FORMWORK

It is a temporary construction used as a mould for the structure in which concrete is placed

Cost of formwork 20 to 25% of the cost of structure

building work Operation of removal of formwork commonly known as stripping. Forms whose components can be reused several times panel forms. Some forms cannot be stripped & forms part of structure itself

Stationary forms.

Cont..
Forms may be Wooden, plywood or steel. Timber most common material for formwork. Disadvantage warping, swelling, and shrinkage of timber. Overcome by applying water impermeable coating. This also prevents shuttering from adhering to concrete so

makes stripping easier.

Steel work is used for major works but comparatively costly.

Advantages of Steel formwork

Can be put to higher number of uses. Provides ease of stripping. Ensures an even & smooth concrete surface.

Possess greater rigidity.

Not liable to shrinkage or distortion.

Requirements of good formwork

Easy Removal : Should be removed easily with less number of hammering which will prevent injury to concrete. It can be made fit for reuse with less expenditure

Economy:
It does not contribute to strength so cost to be brought down

with enough safety

Reduction in number of irregular forms, standardization of rooms, reusing formwork etc.

 Less Leakage
Should be arranged such that minimum leakage

through the joints

Tight joints between adjacent sections. Quality Forms should be designed & built accurately desired shape size & finish of concrete is attained.

 Rigidity :
Should be rigid enough to retain the shape without deformation.

Deflection limited to visible surface 1/300 of span ; hidden

surface 1/150 of the span. Only a rigid formwork will allow repeated use. Smooth surface : Inside surface should be smooth for a good concrete surface.

Achieved by applying crude oil or soft soap

Also makes removal of formwork easy.

 Strength : Should be strong enough to bear the dead load of wet concrete as well as labour, equipments etc. So careful design is necessary. Over estimation expensive formwork & underestimation failure of formwork. Loads on vertical forms should be assessed Supports : Formwork should rest on sound, hard & non-yielding supports.

Loads on Formwork:
Live load due to labour etc. Dead weight of concrete Hydrostatic pressure of the wet concrete. Impact effect at the time of pouring concrete. Vibrations transmitted to formwork during pouring concrete.

Guiding points in the design of Formwork.

1. For design purpose temporary live load due to labour & equipment including impact may be taken from 3700N/m2 to 4000N/m2

2. Planks or boards used to form vertical facing of columns or

walls is known as sheathing & those used for floor slabs decking. 3. Hydrostatic pressure due to fluidity of concrete in initial stages of pouring depends on amount of water, size of

aggregate, rate of pouring etc.

Hydrostatic pressure decreases as concrete starts setting & hardening.

Contd..
Hydrostatic pressure mainly depends on the depth of concrete poured before it starts setting.

Upto 1.5m height of concrete equivalent weight of concrete

may be assumed as 23000N/m3. For value greater than 1.5m eq. fluid weight is decreased. If height of concrete poured in one hour is 6m eq. fluid weight is 12000N/m3 4. Deflection of the sheathing & joists should be limited to a max. value of 2.5mm.

Timber Formwork
When formwork required for small works with less repetition timber preferred to steel. Timber formwork is cheap in initial cost.

Timber used should be :

Well seasoned Free from loose knots Light in weight Easily workable with nails without splitting

 Following points to be noted :

Timber formwork should be neither too dry nor too wet. Moisture content of 20% is appropriate for timber formwork. Dimension of components of timber formwork will depend on load to be carried. Minimum nails should be used & it should be kept projecting to facilitate easy removal.

Timber formwork is economical building with minimum

variation in dimension of rooms.

Properties of Timber used in Formwork

Name of Density Timber Modulus Range of Ending Shear Across grains Shear Along grains Comp parallel Comp perpendi Permissible stresses in kg/cm2 in kg/m2 of

Elasticity & in t/cm2 Tensile Stress

to grains cular to

grains

Fir Deodar

440 545

94 95

56-78 70-102

6 7

8 10

42-60 56-78

10-16 17-36

Kail
Chair

515
575

68
98

50-66
60-84

6
6

8
9

38-52
46-64

10-17
14-22

Column Formwork

Column Formwork
Sheathing : vertical timber planks provided all along the perimeter of the column 25mm thick generally nailed to yokes. Side Yokes & End Yokes : consists of two numbers each placed along the length of the formwork. Side yokes are of larger section than end yokes.

Wedges : used to tighten various elements of formwork.

 Formwork should be designed to resist high pressure resulting from quick filling of concrete . A cleanout or washout hole is provided at the bottom to

remove debris.
A wash of water is given to the inside of formwork before laying of concrete. Nails are kept projecting for easy removal. Formwork for circular column is made of narrow vertical

boards known as staves. Staves are fixed to the yokes which

are also suitably curved.

Formwork for Beams & Floors

Slab is supported on 2.5cm thick sheathing laid parallel to main beams. Sheathing is supported on wooden battens laid between

beams at suitable spacing.

To reduce deflection battens are propped at middle of the span through joists. Side forms of sheathing of beam are generally 3cm thick.

 Bottom sheathing of beam form may vary from 5 to 7cm thick.

The ends of batten are supported on the ledger which is fixed on cleats throughout the length. Cleats are fixed to the sides of beams size 10 x 2cm or 10 x 3cm.

The whole of beam form is supported on head tree.

Head tree it is a horizontal beam connected at top of the

vertical post or shore, through inclined cleats.

At the bottom of the vertical post, a pair of wedges are provided over sole pieces.