Formwork

Requirements of a
good Formwork
Types of formwork

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Introduction

 A mould or open box-like container into which

wet concrete is poured and compacted
 Necessary for in situ reinforced concrete
construction
 Supporting structure holding forms in place is
called falsework
 Temporary structure to be removed once
concrete it contains has formed (hardened)
 Could also be permanent

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In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Lumber

Plywood sheet

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In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Form Components

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In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Ground level

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 In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Base form

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 In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Concreting
of base

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In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Stump form

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 In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Concreting of
stump

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 In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Ground
beam form

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 In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Concreting of
ground beam

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In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Column form

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In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

Concreting
of column

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 In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process
Slab/beam formwork

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In-situ Reinforced Concrete Process

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Basic requirements of formwork

 Quality
 Safety
 Economy

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Quality

 Accuracy
 Produce accurate shape, size and
alignment of structure
 Designer should specify allowable
dimensional tolerance

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Quality

 Rigidity
 Resist any distortion during concreting
therefore formwork should be
supported, tied, braced

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Quality

 Watertight joints
 loss of water, cement and fines affect
final strength of concrete
 affect appearance, honeycombs, uneven
colour
 Less rectification costs

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Quality

 Good surface finish

 formwork surface in contact with
concrete should be even
 no screws, nails
 To achieve good surface application
apply mould oils called release agents

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Safety

 Withstand load of wet concrete, operatives

and equipments
 An unsafe formwork create insecure working
conditions thus resulting in inefficiency of
workers and reduce output

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Safety

 Provide adequate foundations – place

mudsills under all shoring
 Check surrounding excavations to ensure
that formwork does not fail due to
embankment failure
 Provide adequate bracings

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Safety

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Safety

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Safety

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Economy

 Of three elements in concrete structures –

concrete, reinforcement, formwork
 Formwork generally the most expensive

 Formwork – high % of labour

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Economy

Formwork:Labour and
Concrete:Labour and equip(39%) material
equip(8%):material (10%)
(24%) 49%
32%

Reinforcemet:Labour
andequip(7%):material
(12%)
19%

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Economy

 Factors influencing cost

 Material
 Labour
 Time

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Economy

Factors to achieve economy

 Standardisation
 Simplification
 Less labour
 Less time
 Reusability

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Economy

 Standardisation (Designing stage)

 Identical bay spacing
 Standardise column and beam sizes

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Economy

 Simplification
 Easy installation and removal of
formwork and all joints and supports
therefore less labour and time
 Easy handling size therefore less labour

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Economy

 Reusability
 Durable material
 Design for ease of striking without
damage therefore more number of times
of uses

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Types of Formwork

Categorised by material
 Timber
 Metal eg. steel and aluminium
 Plastic (PVC) and GRP (glass reinforced plastics)
 Laminated paper products (cardboards)
 Fiber cement materials moulded to shape
 Pre-cast concrete units used as permanent
formwork

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Timber Formwork

 Most common material

 plywood and boards
 Versatile
 Readily available

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Timber Formwork

 Advantage
 Custom manufactured in large panel
sizes
 Curved for special shapes
 Reuse many times

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Timber Formwork

 Disadvantage
 Liable to damage at corners and edges
 Wear out quicker
 Greater chance of leakage for boards
 Variability of absorbency

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Plywood

 Varies in thickness from 12 to 20 mm

 Common sheet sizes – 2400×1200 mm,
1800×900 mm
 Produce smooth concrete surface
 Coated in each face with phenolic resin film
or has a face layer of resin impregnated
paper
 Does not absorb water from wet concrete

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Timber Formwork

Timber boards

 Sawn timber boards – thickness 25 to 65 mm,

widths 70 to 250 mm

 Commonly used as edge boarding for concrete

cast on ground, road pavement, kerbs
foothpaths, fllor slabs and footing beams

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Metal Formwork

 Mainly proprietary system, consists of stiff metal

sheets and edges, mechanically handled and self
climbing formwork
 Use where high stresses occur
 Steel sections as a frame for plywood sheeting
 Steel plate may be used to replace plywood
sheeting for repeated number of uses
 Panels are made in a range of sizes and shapes
for the convenience of other combinations

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Metal Formwork

Advantage:
 Stiff and durable thus advantageous for reuse
 Closer tolerance
 Aluminium- for light weight construction

Disadvantage:
 Chemical reaction with fresh concrete which
may cause adverse effect to concrete properties

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Types of Formwork

Categorised by shape
 Column formwork
 Beam formwork
 Floor slab formwork
 Wall formwork

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Column Form

Bracing

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Column Form

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Beam and Slab Form

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Forms for Elevated Slab

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Mudsills

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Staircase Form

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Typical Wall Form

Double wales used and ties

inserted in between

Bracing to prevent form

movement

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Formwork Ties

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Formwork Ties

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Formwork Ties

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Formwork Ties

Tie Rods

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 Formwork Systems

 A special formwork constructed as a system

 System is usually proprietary
 Usually made of metal
 Need machinery for handling

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Formwork Systems

 Selecting forming systems is critical because

it affects
 speed of construction
 building cost
 Some prefabricated forming systems can
improve construction efficiency by saving
time and money

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Column Formwork System

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Column Formwork System

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Column Formwork System

Slacken off column spanner

and open first column frame

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Column Formwork System

Release second frame

from concrete

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Column Formwork System

Suspend formwork from crane

and shift to the next point of
use

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Column Formwork System

Frames can be
adjusted to required
size of formwork

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Column Formwork System

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Climbing Formworks

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Climbing Formworks

The retracted bracket allow

you to work safely within the
protection of the formwork –
finishing platform

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Selection of Types of Formworks

Factors to be considered
 Cost of construction (materials and labour)
 Easy installation and removal
 Reusability
 Safety
 Requirements of decorative finishes
 Availability of materials, instruments (lifting) and
labour

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Permanent Formwork

 A structural element used to mould concrete

and left in place for the life of the structure
 Contribute to strengthening of structure
 Provide additional benefits eg. improved
durability, finish or insulation property
 Improve safety by reducing hazards during
construction

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 General Safety Measures
 Used only materials approved (specifications/no
defect).
 Form - strong, properly supported (shores, braces).
 Pre-casting inspection - to check strength and stability
of forms.
 Install perimeter barriers (no visitors/vehicles).
 Inside surfaces of forms - oiled to ease strippings.
 No other unnecessary materials or equipment.
 Safety precautions signboards must be installed.

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