13.1.4.

FORMWORK
Concrete formwork serves as a mold to produce concrete elements having a desired size and
configuration. It is usually erected for this purpose and then removed after the concrete has cured to a
satisfactory strength.

Formwork by name means “The Mold” which means it is the casing into which the casting material,
usually concrete, is poured to obtain the desired structural shape.

Definitions

i. Shuttering is a vertical temporary arrangement which is arranged to bring concrete in a desired

shape. or Formwork which supports vertical arrangement is known as shuttering. In a technical
point of view, Formwork for columns, footings, retaining walls is called as a Shuttering.

ii. Centering is a temporary arrangement & part of formwork which is arranged to support horizontal
members. Or In a technical point of view, the formwork for floor beams & Slabs is called as a
Centering.

iii. Staging is a temporary member which is used to support formwork (either it may be for centering
or shuttering). It is done by props, jacks, H frames, cup lock system, wooden ballies, etc. (Refer
below image for clear understanding)

iv. Sheathing

There are various types sheathing available. The appropriate sheathing must be selected to obtain the
specified finish required. Options include:

 Sawn or planed timber ‐ edges may be square cut or tongue and grooved, to prevent grout
leakage. An alternative is a foam strip inserted between the boards.
 Plywood ‐ exterior grade or “formply” are available in various thickness. The grain on the outer
face must be parallel with the span of the wall formwork framing.
 Tempered hardboard ‐ produces a good finish, however, is less resistant to damage and multiple
use.
 Plastic linings give a good finish, however, it must have a solid backing.
 Rubber linings are sometimes used for textured finish.
 Glass fibre or other similar moulds maybe used for various architectural features on wall or
window panels.
Types of Formworks (Based on Construction)

Formwork system can be generally classified as Vertical Systems (wall and column) and Horizontal
Systems (slab and beam). The material serving as the contact face of forms is known as sheathing and it
is used in both the vertical and horizontal systems.

i. Formwork Horizontal Systems:

Horizontal formwork systems are used to temporarily support horizontal concrete work such as concrete
beams and slabs. Formwork systems for horizontal concrete work can be also classified into two main
categories: hand-set systems and crane-set systems.
In hand-set systems, different formwork elements can be handled by one or two laborers. Conventional
wood system includes formwork for slabs, beams, and foundations. The system is generally built of lumber
or a combination of lumber and plywood

In crane-set systems, adequate crane services must be available to handle formwork components. Flying
formwork systems, column-mounted shoring systems, and tunnel formwork are classified under crane-
set systems

Types of Formworks (Based on Materials)

a) Timber Formwork
Timber used for shuttering for exposed concrete work should have smooth and even surface on all faces
which come in contact with concrete. Timber Shuttering is easy to construct for any shape, size and
height. It is economical for Small projects. It can easily be made into any shape or size.

b) Plywood Formwork

Resin bonded plywood sheets are attached to timber frames to make up panels of required sizes. The
cost of plywood formwork compares favorably with that of timber shuttering. It is strong enough,
durable and light weight.

c) Steel Formwork

This consist of panels fabricated out of thin steel plates stiffened along the edges by small steel angles.
The panel units can be held together through the use of suitable clamps or bolts and nuts. Steel
shuttering is strong, durable and has longer life. It gives very smooth finish to surface of member.

d) Aluminum Form work

Aluminum formwork is similar in many respects similar to those made of steel. Aluminum forms are
lighter than steel forms due to low density and this is their primary advantage when compared to steel.
The shuttering is economical if large numbers of repeating usage are made in construction

e) Plastic Formwork
Plastic form work is a lightweight modular, interlocking system and can be used more than 100 times. It
can be used for simple concrete structures. This type of shuttering is becoming popular for similar shape
and large housing scheme.

f) Fabric Formwork
Fabric formwork is emerging technology in shuttering industry for construction of irregular shape and
complex member. The flexibility of this material makes it possible to produce concrete at any shape.

Importance of Formwork
1. Time Management - Good formwork systems help to minimize floor to floor construction cycle time,
thereby achieving substantial indirect cost saving for the project.
2. Safety - Modern formwork systems provide designed solutions against all superimposed loads
thereby ensuring structural safety. Also they integrate proper access and working platform
arrangements in the scheme to ensure workmen safety.
3. Quality - Surface finishing of any concrete is solely contributed by quality & type of formwork used.
Superior surface finish imparted by Aluminium formwork, Tunnel form eliminates the need of plastering
for any RCC surface.
4. Project Planning - Proper knowledge of formwork management facilitates on-time mobilization &
demobilization of formwork resources, effective set movements, minimize idling, maximize repetitions
and minimize cost. It also helps in correct time & cost inputs for tendering process.
5. Human Resource - Formwork activities require specialized skill sets for all levels of personnel
involved. Hence proper skill assessment, training & effectiveness tracking are continual mandatory
needs to maximize labor productivity.
6. Capital Management - Substantial quantum of Formwork materials owned by any construction
company fall under asset category and travels from one project to the next. Hence accounting, physical
verification, loss mitigation needs to be practiced meticulously to avoid unnecessary substantial cost
impacts
a) Design Requirements of Formwork
i. Easy Removal (Speed and Time): it should be removed easily with least amount of
hammering (may damage surface or edges)
ii. Economy: As the formwork doesn’t contribute anything to the stability of the finished
structure, it should be made economical by reducing the cost through proper design and
construction
iii. Strength: it should withstand all loads coming on to it, i.e. dead load of concrete and live
load during pouring, compaction and curing. Loads on formwork should be estimated
careful. Since Overestimation of loads results in expensive formwork and under-
estimation leads to formwork failure.
iv. Rigidity: The formwork should be stiff(rigid) so that deflection is minimum. For Visible
surface of completed work, the deflection is limited to 1/300 of span, and for hidden
surface, it is limited to 1/150 of span. It should be noted that a rigid formwork will be
robust and stiff enough to allow repeated use.
v. Less Leakage: The Formwork should be arranged so that there is minimum of leakage
through the joints. This is achieved by providing tight joints between adjacent sections
of formwork.
vi. Smooth Surface: The surface of the formwork should be smooth, and should afford easy
stripping. This is achieved by applying crude oil or soft soap solution to the inside
surface of formwork
vii. Safety: Forms must be built with sufficient strength and factors of safety so they are
capable of supporting all dead and live loads without collapse or danger to workers and
to the concrete structure. Contractors are generally responsible for stability and safety
of concrete formwork.

b) Suitable Materials for Formwork

The selection of materials suitable for formwork should be based on the price, safety during construction,
and the quality required in the finished product. Approval of formwork materials by the
engineer/architect, if required by the contract documents, should be based on how the quality of
materials affects the quality of finished work.
Where the concrete surface appearance is critical, the engineer/architect should give special notice and
make provision for preconstruction mockups. Materials used for the construction of concrete formwork
range from traditional materials such as Timber, steel, aluminum, and plywood to nontraditional materials
such as fiberglass. The systems used can be a combination of two materials. Wood products are the most
widely used material for formwork. The objective of this section is to introduce Timber as an important
material for formwork.

i. Timber
Timber is widely used for many construction applications including concrete formwork. Timber is
harvested from trees and is classified as hardwood and softwood. Hardwood comes from trees that have
broad leaves such as oaks, maples, and basswood. Softwood comes from trees that have needlelike
leaves such as pines, cedars, and firs.

Softwoods are most commonly used in construction of formwork. Timber is suitable for constructing
concrete forms is available in a variety of sizes, grades, and species groups. The form designer should
determine what is economically available before specifying a particular grade or species group of timber
for constructing the forms. Timber is commonly available material and has excellent strength, weight and
cost factor.

A special type of timber is known as plywood. It is used extensively for formwork for concrete, especially
for sheathing (the material serving as the contact face of), decking, and form linings. The relatively large
sheets of plywood have reduced the cost of building and at the same time have provided smooth surface.
That reduces cost of finishing of concrete surfaces, availability in a variety of thicknesses and lengths, and
ease of handling during construction.

Plywood is a manufactured wood product consist a number of veneer sheets, or plies Type of plywood
can be grouped as exterior and interior. For formwork the exterior plywood is used. Adhesive used to
bond the piles in manufacturing of exterior plywood is watertight and gives maximum number of reuses.
The plywood industry manufactures special plywood called Ply form specifically for use in forming
concrete structures.

ii. Metals:

The initial cost of metal formwork is more than timber formwork but the number of reuses of metal
formwork is higher than that of timber. In long run metal formwork can be economical. In heavy
construction works metal formwork may require a lifting mechanism to handle the formwork panels or
props. Steel sheet formwork has the problem of rusting also. To avoid rusting, in every use the surfaces
should be oiled with an appropriate releasing agent. In metal formwork usage, the metal sheets are
prepared as panels of standard sizes. This brings the difficulties of erecting irregular dimensions of
formwork. For certain uses, forms made of steel have several advantages over forms made of other
materials. They can provide adequate rigidity and strength. Steel or aluminum or magnesium is the most
widely used metals

a) Steel:
 The major advantages of steel sections in formwork are the ability of steel to form longer spans and its
indefinite potential for reuse when handled with reasonable care. Steel sections are used in the
fabrication of different formwork components, namely:

 Steel panel forms.

 Horizontal and vertical shores.
 Steel pan and dome components used for joist and waffle slabs.
 Steel pipes for formwork bracing.

Other heavy forms and formwork are also made of steel, such as bridge formwork.

Steel is used for formwork when other materials are impossible to use because of their low strength. Steel
forms are typically patented, and allowable loads are generally published by the manufacturers.

b) Aluminum:

Aluminum stems from have lighted weight which reduces handling costs and offsets its higher initial
material cost. When compared to steel panels, aluminum panels used for ganged forms weight
approximately 50% less.

The major problem with aluminum forms is corrosion: Pure aluminum is attacked chemically by wet
concrete. Aluminum alloys have proven to be very successful in resisting corrosion. Support trusses
fabricated with aluminum alloys have been effectively used for flying forms.

These forms are lightweight and allow large lengths of deck forms to be moved easily. Cast aluminum
alloy molds have also been used successfully to form ornamental concrete products. Aluminum wall forms
have also been used to produce textures on the surfaces of concrete walls.

Forms made from aluminum are in many respects similar to those made of steel. However, because of
their lower density, aluminum forms are lighter than steel forms, and this is their primary advantage when
compared with steel. Because the strength of aluminum in handling, tension, and compression is less than
the strength of steel, it is necessary to use larger sections when forms are made of aluminum. Because
wet concrete can chemically attack aluminum, it is desirable to use aluminum alloys in resisting corrosion
from the concrete.

iii. Plastic

Forms fabricated from glass-reinforced plastic have a good strength, light weight, and high number of
reuses. Glass-reinforced plastic also produces high quality concrete finishes. Glass-reinforced plastic
forms are very flexible and can form complex or nonstandard shapes with little capital investment.
Plastic formwork could be reinforced or un-reinforced.

Plastic is reinforced by glass fibers. Reinforced plastics are specially produced for a specific formwork
type. Un-reinforced plastics are produced in sheet form with smooth or textured surfaces. Plastic
formwork is lighter but less durable than metal formwork.

To fabricate glass-reinforced plastic forms, models of plaster, wood, or steel are prepared to the exact
desired dimensions. The model is then waxed, polished, and sprayed with a parting agent to prevent
sticking of the resin to the master pattern. Glass mat is then fitted over the model and thoroughly
saturated with a brush-coat of polyester resin. When the resin has set and the heat dissipated, another
layer of glass mat and polyester resin is added, and this process is repeated until the desired thickness of
the fiberglass sheet is achieved.

Another method to build glass-reinforced plastic forms is through the use of a spray gun to apply the
resin to chopped strands of fiberglass, which are used as the reinforcing material. To increase the
number of potential reuses with any of the methods of fabrication mentioned, an extra thickness of
resin is molded into the contact surface or additional stiffening and supports are added by means of
built-up ribs, wood struts, steel rods, or aluminum tubing.

The two major problems associated with glass-reinforced plastic forms are attack by alkalies in the
concrete and form expansion because of exposure to hot sun or heat from hydration of cement

c) Sketch Formwork for Different Uses

i. Slab

ii. Beams
iii. Columns
 iv. Stairs

v. Ramps

d) Estimate Right Quantities of Required Materials for Formwork

See Pdf: Estimate Formworks of Columns, Beams, and Girders(Calculations)