Ferrocement permanent formwork as protection to reinforced concrete

The aim of this research was to investigate the feasibility of using ferrocement s a low permeability cover layer to reinforced concrete members located in environments where there is a high risk of reinforcement corrosion. This protective layer may be precast and could therefore act as permanent formwork to the subsequently poured in-situ concrete. The research focused particularly on methods for achieving an adequate and durable bond at the concrete/ferrocement interface in order to develop composite structural behavior. It was found that the resistance to chloride penetration in accelerated ageing tests was enhanced by using SBR or acrylic bond coats. Further, the use of permanent ferrocement formwork gave an increase in strength of 15% over conventional reinforced concrete.