A presentation on

FORMWORK IN CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT
Definitions
Concrete formwork is the temporary
structure built to support and confine
concrete until it hardens and it is
commonly broken into two categories:
formwork and shoring. Formwork refers
to vertical forms used to form walls and
columns whereas shoring refers to
horizontal formwork to support slabs and
beams.

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Type
Forms can be either
pre-engineered panels
custom-built for the job.

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Formwork

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The advantage of pre-engineered
panels is the speed of assembly
The ease of reconfiguring the forms to
cycle to multiple pour locations.

Disadvantage
The panels are fixed and tie dimensions
limit their architectural applications and
allowable design loads as may be required
in certain applications.
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Custom-built forms advantage
Custom-built forms are designed to
maximize the efficiency for each
application
 Custom forms can be built to
accommodate any architectural
consideration or loading condition.
Disadvantage
They are not as easy to reconfigure for
other pour locations.
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Wall forms are typically assembled lying flat
on the ground and must be lifted vertically
and flown into place. For tall panels, lifting
the panel to a vertical position subjects the
form to large bending moments, so the pick
points must be carefully designed so that the
panel components are not overloaded in this
process. Once the panels are flown into
place they are secured with bracing to plumb
the forms and resist wind forces.
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 Why do we need to design forms?
 Forms are designed for a lateral concrete pressure that
is dependent upon many factors including concrete
type, pour height, pour rate, temperature, and the use of
superplasticizers and retarding admixtures.

 The design concrete pressure should be discussed early

on during the design of the formwork since that will
influence the contractor’s allowable pour rate.

 If a slow setting concrete and/or a fast pour rate is

planned, the forms might need to be designed for
higher concrete pressures than normally practiced.
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Other code provision ASCE 37
specifies design live loads
Operational
Description Uniform live load
class

Sparsely populated personnel access

Very light duty 20 psf
such as catwalks

Concrete placed by hose with hand

Light duty 25 psf
finishing tools

Concrete placed by buckets, chutes,

Medium duty or handcarts or finished with 50 psf
motorized screeds

Concrete transported or placed using

Heavy duty 75 psf
motorized buggies

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Concrete Formwork Design Considerations

Lateral concrete pressure on formwork is

affected by:
Height of concrete pour
Concrete pour rate
Weight of concrete
Temperature
Type of cement
Vibration
Concrete slump (water–cement ratio)
Chemical additives
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1) Height of concrete pour

Before concrete hardens, it acts like a liquid

and pushes against the forms the way water
presses against the walls of a storage tank.
The amount of pressure at any point on the
form is directly determined by the height
and weight of concrete above it. Pressure is
not affected by the thickness of the wall.

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Effect of pressure

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2) Concrete pour rate:
Concrete pressure at any point on the
form is directly proportional to the height
of liquid concrete above it. If concrete
begins to harden before the pour is
complete, the full liquid head will not
develop and the pressure against the
forms will be less than if the pour were
completed before any of concrete
hardened.

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Pressure and liquid deposit
Once concrete hardens it cannot exert
more pressure on the forms even though
liquid concrete continues to be placed
above it. The following diagrams
illustrates how form pressure varies when
the pour rate is increased from one level
to another level. For ease of explanation,
it is assumed that concrete hardens in one
hour (typically) at 21°C.

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Diagrammatic illustration

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Pour rate effect…

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3) Weight of Concrete:
 Pressure exerted against the forms is
directly proportional to the unit weight of
concrete. Lightweight concrete will exert
less pressure than normal weight concrete
as shown below:

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4) Temperature:
 The time it takes concrete to harden is influenced greatly by
its temperature. The higher the temperature of the concrete,
the quicker it will harden. Most formwork designs are based
on an assumed average air and concrete temperature of 21°C.
 At low air temperatures, the hardening of concrete is delayed
and you need to decrease your pour rate or heat your concrete
to keep the pressure against the formwork from increasing.
 Ideally, concrete should be poured at temperatures between
16°C and 35°C. Outside this temperature range there is often
insufficient moisture available for curing. If adequate water
for curing is not available or freezes, the strength of the
concrete will suffer.

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5) Type of Cement:
 The cement type will influence the rate at
which concrete hardens. A high early
strength concrete will harden faster than
normal concrete and will allow a faster
pour rate. When using a cement which
alters the normal set and hardening time,
be sure to adjust the pour rate accordingly.

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6) Vibration:
 Internal vibration consolidates concrete
and causes it to behave like the pure
liquid. If concrete is not vibrated, it will
exert less pressure on the forms. Re-
vibration and external vibration result in
higher form loads than internal vibration.
These types of vibration require specially
designed forms.

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7) Concrete Slump:

The ‘slump’ of concrete refers to the

consistency of fresh concrete before it sets –
the higher the slump, the more fluid the
concrete is.
When concrete has very low slump, it acts
less like a liquid and will transmit less
pressure. When using concrete with a slump
greater than 100 mm, the formwork should
be designed to resist full liquid head.
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8) Chemical additives:
The additives are added to a water-cement
mixture to increase the life of the
concrete, control setting, and hardening
and fix the general concrete behavior.
They can be powdered or liquid additives.
When using chemical additives – i.e.
retarders, plasticizers, etc. – make sure to
refer to the vendor’s application data.

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Requirements Of Good Formwork:
 Strong and rigidly constructed & efficiently propped and
braced.
 Leakage proof.
 Construction of formwork should permit removal of various
parts in desired sequences without damage to the concrete.
 The material of the formwork should be cheap, easily
available and should be suitable for reuse.
 To be set accurately to the desired line and levels.
 As light as possible.
 The material of the formwork should not warp or get distorted
when exposed to the elements.
 It should rest on firm base.

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Most common types of formwork

Formwork can be made up of

 Timber
 Steel

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Timber formwork
mostcommon and oldest type of
formwork used in construction

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Timber formwork
Offers on site fabrication of the
required shape and size

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Advantages
This type of formwork can easily form
any shape, size and height
Economical for small scale projects
Locally available timber can be used
Lightweight as compared to steel
formwork
Low cost and easily workable shuttering

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Disadvantages
Time consuming for large scale projects

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Steel formwork
more popular due to its strength,
durability, and repetitive reuse for
a long period

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Steel formwork
offers a smooth surface
finish to concrete compared to
timber formwork.

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Advantages
Steel has is strong, durable (less wear and
tear) & has a longer life
 offers a smooth finish to the surface of
the member
 completely waterproof or moisture–
proof and minimizes the honeycombing
effect.
It can be reused for multiple times
Steel formwork can
be fixed and removed with greater ease
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 Beam Formworks
 Formwork for beams takes the form of a three-sided
box which is supported and propped in the correct
position and to the desired level.

 The removal time for the formwork will vary with

air temperature, humidity and consequent curing rate
. Typical striking times are as follows (using
air temperature of 7-16 ºC):
 Beam sides: 9-12 hours.
 Beam soffits: 8-14 days.
 Beam props: 15-21 days.

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Cleaning & treatment of Formwork

 All rubbish, particularly, chippings, shavings and

sawdust shall be removed from the interior of the forms
before the concrete is placed.
 The face of formwork in contact with the concrete shall
be cleaned and treated with form release agent.
 Release agents should be applied so as to provide a thin
uniform coating to the forms without coating the
reinforcement.

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REMOVAL/STRIPPING OF
FORMWORK
 For removable forms, once the concrete has been poured
into formwork and has set (or cured), the formwork
is struck or stripped (removed) to expose the finished
concrete.
 Forms shall not be released until the concrete has
achieved a strength.

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 FORMWORK STRIPPING TIME

Type of Formwork Minimum Period Before

Striking Formwork
Vertical formwork to columns, 16-24 h
walls, beams
Soffit formwork to slabs 3 days
(Props to be re-fixed
immediately after removal
of formwork)
Soffit formwork to beams 7 days
(Props to be re-fixed
immediately after removal of
formwork)
Props to slabs:
1) Spanning up to 4.5 m 7 days
2) Spanning over 4.5 m 14 day
Props to beams and arches:
1) Spanning up to 6 m 14 days
2) Spanning over 6 m 21 days
 Order & method of removing formwork

The sequence of orders and method of removal of

formwork are as follows:
 Shuttering forming the vertical faces of walls, beams
and column sides should be removed first as they bear
no load but only retain the concrete.
 Shuttering forming soffit of slabs should be removed
next.
 Shuttering forming soffit of beams, girders or other
heavily loaded shuttering should be removed in the end.

All formworks should be eased gradually and carefully in order

to prevent the load being suddenly transferred to concrete.
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