International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(3), ISSN: 2394-9333
www.ijtrd.com
Comparative Study and Decision Making for A
formwork Technique to be adopted on A Construction
Site
1
Deepak Mehra, 2Dr. Pankaj Singh and 3Ravindra Gautam,
1
M.Tech Scholar, 2HOD, 3Associate Professor,
1,2
SRK University, Bhopal, India, 3KIET Group of Institutions Ghaziabad, India
Abstract: To address the housing and transportation
requirements of an exponentially increasing population, Indian
construction industry has grown by leaps and bounds. Thus
with the globalization of Indian economy & introduction of
multinational companies in India for construction activities, it
has become imperative to have precise & speedy construction
projects. Conventional construction methods are not able to
cope with the demand of infrastructural facilities with high
degree of quality control & assurance. No doubt, conventional
methods prove to be economical, but they fail in providing
required number of dwellings in time; hence latest construction
technologies by applying fast-track construction is the only
remedy left to address this issue. Formwork is an important
part of construction and it takes 25-30 % of total cost of
construction. Thus with the use of new technologies in
formwork, construction permits casting of larger elements in a
single pour, which reduces time and labour requirement as
compared to conventional methods. Thus, the various new
systems have promised to achieve overall economy with faster
as well as high quality construction. In this paper, an attempt is
made to have a comparative study of established conventional
formwork technology with a set of new formwork techniques,
which are currently not used much in Indian construction
industry; and hence suggest which method is superior for the
construction project under consideration.
Keywords: Fast-track Construction, Formwork, Cost, quality
control, quality assurance etc.
I. INTRODUCTION
Formwork is a term given to temporary or permanent matrix or
a mold comprising of all supporting members, the whole and
sole function of which is to give appearance and assist concrete
till sufficient strength to carry its own weight is achieved. It
should be able to bear all imposed and live loads apart from its
own self-weight. From past 3 decades the use of formwork
systems for concrete construction has been developed
appreciably. The upheaval till now concentrated on on-site
production, health and safety, environmental issues which
helped the concrete industry towards improved efficiency and
better quality of construction. Different range of formwork
systems offers wide solutions to concrete construction which
aids to suit the requirements of a particular development.
Traditional formwork techniques for formwork construction
offer tailor made solutions requiring skilled labours. This
formwork technique offers indigent safety features and slow
rate of site construction and waste generation is also on large
scale.
Advanced Techniques in Formwork
As time progressed, the use of advanced techniques of
formwork for construction of structures has gained wide
acceptance. In the present competitive market, speed and
IJTRD | May – Jun 2020
Available Online@www.ijtrd.com
efficiency are of prime importance; thus by use of advanced
technology, the duration of project is reduced by using latest
materials, equipment‟s and techniques which are effective,
durable and intensify the pace of construction. Some of the
advanced construction formwork techniques used now days is
viz…
 H-Beam
 Plastic formwork
 Fiber-reinforced polymer formwork system
 Aluminum panel system formwork
 Jump form or Slip form system
As the use of the techniques gained prime importance in the
market, many organizations like MIVAN, Doka, Plastech, and
RMD etc., started producing such techniques under their own
brand, which is widely used in the Indian Construction
Industry now-a-days.
The increase in population and the limitation of space has
leaded the way to multi-storey or high-rise buildings. In order
to make these structures sound, we need to focus on factors
that impart strength to concrete and this is where formwork
plays an integral role. Formwork is a temporary structure like a
die or mould, used to contain poured concrete, to give concrete
the desired shape and support it until it attains sufficient
strength to carry its own weight. Formwork should be capable
of carrying all imposed dead and live loads apart from its own
weight. Pantheon, a former Roman temple and now a church in
Rome, is the earliest example of use of mould for concreting.
Formwork should be properly designed, fabricated, and erected
to achieve high quality concrete finish. If this is not done
properly the desired shape and strength of concrete is not
achieved.
Formwork planning process is divided in 3 stages
First stage: The necessary information and limiting conditions
must be collected and defined. When projects of similar nature
are executed, a checklist can be of immense help in obtaining
information required to prepare a complete scheme.
Second stage: The formwork system to be used can be
selected. In addition to cost of the materials, the choice of the
system will be influenced by the experience of the planner and
of the team, which has to set up the formwork on the site, and
by the project archive. A database / project archive that
captures the experience gathered over the years can aid in cost
effective system selection.
Third stage: This involves all engineering design tasks. This
part of the process is most time consuming. It is important to
be able to allow for changes arising at later phases of the
project. The emphasis should be on maximum reuse of
materials available and procuring minimum materials Just-In-
Time.
171
 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(3), ISSN: 2394-9333
www.ijtrd.com
Plastic form work System
(i) Easy Handling: Light weight so very easy to handle
by single labor as well
(ii) Superior Finish: Gives a good surface finish of the
wall, columns, beams & slabs etc.
(iii) Reusable: It can be used 80 to 100 repetitions.
(iv) Water Resistant: Can be used in fresh and salt water.
(v) Environment Friendly: Green product (even carbon
credits can be earned if applied).
(vi) Flexibility: Sizes can be changed very easily as it is
modular allowing low inventory.
(vii) Safety: Plastic and light weight allows for safer
working conditions avoiding fall hazard during both
setup and dismantling.
(viii) Fast Setup: The simple mechanics of speeds up the
assembling at removal operations saving a lot of time.
(ix) Simplified Logistics: The need for amount of
material is reduced at site as the same panels can be
used for wall, slabs, shear wall, columns, foundations,
pile caps, rafts etc.
(x) Leakage Proof: No leakage between joints due to its
good locking.
(xi) Easy Cleaning: No need of using shuttering oil if
cleaned with water after each repetition.
(xii) Storage: No special storage space is required can be
stored even in water areas and in open as well.
(xiii) Plaster Cost Saving: There is no need to plaster as
the finish is good.
(xiv) Labour Cost Saving: No need of skilled carpenter‟s
normal unskilled people can do the job in supervision
and it takes less time labour is saved.
(xv) Light Weight: The average weight is around 15 kg
per sq. mtr .
New Applications: Monolithic applications for high rise
buildings using drop head system for faster cycles, can be used
in cellular low weight concrete cast in situ walls having density
of 1000 to 1200 with installing electrical piping plumbing
fitting, door frames, window frames, air conditioner piping etc
done in one go saving a lot of labour and time making the
project low cost and deliverable on time
Conventional Formwork
(i) Conventional formwork has normal quality
(ii) Speed of construction is slow because of step by step
completion of building element like Column, Beam,
Slab so that lines on surface is visible may be due to
plastering must be required.
(iii) In conventional formwork wood so it is not eco-
friendly.
(iv) Various type of conventional formwork such as steel
formwork, wooden formwork. It is not easily carried
because of heavy in weight.
Objective of the Study: -
(i) Study on Some Modern Formwork System and
Conventional Formwork.
(ii) Study on working cycle of Some Modern Formwork
System and Conventional Formwork.
(iii) Introduce advanced Modern formwork systems to
Indian construction industry and lay emphasis on the
IJTRD | May – Jun 2020
Available Online@www.ijtrd.com
high quality, speedy construction and if used
effectively the economically which formwork yields.
(iv) Present comparative study of Modern formwork and
conventional formwork to eliminate the reasons which
act as barrier for the local construction industries
while opting for new formwork techniques like tunnel
formwork.
II. METHODOLOGY
Since cost is one of the most important factors for successful
implementation of a construction project, there is quite a
dilemma for construction contractors in deciding formwork on
a construction site. Hence, to highlight the importance of
formwork selection, an attempt has been made in this paper to
decide the best suitable technique for a particular project by
comparatively studying these techniques and then establish a
correlation w.r.t time and cost parameters between these
techniques. This will be achieved in following stages:
 Choose a typical floor plan and calculate the no. of
columns, beams, slabs along with their respective areas.
 Decide the various formwork techniques that can be
adopted and analyze cost/m2 of the same.
 Prepare comparative statement including factors like
economy, speed construction, strength etc.
 Calculate the overall cost required for various formwork
techniques considering various cost stated in
comparative statement.
 Evaluate the probable time on the basis of cycle time
adopted in comparative statement.
Data Collection
The project undertaken for the study is Realty 22 storey
building being constructed in Mumbai. The project isproposed
to have spacious 1, 2, 3 BHK apartments and4BHK penthouse
on the topmost level of the project, alongpodium car parking,
refreshing surroundings and otherluxurious amenities.In
addition to this, survey was carried out on 15 different projects
in and around Mumbai & Delhi, with all the factors leading to
the cost of various types of formworks, like cost of materials,
labours, props, accessories etc., based on which a comparative
statement is prepared.
The time plays the main role in the cost of any project and is
greatly affected by the type of system adopted. The case study
will be helpful for the choice of formwork to be used in
coming future. Also this will be helpful to minimize the
construction waste due to the formwork. Study on different
component of Modern Formwork System and Conventional
Formwork .also study advantages and disadvantages, working
cycle, Economic analysis of Modern Formwork System and
Conventional Formwork.
III. TECHNICAL COMPARISONS
Comparisons
There are different types of formwork which are using for
construction of building. But now day‟s conventional
formworks are not feasible to use according to cost, time and
handling. Table below gives comparison between various types
of conventional formworks and modern formworks.
172
 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(3), ISSN: 2394-9333
www.ijtrd.com

Fig 3.1: Typical Floor Plan

Table 6.1: Comparative Statement of Various formworks

Conventio Fast Track

Sr. Convention
Parameters nal
No. al Steel Plastech RMD Doka Peri
Timber

Cost
Initial Investment Low High High High High High
2
Average Cost (Rs.) / m 400 1000 1200 1300 1200 1400
1 Included in Included in Included in Included in
Props & Accessories Cost
2 2 formwork formwork formwork formwork
(Rs.) / m2
cost cost cost cost
Labour Cost (Rs.) / m2 30 30 35 35 40 40
Repetition Cycle 7 30 150 150 150 150
2
Repetition Cost /sq.m 57 33 8 9 8 10
Cycle time for casting
3 atleast 100 sq.m (days) 5 5 2 1 1 1
Strength (Permissible
Fresh Concrete
4 30 -------- 100 80 60 50
Pressure) in KN/sq.m

IJTRD | May – Jun 2020

Available Online@www.ijtrd.com 173
 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(3), ISSN: 2394-9333
www.ijtrd.com
5 Durability Low Low High High High Medium
Fair Faced
6 Surface Finishing Rough Average Smooth Smooth Average
surface
7 Wastage of materials High Average Nil Nil Nil Nil
Not Not
8 Planning of System Required Required Required Required
Required Required
Accuracy in
9 Very Less Very Less Superior Superior Superior Superior
Construction
Not Not
10 Aesthetics Superior Superior Superior Superior
superior superior
Manpower requirement
11 (including supervisors Medium Medium High High High High
and engineers)
Not Not
12 Training Programs Required Required Required Required
Provided Provided

CALCULATIONS
Total area of formwork required = 17,658 m2
COST
Overall cost of conventional timber
= 17658*57+17658*2+17658*30
= Rs. 15, 71,652/-
Overall cost of conventional steel
= 17658*33+17658*2+17658*30
= Rs. 11, 47,770/-
Overall cost of Plastech
= 17658*8+17658*35
= Rs. 7, 59,294/-
Graph 6.1: Cost Comparison of various formworks
Overall cost of Peri
= 16855.364*10+16855.364*40+802.36*57 PROBABLE TIME
+802.36*2+802.36*30@ It is calculated on the basis of cycle time showed in
= Rs. 7, 96,191/- comparative statement

Overall cost of RMD Duration with Conventional Timber

= (17658*5/100) /365
= 16855.364*9+16855.364*35+802.36*57 = 2.42 yrs.
+802.36*2+802.36*30@
= Rs. 8, 13,046/- Duration with Conventional Steel

Overall cost of Doka = (17658*5/100) /365

= 2.42 yrs.
= 16855.364*8+16855.364*40+802.36*57
+802.36*2+802.36*30@ Duration with Plastech
= Rs. 8, 80,468/-
= (17658*2/100) / 365
Note : @ = Additional cost incurred because Doka, Peri, = 1 yrs.
RMD etc. is installed after completing two levels of a
building using conventional timber. Duration with Peri

= (17658*1/100) /365
= 6 months

Duration with RMD

= (17658*1/100) / 365
= 6 months

Duration with Doka

IJTRD | May – Jun 2020

Available Online@www.ijtrd.com 174
 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(3), ISSN: 2394-9333
www.ijtrd.com
= (17658*1/100) /365
= 6 month
Graph 6.2: Time Comparison of various formworks
CONCLUSION
On the basis of results obtained it can be concluded that for
the study project, Plastech formwork seems to be the best
feasible solution for the project. Although Doka, Peri, RMD
etc. seems to consume less time but the overall cost is quite
large and in India, where there are many uncertainties
involved in a project, any stoppage of work due to whatever
reason, leads to a huge impact on the pockets of developers; as
Doka, Peri and RMD needs additional equipment along with
its own infrastructure to perform its functions. Also Plastech
functions same as conventional timber and does not required
any additional equipments for installing, if work is stopped
due to certain reason the losses incorporated will not be huge
as in case of other techniques.
For this study, MIVAN formwork technique was not
taken under consideration, as its initial cost is very high. Also
recent studies have shown that MIVAN shuttering becomes
economical only if it is used in Mass Housing Projects. The
decision was made on parameters like cost, quality, speed of
construction etc. but the aspects like safety, uncertainties, site
restrictions and constraints must be studied in detail to have a
complete picture of reality and hence arrive at a more precise
and trustworthy decision.
References
[1] Ms. Aakanksha Dilip Chaudhary Study of Tunnel
Formwork System & Comparative Analysis with
Conventional Formwork International Journal of
Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 8, Issue 5,
May-2017 1281 ISSN 2229-5518 IJRET © 2017
http://www.ijret.org
[2] Erol Kalkan1* And S. Bahadir Yüksel2 Pros And
Cons Of Multistory Rc Tunnel-Form (Box-Type)
Buildings The Structural Design Of Tall And Special
Buildings Struct. Design Tall Spec. Build. (2007)
Published online in Wiley Interscience
(www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/tal.368
[3] Randolf Miranda, Anand Kodre Advanced Tunnel
Form Construction Technique, Case Study of “Rohan-
Abhilasha, Wagholi” International Journal of
Scientific Engineering and Science Volume 2, Issue 3,
pp. 54-57, 2018. ISSN (Online): 2456-7361 54
http://ijses.com/
IJTRD | May – Jun 2020
Available Online@www.ijtrd.com
[4] Hisham A. AbouIbrahim,andFarook R. Hamzeh Role
Of Formwork Systems In High-Rise Construction 5th
International/11th Construction Specialty Conference
Vancouver, British Columbia June 8 to June 10, 2015 /
8 juin au 10 juin 2015
[5] Tejas D. Aradhye, Emeritus M. R. Apte Study Of
Advanced Tunnel Formwork System In High Rise
Building IJRET: International Journal of Research in
Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 |
pISSN: 2321-7308 Volume: 05 Issue: 05 | May-2016,
Available @ http://ijret.esatjournals.org 529
[6] Mr. Amol S. Deshmukh, Mr. Manas A. Shalgar Study
of Tunnel Formwork versus Aluminium Formwork.
International Research Journal of Engineering and
Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056 Volume: 03
Issue: 12 | Dec -2016 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-
0072 © 2016, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 4.45 | ISO
9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 477
[7] Mr. Manas A. Shalgar, Mr. Tejas D. Aradhye
Introduction to advanced TUNNEL Formwork system:
Case study of „Rohan - Abhilasha‟ International
Research Journal of Engineering and Technology
(IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056 Volume: 04 Issue: 03 |
Mar -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2017,
IRJET | Impact Factor value: 5.181 | ISO 9001:2008
Certified Journal | Page 294
[8] AngithaSasidharan, Mohammed Aslam International
Journal of Research in Advent Technology (E-ISSN:
2321-9637) Special Issue International Conference on
Technological Advancements in Structures and
Construction “TASC- 15”, 10-11 June 2015 108
Comparative Study of Tunnel Form and Framed
Buildings by Dynamic Analysis
[9] K Anitha, P Deepan, V Shanmugavadivu, P Kathirvel
Constructability assessment of conventional formwork
and automated formworks in commercial building
National Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and
Development ISSN: 2455-9040 Impact Factor: RJIF
5.22 www.nationaljournals.com Volume 3; Issue 1;
January 2018; Page No. 1177-1182
[10] Patil Sneha Mahesh, BidaviRiddhiRajendra,
FradeSupriya Chandrakant ,WableVaishaliVishwanath
Timber Formwork International Journal Of
Interdisciplinary Innovative Research And
Development (IJIIRD) ISSN: 2456-236X Vol. 01
Issue 04, May-2017 010414 www.ijiird.com 60
[11] K.Loganathan , K.E.Viswanathan A Study Report On
Cost, Duration And Quality Analysis Of Different
Formworks In High-Rise Building International
Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume
7, Issue 4, April-2016 ISSN 2229-5518
[12] KalbhorShailesh S , Dr. A. C. Attar Comparative
Analysis of Tunnel Formwork System and Aluminum
Formwork System for High Rise Buildings
International Journal of Engineering Research &
Technology (IJERT) http://www.ijert.org ISSN: 2278-
0181 IJERTV6IS050520 www.ijert.org Vol. 6 Issue
05, May – 2017
175