Patent ID: 6878323

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a stay-in-place composite shell, the method comprising: applying a liner to an exterior surface of a tubular member, the liner including at least one sheet of a water-impermeable material; applying a fabric layer having a plurality of fibers to the liner; impregnating the fabric layer with a resin matrix to form a resin-impregnated fabric layer; and removing the tubular member once the resin matrix cures to form a composite shell having an inner wall surface defining an enclosure into which concrete may be poured and allowed to harden, wherein the plurality of fibers are capable of elongating in the event that concrete is poured into the enclosure of the composite shell due to a weight of the concrete, and partially shrinking back as the concrete dries to compensate for shrinkage of the concrete, and wherein the liner protects the composite shell from alkalinity in the concrete.