FRAMEWORK FOR IDENTIFYING INFLUENCING FACTORS FOR STAY-IN-PLACE FORMWORK IN BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

The formwork system (FWS) adopted for construction is the most important and crucial part of any structure, as it contributes about 40% to 60% of the cost of concrete and 10% of the total cost of construction. Formwork activity also consumes 50% to 70% of the total time requires in RC construction. Particularly in bridge construction, conventional FWS is used for the construction of the bridge's deck, which requires the assembly of multiple FWS components. Conventional FWSs for deck construction are time and labor-intensive. Recently, there is a rise in the use of Stay-in-Place (SIP) formwork for bridge superstructure construction. SIP FWS eliminates the use of falsework, resulting in a reduction in labor input and time. The present study attempts to identify influencing factors affecting the selection of SIP FWS over the conventional FWS in bridge deck construction using the Delphi method. Firstly, based on the literature review, 7 main factors and 28 sub-factors influencing the selection of SIP FWS are identified. Three rounds of the Delphi method are conducted to finalize the main factors and sub-factors by creating a questionnaire and gathering responses from 10 qualified experts. Subsequently, the main 7 factors (Flexibility, Economy, Quality, Safety, Completion Time, Local Condition, and Organizational Support) and 27 sub-factors are shortlisted. Cronbach’s alpha is calculated to check the internal consistency of the main factors. The proposed framework can be extended for estimating the acceptability of SIP FWS compared to the conventional FWS in the Indian Construction Industry.