Date of Award

Summer 1994

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

First Advisor

Karshenas, Saeed

Second Advisor

Heinrich, Stephen M.

Third Advisor

Wenzel, Thomas H.

Abstract

All major undertakings involve uncertainty. It is especially true for the construction industry. That is why reliability analysis is so important for all parties involved: engineers, owners, contractors, realtors, workers and prospective tenants. Probabilistic considerations in the field of structural design and construction have undergone significant advances over the past few years. Most design codes are becoming probability based. To convert current formwork design specifications to a probability-based framework, the safety of the current forming practices must be determined. In this study, the results of the latest investigations on form work loads and resistances will be used to evaluate the level of safety of a commonly used slab formwork system. Finite element method is applied to calculate the formwork member load effects accurately. To simplify the dynamic nature of construction loading process, safety analysis was performed for two stages of construction separately. These stages are before placing the concrete slab and after the slab is poured and supported with formwork. The concrete pour loads are negligible if concrete pump is used for pouring. Probabilistic approaches in the formwork constructions are used to assess the formwork safety for current practices. The statistical moments of the load effects and resistances were calculated and appropriate probability models were fitted to the observed data. The corresponding parameters were determined. The formwork safety and safety indexes are determined by using full distribution and second moment methods. The results are compared to each other and discussed.

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