- 8 December 2006 -
US Military Academy enlists FRP formworks
FIBRE REINFORCED plastic (FRP) formworks have been used in the first phase of the US$59 million expansion of the United States Military Academy’s Library in West Point, New York State, USA.
Designer of the expansion, STV Inc, had to create an extension that would match with the Academy’s historic surroundings at the same time as being state of the art. The design for the entrance (phase I) incorporates two vertical column arch forms spanning 25 ft from column to column, decorated with cloverleaf-shaped cast reliefs. The formworks had to be made from FRP because of the intricate design of the columns and arches, which required separate moulds and tooling for each piece. Wood-based forms would have been more expensive and less durable.
Molded Fiber Glass Construction Products, Independence, Kansas, was enlisted by formwork subcontractor Ceco Concrete Construction of Gladstone, Missouri, after submitting drawings meeting the design and performance requirements of the project.
“This was a very unique project from a design and engineering standpoint as the arch forms were at a compound radius, or curved at two angles, so CNC (computer numerical control) cutting would be required to make certain the correct dimensions and tolerances were achieved from column-to-column,” says Eric Brace, MFG engineering manager.
Two columns and three arches spanning 16 total pieces were custom fabricated and assembled at the plant to test for accuracy. They were then shipped to the construction site.
Molded Fiber Glass Construction Products; www.mfgcp.com
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