A model for ferrocement thin walled structures

The ferrocement material has been widely adopted in the past in Italy, mostly by famous Nervi, for several kinds of structures. Most of the structures are thin walled, and this kind of structures seem to have a good resistance and as well as a good duration. In the paper is presented a simple and reliable model for thin structural elements made by this composite material, taking into account the information obtained from some experimental results and the construction technology. The model considers the structural element composed by several layers of reinforcing net in a homogeneous matrix of concrete. A large "waved" tunnel roof designed by Nervi and built in the '50s has been evaluated with the proposed method, and the results were compared with those obtained by Nervi who used less sophisticated mathematical tools