What is Form
work…..?
To confine and
support concrete
till it gaining
sufficient
Strength.
Temporary system
To contain fresh
concrete
To provide
required shape and
dimensions and to
support
To make self
supporting
Requirement of Formwork
Strong enough
Rigid enough
Material should not leak from joints
Should provide true dimensions required
It’s surface should be smooth enough
It should be easily removable
It should be economical
The selection of materials suitable for formwork
should be based on the economy and requirement
of job.
Common Materials
Timber
plywood
Steel
Aluminium
Timber-
widely used for many
construction
applications
Hard wood and
Softwood
commonly available
material
excellent strength,
weight and cost
factor.
Advantages of
Timber
Easy handling
because its light
weight
Easily available
Disadvantges-
Compared to metal, it has less Strength.
Less number of times we can reuse as compared to
metal
Plywood-
Special type of
Timber- Sheets
Provide smooth
surface
They have in
variety of
thickness and
lengths
They provide ease
of handling during
construction
Large sheets
provide large area
joint free
Plywood-
It is made up of thin layers of plies of wood called
"veneers" bonded together using a synthetic resin
adhesive.
The direction of grains of adjacent layers runs at
right angles to each other.
It possesses-
i) High strength in two principal directions,
ii) high resistance to splitting particularly while nailing close
to edges
iii) dimensional stability
As it is made up of wood, plywood possesses all the
superior features of wood like
High strength/stiffness to weight ratio,
Thermal and electrical insulation properties
Easy workability using hand tools.
Metal-
Initial cost is more as compared to Timber
More number of times we can re-use the metal
Preferred for heavy construction work
They can provide adequate rigidity and strength. Steel
or aluminium is the most widely used metals
Disadvantages-
Steel sheets have problem of rusting, 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.
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.
High initial cost
Preferable for large works with repetitions it proves
economical
Erection and removal of formwork is simple.
Specific structures- Round columns, curved surfaces,
tunnels etc steel formwork is preferable.
Aluminium-
Aluminium formwork is light
weight which reduces handling
costs.
It offsets its higher initial
material cost. When compared to
steel panels.
Aluminium panels used for
ganged forms weight
approximately 50% less,
compared to steel panel.
The major problem with
aluminium forms is corrosion:
Pure aluminium is attacked
chemically by wet concrete.
Aluminium alloys have proven to
be very successful in resisting
corrosion.
Aluminium
The strength of aluminium in handling, tension,
and compression is less than the strength of steel.
Because wet concrete can chemically attack
aluminium, it is desirable to use aluminium
alloys in resisting corrosion from the concrete.
Density of aluminium is 33% that of steel.
Use of aluminium alloys for forming and shoring
applications can be therefore, useful where
cost of transport and handling is a major
consideration.
FOR FOOTING
•Planks
•Cleats
For Column
Rectangular or
Square Column
Planks
Wedges
Yoke
Clean out hole
Two opposite cuts
for receiving beam
forms
Circular Column
For Beam
Formwork for beams consists of a bottom and two
sides (open through section) in addition to their
supporting elements. The bottom is typically made of
ply wood or lumber sheathing. The bottom is supported
by and fastened to horizontal joists. Beam sides are
also made of plywood or lumber sheathing
Two sides, one bottom support
Battens
Joist
Ledgers
Cleat
Staircase
•Riser
•Ribbon
•Stiffener
•Strut
•Joist
•Ledger
•Hangers
•Planks Sheeting
ADVANTAGES OF PRE- FABRICATED
FORMWORK
Very little on-site skilled labor needed.
The ability to reuse forms either as a large section or as
individual units.
All prefabricated systems are designed for light as well
as heavy construction.
Contractors can bid almost any type of work; straight,
curved.
Prefab forms may be set in any combination,
horizontally and vertically, to any wall height.
In a prefab system the contractor can remove and replace
forms at any point.
This simplifies erection and stripping, which can be started
at any location.
To allow for a casting pocket, a panel is simply removed
and replaced
Maintenance of forms can be a tiresome task, but well-
maintained forms mean more reuses.
A big advance in prefab forming has been the development
of gang forming, which is simply defined as the grouping
together and moving of a number of forms as a single unit.
The success of gang forming is due to the development of
easy-to-use hard ware and ties, made especially for this
forming technique.
Since pre forms are pre - engineered and precision made,
they offer the best materials available and work equally well
on all jobs, resulting in lower cost per use.
Drawbacks
Labour Cost is higher than cost of procuring reusable
formwork.
There is no flexibility in design, as pannels are of
identical.
Necessityof Advanced Formwork Techniques
Slip Form work
Tunnel Formwork
Cost economical
Provides ease to complex construction process
Speedy Work
Safety
Quality
Quality is enhanced despite the speed of
construction.
Slip-form construction
is a method for
Building large towers
or bridges from
Concrete.
The name refers to the
moving form.
The concrete is poured
into, which moves
along the project as
the previously poured
concrete hardens
behind it.
Vertical slip-form relies on the quick-setting
properties of concrete requiring a balance between
early strength gain and workability.
Concrete needs to be workable enough to be
placed to the formwork and strong enough to
develop early strength so that the form can slip
upwards without any disturbance to the freshly
placed concrete.
Method is suitable for construction of core walls in
high-rise structures – lift shafts, stair shafts,
towers.
The formwork rises continuously, at a rate of about
300 mm per hour, supporting itself on the core and
not relying on support or access from other parts of
the building or permanent works. •
Allows for the continuous pouring of concrete into
walls of a structure and only stops when the full
required height of the structure has been achieved.
Slip Form
Ribs
Yokes
Working
platform or Deck
Suspended
scaffolding
Lifting jacks
PROCEDURE :
Assembly can only start once the
foundations are in place and the wall
starter is in correct alignment.
Slip form shuttering is aligned with the
help of yokes.
Horizontal crossbeams connect these
yokes.
Hydraulic jacks are attached to these
crossbeams for simultaneous upward
movement.
Height of the slip form ranges from 1.1 to
1.5 metres.
Yokes and crossbeams also used to support
the working platform. Structure should be
rigid and shape maintained at all times.
It is also possible to reduce wall
thicknesses as the construction gains
height and arrangements have to be made
in the slip form structure that will enable
such reduction at regular intervals.
HORIZONTAL FORMWORK :
Slip form methods of construction can also be adapted
to horizontal structures and are used for paving, canals,
and tunneling.
The technique is more in use for structures that have
continuous walls like silos , chimneys, and piers for
very tall bridges.
It has also been successfully used for construction of
buildings, although this requires the manner of leaving
inserts for openings like doors and windows to be
decided well in advance, as well as also any necessary
inserts to support floor slabs after the walls are
constructed.
ADVANTAGES:
A major cost of concrete structure construction is the required
formwork to retain the concrete till it can be safely de-shuttered
and be able to support itself and other imposed loads.
The formwork needs to be continually removed to newer
locations and then re-erected.
Continuous use of manpower and lifting equipment like cranes.
In the case of slipform building, the formwork is erected only
once and remains intact until the entire structure is completed.
Great reduction in the cost of formwork as well as time saving
for reerection.
Cost effective
Saving onto the labour cost otherwise used for intermittent
concreting operations.
The reduction in the movement of formwork and workers also
leads to far more safe working conditions that also make it a
major advantage.
PRECAUTIONS
Concrete is continuously protected against loss of
moisture and rapid temperature changes for 7 days
Unhardened concrete is protected from rain and
flowing water
Prevent plastic shrinkage -Plastic cracks are filled by
injection of epoxy resin.
Tunnel form is a box sized
steel fabricated form that
allows the wall and the
slab to be casted in a
single operation.
Once reinforcement is
placed, concrete for walls
and slabs can be poured in
a continuous pour.
One slab is achieved in
one day i.e. 24 hours slab
cycle.
300-400 m2 of floor area
can be poured on a daily
basis.
Components of tunnel formwork are detailed as
follows:-
1. Vertical, Deck and back panel: Retain fresh concrete until it
gets set and cured.
2. Different platforms: Provided for movement and working of
labors and machinery and also for stripping out tunnels.
3. Push-pull props, wheeled prop: To maintain line and level of
tunnel.
4. Lifting triangle: Placed at center of mass of tunnel form deck
panel for lifting by tower crane.
5. Kicker form: Provided as starter formwork at slab level to
maintain position of next level tunnel form.
6. Slab stop end, Wall stop end: Provided as stopper to retain
fresh concrete up to wall and slab line.
7. Block outs: Block outs are fixed at vertical panels to provide
door, window and ventilation windows in walls.
Formwork panels are cleaned and oiled at the time
of Deshuttering itself
Ready wall reinforcement are placed in position
and after placing beams are fitted manually.
Forms are placed in position guided by concrete
starters
Slab reinforcement mesh and electrical-plumbing
conduits are fixed in reinforcement.
Walls, slab along with kickers (starters) are casted
in one continuous pour.
Formwork panels are ready to de shutter and shift
to next location by tower crane.
ADVANTAGES of tunnel formwork
Cost-effective, high quality construction, generating
significant savings in time and costs over alternative
methods without compromising on design. Building
The repetitive nature of the system and the use of
prefabricated forms and reinforcing mats/cages
simplifies the whole construction process, producing a
smooth and fast operation.
Quality-Quality is enhanced despite the speed of
construction.
Formwork creates a smooth, high quality finish capable
of receiving direct decoration with the minimum of
preparation.
Design-
The large bays constructed provide exceptional flexibility in the design
and layout of the building and allow a high degree of freedom in the
final appearance.
Safety-
Integral working platforms and edge protection systems.
The repetitive, predictable nature of the tasks involved encourages
familiarity with operations.
The minimal requirement for tools and equipment further reduces the
risk of accidents on site.
Sustainability
The in-situ casting of units on site and the local availability of ready-
mixed concrete supplies reduce transportation impacts.
Just-in-time deliveries and near zero wastage produce an overall tidier
site with associated cost savings and safety benefits.
Concrete’s thermal mass coupled with correct insulation and boiler
design minimizes heating costs and can even reduce air-conditioning
requirements.
Tunnel formwork come in half units and in the form of
an inverted “L” which are bolted together at the top to
form each tunnel.
The inbuilt wheels and the jacks help the formwork
move in and out of the position and adjusted to the final
height.
The factory-made steel formwork can be re-used up to
600 times and it can suit a variety of module sizes.
This makes the method of construction very versatile
and extremely economical.
Tunnel-form work allows a 24-hour construction cycle
to be achieved and thus the build-ability of in-situ
concrete is improved by choosing this type of
formwork.
