Bespoke Reinforcement for Optimised Concrete Structures

Flexible formwork for concrete structures has been shown to be an appropriate method for the construction of optimised concrete structures (Veenendaal et al. [1], Orr et al. [2]). With the goal of achieving low carbon design, two major challenges exist: 1) to reinforce structures with complex geometries and 2) to provide durable and resilient infrastructures. Meeting both challenges would allow one to capitalise on the fluidity of concrete to meet long-term emissions reductions targets. This will require an entirely new approach to design and construction of concrete structures.
Research underway at the University of Bath is attempting to completely replace internal steel reinforcement with a knitted composite cage made from fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement. By fabricating the cage in exactly the right geometry, it will be possible to provide the required strength exactly where it is needed.
This paper will outline ongoing work which aims demonstrate that CFRP can be woven into geometrically appropriate ‘cages’ for the reinforcement of concrete beams, including consideration of the manufacturing process, construction technique, and technical design requirements.