Professional Documents
Culture Documents
EC220
1.6 Defect 16
Formwork is a mould or box into which wet concrete can be poured and
compacted so that it will flow and finally set to the inner profile of the box or
Formwork should be designed to withstand all expected loads include the self-
member of the required shape and size. If the formwork design are not proper
or does not follow the requirements, then it will break when the concrete is
placed. There also various formwork shape that design based on horizontal
system and vertical system. Formworks for horizontal system are beams and
slabs and also formwork for vertical system are walls and column. Horizontal
subsoils through formwork bearers and main bearers as well as columns. The
example of vertical loads are produced by persons and working tools. The
vertical formwork system exerts lateral pressure of the concrete mix. This
and properties of concrete mix. The formworks also use to produce the desired
care is taken with the surface of the form. It is necessary that all steel particles
are removed as they will rust and spoil the final appearance of the concrete. To
reduce the incidence of blowholes from striking of the formwork, the surface
1
of the form must be coated with release agent prior to concreting which
2
1.2 GENERAL DESIGN OF FORMWORK
during the placing of the concrete. If the formwork is not rigid then the shape
of concrete form when it is harden are not as original design. This will reduce
its strength and the structure prone to collapse. It also must have adequate
strength to carry the working load and the weight or pressure of the wet
concrete and to withstand incidental loading and vibration of the concrete. For
stiffness parallel to the face grain is less than the stiffness at right-angle to it.
Furthermore, formwork must set to line and level within the specified
tolerance and include any camber or bend which may be required. The joints
form ties used to link together the opposite panel of a wall form. When there is
mortar. This failure can cause a dangerous collapse and gives serious impact
The size and design of the panel should permit easy handling and
Arrangement of panels also should be such that they are not trapped during
striking and it should be possible to strike side from beams without disturbing
3
1.3 GENERAL REQUIREMENT OF FORMWORK
Each formwork design should be strong enough to support the load of wet
the time of striking should be related to the strength of the concrete and soffit
forms to beams and slabs must be left in place longer than is necessary for the
side forms. It must not be able to deflect under load which would include the
loading of wet concrete, self weight and any superimposed loads such as
operatives and barrow runs over the formwork. The formwork must be
accurately set out before the process of removing the formwork. Concrete
being a fluid when placed, it will take up the shape of the formwork which it
must be the correct shape, size and in the right position. Furthermore, to
prevent grout leakage, the formwork must have grout-tight joint. So that there
4
1.4 MATERIAL FOR FORMWORK
as the high resistance to various kinds of shape change when force is applied.
strong enough to cater the concrete that is going to be place into it.
Permeability on the other hand is the property where the material allows water
that the formwork do not absorb too much of the concrete moisture.
which is going result the appearance of the concrete. Having good surface
texture of formwork is the in order to get the best look of concrete once the
formwork is removed.
Formwork lining is functioning to give the smooth pattern or texture for the
surfaces. This process will be done by lining the inside art of the formwork
5
1.4.3 Timber Formwork
produced manually with the desired shapes and sizes hence it is easily
workable by hand or machine and can be nailed easily. In order to use timber
as formwork, the timber must ensure to have smooth and even surface. It is
sun and rain. Comparing with other type of formwork, timber formwork has
the most reasonable price. Figure 1.1 shows the traditional timber formwork
and Figure 1.2 shows the column stump formwork made up of timber.
Figure 1.1
Figure 1.2
thickness and size used in formwork for concrete member. It is strong enough,
durable and light weight. Plywood is one of the mostly used materials for
6
Advantages of Timber Formwork
The main reason for the timber formwork widely used in construction is
because it is economical for small projects as the price for timber is much
also is easy to be constructed for any shape, size and height. The construction
of formwork can be done even by unskilled labours with the proper apparatus
and materials. This kind of formwork can be constructed by using the locally
available timber which means the cost of production is very low. The weight
However, timber formwork is not really suitable for the large construction as
the strength is not enough as compared to the metal formwork. It could not be
able to cater too much of loadings. Timber formwork can only be used up to 3
times in maximum which is not economical for the large construction where
the formwork is required to be used many times. Timber also has the excessive
shrinkage due to the temperature changes which is going to affect the size of
the formwork and result to poor shape of the concrete. The leakage through
joints of timber will affect the efficiency of the formwork itself. Timber
pattern of grain, knots, and bad flaws will leave imprint to the face of concrete.
7
1.4.4 Metal Formwork (Steel)
Steel formwork is made up of steel and has long life time and can be used
the concrete surface as the formwork provide the smooth surface for the
altered.
This consists 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. The panels can be fabricated in large
number in any desired modular shape or size. Steel forms are largely used in
curved structures.
Figure 1.3 and 1.4 shows how the steel formwork looks like.
Figure 1.3
8
Figure 1.4
Advantages of Steel Formwork
As we know that steel has high strength and also durable. Therefore, steel formwork
is stronger to cater high load of the concrete. It has longer life as it can be used up
to more than 100 times, hence it is economic for the big construction that requires
multiple of formwork re-uses. Steel formwork not only gives very smooth finish to
surface of member, it is also can be installed and dismantled easily. There will be no
shrinkage in steel formwork due to the temperature changes as it will maintain its
shape and size. The fixing of steel formwork also can be easily done with the bolts
and nuts.
Basically, steel formwork is higher in cost as compared to the timber. The production
of steel formwork is done in manufacture industry and it is limited to the shape and
structure which cannot be adjusted once it reaches the construction site. Steel
9
1.4.5 Metal Formwork (Aluminium)
formwork has not much different in term of characteristic with the steel
formwork. However, it is lighter than steel due to the lower density. It has
long life time and can be used multiple times as compared to the timber. It also
produce smooth finishes to the concrete surface as the formwork provide the
Figure 1.5 and 1.6 shows how the steel formwork looks like.
Figure 1.5
Figure 1.6
10
Advantages
Similar with steel formwork, aluminium formwork has high strength and also
concrete. It has longer life as it can be used up to more than 100 times with the
has high labour productivity as it is very light weight which makes it easy for
manual handling.
Disadvantages
Due to the fix shape manufactured, there will be no alteration is possible once
11
1.4.6 Plastic Formwork
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.
Advantages
Plastic formwork is light weight shuttering hence requires less handling cost.
It can be used for large section. If the formwork is carefully transported and
Disadvantages
Due to the low load carrying capacity of plastic, the formwork can only cater
for low loading of concrete. Hence, it is not suitable for high construction.
This type of formwork is strong and light in weight. It is use to produce a high
quality surface finish (eg. Sculpture profile and repetition). Glass fibre
reinforce plastic comprises of polyester resin reinforced with glass fibre. The
thickness of the formwork varies from 5 to 16 mm and can be used more than
100 times if handle with care. The disadvantages of glass fibre reinforce
12
1.5. SURFACE TREATMENT
Formwork surface treatments are now many and varied, from applied coatings
to form liner systems. The face contact materials each have individual texture
best possible results. Surface damage, poor / inconsistent surface finish and
shorter life expectancy of the face contact material are all more likely upon
Surface treatment is important for long life span of formwork. It is the process
that involves releasing agent that is coated on the formwork space prior
Neat oils are usually mineral oils and are suitable for all types of shuttering
including steel formworks. They tend to produce blowholes and are not
recommended for use for the production of high quality concrete surfaces.
They are used in the storage of formwork and for concrete which will be
hidden below ground. While, neat oils with the addition of a small amount of
surface activating or wetting agent minimize blowholes and have good form
Thus after application of this agent, it will produce an oily film on the surface
that seem blemish. Furthermore, repeated or progressive use this neat oil will
13
1.5.2 Mould cream emulsion
and are good general purpose release agents. It is recommended for absorbent
surfaces such as timber form not very suitable on steel formwork. It is also not
exposed area. It provides high quality finishes and facilitates the work as it can
be applied by spray only. Unlike chemical releasing agents, this agent cannot
be used for concreting under freezing so it cannot be used in the countries that
It can be used for all types of formwork which are steel and timber formwork.
For all high quality work, they should be applied lightly by spray to avoid
with the oil-based materials. They generally have good weathering resistance
and water resistant that can maintain the coating under possible rainy area.
Thus, they are particularly suited to use in dusty, dry climates, on soffit
film after it is dry, giving a safer surface to walk on unlike an oily film.
Chemical release agent more rate of coverage than conventional oils that can
give a good quality finish surface. Even though, it is expensive for a given
14
1.5.4 Paints and waxes
These are not strictly release agents but are sealers which prevent release
agents being absorbed into the form face. Wax treatments also come into this
category. They are all particularly useful where it is necessary to avoid uneven
porosity with consequent colour variations in the concrete surface and to give
Emulsions of oil in water produce a dark porous skin on the concrete which is
not durable. Presence of water on formworks surface can cause uneven finish
as the water can seep through the formworks materials during hydration
process of concrete occur. They are not recommended for good class work and
15
1.6. DEFECT
concrete, generally less than 15 mm across. They are caused by air in the
concrete being trapped against the form face, sometimes due to insufficient
the use of a suitable release agent on the surface of the formwork and the use
workability. Blow holes are a cosmetic problem only and will not affect the
by the quality of the aggregates (porous aggregate emerging the surface can
absorb moisture and so the surrounding paste could be darker). Also, the
perceptible when you compare the edge of two different concrete placements.
16
1.7. COMMON FAILURES OF FORMWORK
Insufficient ties and props due to dirty forms with concrete from previous pour
Ties or props incorrectly spaced, no enough to existing concrete that can cause
It can cause:
agent
17
1.8CAUSES OF FAILURE
may be over stresses and cracked. In extreme case there may be major failure
to the building. For example, the collapse of a floor resulted to the impact
loading of the floor directly below it which also failed and collapsed to the
lower floor.
applied load after construction. This is also due to the structure cannot sustain
When every stage do not have proper schedule, they can contribute to the
failure of the structure. This is because we have standard that must be follow
for concrete casting and formwork removal then we know when the concrete
are strong enough to cater the imposed loads. Plus, different types of
process.
18
1.9 TYPES OF FORMWORK
Formworks that have been used in construction sites came in several types.
i. Foundation
ii. Column
iii. Beam
iv. Slab
v. Wall
Foundation formwork
socket foundations, and formwork for strip foundations. The type of design is
dictated by the size, mainly by the height of the foundation formwork. The
Foundation formwork
19
Column formwork
their small cross section, large heights and relatively high rates of concrete
placement. Thus It is necessary to provide tight joints and strong tie support to
the formwork.
As the sizes of concrete column increases, the stiffness of the formwork must
Column formwork
20
Beam formwork
and side sheeting panels). Such individual parts are manufactured based on the beam
dimensions specified in the project. For prefabrication of the formwork sheeting parts,
The sheeting bottom and the side panels consists of sheeting boards nailed
together by means of cover straps. Depending on the size of the beam, the width of
the sheeting bottom is dimensioned so as to accept, at both sides of the width of the
reinforced concrete column, the thickness of the sheeting and cover straps and the
width of a thrust-board.
Beam formwork
21
Slab formwork
Formwork for reinforced concrete slabs depends on the type of slabs to be constructed.
The floor slabs can be structural slabs supported on a steel or concrete structural
frame, or slab-on-grade.
Slab-on-Grade formwork
Slab-on-Grade Forms are forms for concrete slabs placed on grade. These slab
formworks are usually quite simple as concrete is placed on compacted earth or gravel
Slab-on-grade formwork
22
Wall formwork
Formworks for wall construction are subjected to relatively lower lateral pressure than
Panel sheathing It is used to shape the wall and retain the concrete until it
sets.
Ties and spreaders These are used to hold the sides of the forms at the
correct spacing.
23
1.9.1 STRIKING OF FORMWORK
Once the concrete has achieved the initial recommended strength, to support
the self-weight and any imposed loads, the formwork is removed for further
curing. Soffit forms are usually left in place for longer periods and removed
cement concrete.
The surrounding weather of the site also influence the striking time.
Cold weather retards the rate of setting and stiffness, thus increasing
increased rate.
24
iv. Type and dimensions of structure
Structural members like beams require more time before striking due
to relatively bigger cross sections and being more critical element. Side
forms are removed much sooner for curing, as in walls and column
sides.
The striking time can be brought down to the required value by adding
25
1.10 CASE STUDY
We have done site visit at Wangsa Maju for construction of high end
assumed to be completed one and half year from now which means 40% of the
apartment have been constructed. This high end building consists of two
blocks; one of the blocks has 21 floors and the other block have 23 floors.
They provide for facilities from ground floor to 7th floor which include gym,
swimming pool, shop lots and parking lots. This apartment more to reinforce
concrete structure and do not use any steel structure. For formwork, they use
timber formwork from ground floor to 8 floors which take 3 weeks for
concrete to harden whereas the use aluminium formwork from 8 floors to the
In the construction site, there are two types of formwork used. The first one is
timer formwork which is used for the 7 first floors. Timber formwork used for
those floors because of the uncertainty of the design of each floor as they
formwork by the labours and the installation of the formworks on the surface
of the building.
26
Another type of formwork used in this construction site is aluminium formwork. This
kind of formwork is used for the floor 8 and above because those floors consist of the
same design of apartment houses in each floor. Since the floors are repetitive,
multiple times with the proper care and handling. Figure below shows the picture of
27
At the site, there are several defects that we can observe for example uneven surface
colour and honey comb defect. Uneven colour surface is occurred due to the use of timber
formwork. We know that timber formwork comes in various grains and surface. One of the
tends to absorb the water in the concrete mix that later on will cause the hardened concrete
looks dry.
When concrete is poured into the foundation forms it does not just flow in like water
and fill up the forms to the top. If it is not vibrated properly it may leave voids called
honeycombing. The exposed aggregate leaves a honeycomb look and hence the name. This
28