost-effectiveness and the ability to optimize the cross section based on material properties of each component. The most efficient use of FRP stay-in-place form is for concrete columns, as it eliminates the need for internal reinforcement and protects concrete against environmental effects. This paper provides a thorough review of the basic principles and research findings to date on the stay-in-place FRP forms for concrete columns. The various design issues including confinement modelling, axial-flexural behaviour, time-dependent behaviour, buckling and slenderness, pile driving, seismic behaviour, connections and modular construction, shear behaviour, fatigue performance, and nondestructive testing and inspection of stay-in-place FRP-concrete columns are discussed. The study to date shows the feasibility and effectiveness of the system for civil engineering applications.