Limitations of Grundy and Kabaila s Simplified Method and Its Repercussion on the Safety and Serviceability of Successively Shored Building Structures

Abstract

[EN] One of the most critical stages for a structure s safety is its construction process, and this problem is even more acute in buildings with reinforced concrete structures. These structures are usually built by shoring successive floors, so that the most recently poured floor rests on the lower floors by means of shores. It is therefore vitally important to have calculation tools available to estimate the loads to which the shores and slabs will be subjected in each stage of construction. A number of calculation methods have been proposed to date, of which the one proposed by Grundy and Kabaila in 1963 is the best known and most frequently used. This paper analyzes the limitations of Grundy and Kabaila s method by means of a parametric study of finite-element method simulations that identified a large number of situations in which this method presented unsafe results in terms of the estimated loads on slabs. In many situations, therefore, applying this method could gravely affect a building s in-service behavior and durability. The paper s final objectives are to make the reader aware of the limitations of Grundy and Kabaila s method and the need to use the more refined methods that are now available to estimate the loads on shores and slabs in reinforced concrete buildings under construction