Minutes

ACI 347 Formwork for Concrete

March 21, 2002
Attendance:
Name

Organization/Company

Member/Visitor

Natasha Belshe
Francisco Bermudez
Kenneth Berndt
James Cornell
Jack L. David
Jeff Erson
Martin Fradua
John Gardner
Bill Giorgi
Jum Horst
Mary K. Hurd
David W. Johnston
Roger Johnston
Dov Kaminetzky
Harry Lancelot
H. S. Lew
Olaf Leitzbach
Robert McCracken
Sam Pizzuto
Doug Schoonover
Rolf Spahr
Pericles Stivaros
Rick Stone
Larry Walraven
Kevin Wheeler

Arbor & Associates

Ceco Concrete Construction
HCBeck, Ltd.
Aluma Systems USA
Harcon, Inc.
Feld, Kaminetzky & Cohen
University of Ottawa
Symons Corporation
Baker Concrete Construction
Engineered Publications
North Carolina State University
Patent Construction Systems
Feld, Kaminetzky & Cohen
Dayton/Richmond
Natl Inst. of Standards & Tech.
MEVA Schalungs Systeme
EFCO Corporation
Symons Corporation
Atlas Construction Supply
MEVA Formwork Systems, Inc.
Feld, Kaminetzky & Cohen
Madison Construction Company
Spence Brothers
Conshor, Inc.

Visitor
Associate Member
Associate Member
Member
Member
Member
Associate Member
Member
Visitor
Member
Member
Member/Chairman
Member
Member
Member
Member
Visitor
Member
Member
Member
Associate Member
Member
Visitor
Associate Member
Member/Secretary

Members Absent:
Rodney Adams, Randy Bordner, Ramon Cook, Samuel Greenberg, Kirk Gregory, Awad
Hanna, Don Marks, John Paine, William Phillips, Thomas Scott, Aviad Shapira

Minutes ACI 347, Detroit, MI

II

Business Meeting:
The meeting was called to order at 8:35 AM in Nicolet B of the Marriott Renaissance
Center Hotel on Sunday, March 21, 2002. Introductions were given and opening
comments were made by Chairman Johnston. The minutes from Dallas were read and
approved as circulated.
Those present introduced themselves and corrections to the committee roster were made.
The next meeting will be in Phoenix, Arizona. The Chairman will apply for a Sunday
morning meeting time slot for 347 and Saturday evening for the Specification
Subcommittee.
Committee Document ACI 347-01
Chairman Johnston stated that all of the committee members should have received a
complementary copy of ACI 347-01. The following items requiring revision were noted:
1. Page 3, definition of Engineer/architect: Should be changed to read The
engineer, architect, engineering firm, architectural firm, or other agency issuing
project plans and specifications for the permanent structure or administering the
work under contract documents, or both. (Mary Hurd)
2. Page 6, section 2.1.5, last paragraph of the first column: Section 2.5.3 does not
exist. It should be changed to section 2.5. (Mary Hurd)
3. Page 8, Section 2.5 Shores, 7th bullet item: Backshoring should be one word.
4. Page 18 under Data Sources for Materials Concrete: Should read Precast
Concrete Units Used as Forms for Cast-in-Place Concrete, ACI 347.1R. (Mary
Hurd)
5. Page 18 under Materials: Change to read Glass-fiber-reinforced plastic forms
(Mary Hurd)
6. Page 18 under Data Sources for Materials Glass- fiber-reinforced plastic
forms: Change the reference to read Using Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Plastic
Forms. (Mary Hurd)
7. Page 5, Figure 2.1 at the lower right labeled Correct: Tie to both or set form ties
through both sides: The spandrel tie should be parallel to the deck. (David
Johnston)

Minutes ACI 347, Detroit, MI

III

Chairman Johnston requested that any other errata that the Committee finds should be
reported to him. He also questioned whether the Committee needs to review ACI 347.1R
(see item #4 on page II of the minutes) to determine if it is current.
SP-4 Formwork for Concrete Mary Hurd:
Mary Hurd provided the following written progress report on the status of the updating of
Formwork for Concrete as of April 15, 2002:
June 2001Questionnaire to committee asking for opinion in specific aspects of the
revision. Included questions on metrication, safety factor for form ties, shoring/reshoring
examples, loads during construction, plywood design, and new products and forming
methods, e.g. European systems. Twenty-one committee members responded and their
input is being used as chapter-by-chapter revisions are developed.
METRICATION: Strong (but not unanimous) was the vote to stay with customary
imperial units. Chairman Johnston submitted a request for TAC authorization and it was
granted, with the proviso that the foreword state that the document is applicable only in
the United States.
DESIGN STRESSES FOR LUMBER: The NFPAs National Design Specification for
Wood Construction is at last available this month, and I hope to have a copy by the time
of the committee meeting. Although advance information suggested that the only major
changes in allowable stresses will be for horizontal shear, many details for the design
chapters must nonetheless be checked against the base stress values of the NDS.
CHAPTER 5: Revision was sent out for review January 8, 2002. Six responses with
specific suggestions have been received. The draft added a simplified analysis of
shoring/reshoring with one level of shoring and two levels of reshoring; it also includes
full presentation of the new pressure formulas.
CHAPTER 4: Revision sent for review April 2.
CHAPTERS 1-3: Nearly complete; revision should be mailed by May 1. We have
received permission for CRSI to use information from their engineering data sheets in
Chapter 2 and elsewhere as needed.
CHAPTER 6: Work in progress; will be completed as soon as the NDS values can be
checked.

Minutes ACI 347, Detroit, MI

IV

PHOTOGRAPHS: Photos are sought from a number of sources; several committee

members have promised pictures. Now is the time to send them. If others have any good
photos that would update existing content, please send them to me.
Review of ACI 301 Section 2:
Chairman Johnston distributed copies of the negative comments from ACI 301s letter
ballot that closed on March 11, 2002. He stressed the need to cover these items so that
they could be given to ACI 301 before their Detroit meeting.
Ballot Item 8, revision to Article 2.3.3.6: Change the underlined portion of the last line to
read or as indicated on the formwork drawings when analysis shows no adverse
stresses are developed in the member.
Ballot Item 1, revision to Article 1.2, definition of Backshores: The change proposed
by ACI 347 is in conformance with ACI 347-01. Some members of ACI 301 have
apparently cited ACI 347-R94.
Ballot Item 4, revision to Article 2.2.3.3: Keep the wording for the first line as originally
submitted to ACI 301 by ACI 347.
Ballot Item 5, revise Article 2.3.1.2: Refer to ACI 347-01 section 3.4 Irregularities in
formed surfaces for the source of 347s comments. This committee disagrees with the
negatives. Class A is only used for prominent surfaces of special importance. The use of
form facing material instead of sheathing is because sheathing may not be the form
facing material. Class A is a very costly finish.
Ballot Item 6. revise Article 2.3.1.8: No negatives were recorded for this item.
Ballot Item 7, revise Checklist 2.2.1.e Reshoring and Backshoring plans : ACI 301s
negatives are editorial in nature and make the text less wordy. Proceed with the suggested
revisions.
Ballot Item 3, revise Article 2.2.3.4: The Committee recommends the use of the
breakback for ties and use the optional requirements set forth in the negative. ACI 301
should develop the specific wording for this option.

Minutes ACI 347, Detroit, MI

Standard Specification Development James Cornell

Six to eight individuals attended the two hour meeting Saturday night. They discussed the
content of the outline and justification for the specification. Several people volunteered to
draft the outline and justification by the next meeting. The draft outline will essentially
follow ACI 347-01. The goal is to submit to TAC the reason for a formwork
specification. The subcommittee will continue to meet the Saturday evening prior to the
main 347 meeting.
Lateral Pressures David Johnston
The student developing new lateral pressure equations has completed his work. As soon
as it is sufficiently assembled, 347 will receive the information. Some high pressures
above the current 3000 PSF limit are cause for concern.
Industry Presentation
Dr.-Ing. Olaf Leitzbach, from the technical department of MEVA Schalungs-Systeme
GmbH, presented information to the Committee pertaining to a stay- in-place shoring
system. The system is purported to allow earlier stripping of slabs, accelerate the
construction schedule and reduce costs. Sam Pizzuto reported that the Scaffolding,
Shoring and Forming Institute is writing guidelines for this type of system.
Reshoring Guide Pericles Stivaros
Stivaros reported that Draft 5 of Spring 2002 incorporates comments received from the
Committee on Summer 2001s Draft 4.
Live load reductions for reshoring were discussed. The 12/2001 draft of proposed ASCE
Standard ASCE 37 Design Loads on Concrete Structures allows live load reductions as
analysis permits though not to exceed 50 percent. Berndt suggests that the recognition of
another organizations document concerning the use of live load reductions could offer a
path of least resistance for industry acceptance.
The simplified reshoring design method produces a 10-15% error when wood shores are
used due to their relatively lower stiffness than that of metal shores. Some members think
the overall stiffness of wood shores is nearly the same as metal because more wood
shores per reshore location are typically used. Stivaros stated that the percentages cited in
the Reshoring Guide came from research. Hurd suggested the removal of the word
wood between compressible and shores (page 14, line 38). The Committee
tentatively accepted the application of the 10-15% load increase only to the floor
immediately below the active level.

Minutes ACI 347, Detroit, MI

VI

Discussion turned to what method should be used to determine reshoring requirements.

The use of the modulus of rupture as a governing value for the strength of the structural
system was proposed. The simplest approach as recommended by ACI is to use the ratio
of Fc to Fc . Kaminetzky says to remain conserva tive and keep using ACIs
recommended ratio.
ASCE 37 stipulates load factors of 1.4D + 1.6L for construction loading. ACI 318-02 has
adopted load factors of 1.2D + 1.6L for required strength. Chairman Johnston has asked
the members to ascertain the impact of these changes on reshoring design.
Section 4.4 Serviceability Requirements (pages 24 & 25) were covered. Erson would
like to see wording warning the forming contractor that the structural design could
potentially lie out of the bounds set forth in ACI 318.
It was suggested that reference the CIRIA document on striking times (stripping times)
be made in the reshoring guide. Some suggested that the reshoring examples should be
converted from the slab self- weight value D to a numerical (PSF) approach; however, it
was noted that SI units might have to be addressed if the examples go to a numeric
system. The addition of a paragraph or two related to one-way shear was requested.
Revision of Draft 5 of the Reshoring Guide should be complete by the end of June.
Chairman Johnston should receive the revised draft in early July.
Closing Comments
Chairman Johnston distributed a draft of a shoring/reshoring questionnaire. He requested
that those members present review the questionnaire and return their comments to him.
Chairman Johnston announced that the ASCE Construction Institute is holding a
conference in Hawaii in conjunction with the AGC Annual Convention. They are
soliciting papers on construction engineering topics to be presented at the conference.
The deadline for speakers is in June with papers due by the Fall. For more information,
contact Chairman Johnston.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:20 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Kevin L. Wheeler
Secretary