Computer simulation of complex-shaped formworks using three-dimensional numerical models

This work describes a three-dimensional numerical model, developed with the ANSYS finite element software package, which simulates the behaviour of fresh concrete and formwork walls to obtain the resulting pressures in complex-shaped formworks. The results obtained with the proposed model highlight the influence of the inclination of a formwork on the lateral pressures exerted on its walls by fresh concrete. The normal pressures on the lower inclined formwork wall were found to be larger than those exerted on the upper inclined wall. In addition, it was also found that normal pressures vary along the formwork wall in the longitudinal direction in a different way depending on the sidewall. The proposed computer model allows examining load distributions in complex-shaped formworks, which is not contemplated in current standards. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.