Wide-flanged concrete girders are increasingly being used for highway bridges in Wisconsin. The objective of this research was to understand the state of the art of non-metallic SIP forms and to develop design guidelines and performance specifications that can be used locally for the construction of highway bridge decks. Four major types of stay-in-place (SIP) forms using fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) or fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials were investigated: fiber reinforcements, grid reinforcements, bar reinforcements and pultruded profiles. The results were used to develop a model design and construction specification for non-structural, non-metallic, SIP forms in highway bridge decks.

This manual is intended to serve as a reference. It will provide technical information which will enable Manual users to perform the following activities:Describe typical erection practices for girder bridge superstructures and recognize critical construction stagesDiscuss typical practices for evaluating structural stability of girder bridge superstructures during early stages of erection and throughout bridge constructionExplain the basic concepts of stability and why it is important in bridge erection* Explain common techniques for performing advanced stability analysis along with their advantages and limitationsDescribe how differing construction sequences effect superstructure stabilityBe able to select appropriate loads, load combinations, and load factors for use in analyzing superstructure components during constructionBe able to analyze bridge members at various stages of erection* Develop erection plans that are safe and economical, and know what information is required and should be a part of those plansDescribe the differences between local, member and global (system) stability