CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Concrete construction has gone through significant changes since the early
1990s and continues to develop. Innovations in formwork, concrete as a material,
and reinforcement developments are just three of the contributors to what has
become a significantly quicker, safer and less wasteful form of efficient
construction.
The concept of modern concrete incorporates main and secondary
materials which are by-products from other industrial processes, such as fly ash,
silica fume and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), which minimize
the usage of Portland cement. This is a orientation of both economic and
environmental parameters to involve in one. The final results of concrete
constructions in actually design of modern concrete is in direct relations with
formwork, including the types and benefits in different types of frameworks.
The new formwork systems are reusable with little waste generated
compared to traditional formwork. The assembled units are intended for use
throughout the duration of a project without dismantling. Increased speed and
time efficiency on-site. The repetitive nature of the work, combined with the
engineered nature of the formwork, allows site teams to finely tune their
operations, which in turn leads to minimal concrete wastage.
Formwork (shuttering) in concrete construction is used as a mould for a
structure in which fresh concrete is poured only to harden subsequently. Types of
concrete formwork construction depends on formwork material and type of
structural element.
Formworks can also be named based on the type of structural member
constructionsuch as slab formwork for use in slab, beam formwork, column
formwork for use in beams and columns respectively etc.
The construction of formwork takes time and involves expenditure upto 20
to 25% of the cost of the structure or even more. Design of these temporary
structures are made to economic expenditure. The operation of removing the
formwork is known as stripping. Stripped formwork can be reused. Reusable
forms are known as panel forms and non-usable are called stationary forms.
Timber is the most common material used for formwork. The disadvantage
with timber formwork is that it will warp, swell and shrink. Application of water
impermeable cost to the surface of wood mitigates these defects.

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 CHAPTER 2
FORMWORK SYSTEMS

The construction of formwork takes time and involves expenditure up to

20 to 25% of the cost of the structure or even more. Design of these temporary
structures are made to economic expenditure. The operation of removing the
formwork is known as stripping. Stripped formwork can be reused. Reusable
forms are known as panel forms and non-usable are called stationary forms.
Timber is the most common material used for formwork. The disadvantage with
timber formwork is that it will warp, swell and shrink. Application of water
impermeable cost to the surface of wood mitigates these defects. On the process
of the development technology in civil engineering works are developed the
different types of concrete formwork. In general the formworks systems based
on the materials, presented in fig.1, are:
 Plywood Formwork
 Steel Formwork
 Aluminum Formwork
 Plastic Formwork
 Vacuumatics 3D formwork
 Fabric formwork

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Each of the system must to fulfill the requirements for formwork:
1. It should be strong enough to withstand all types of dead and live loads.
2. It should be rigidly constructed and efficiently propped and braced both
horizontally and vertically, so as to retain its shape.
3. The joints in the formwork should be tight against leakage of cement grout.
4. Construction of formwork should permit removal of various parts in
desired sequences without damage to the concrete.
5. The material of the formwork should be cheap, easily available and should
be suitable for reuse.
6. The formwork should be set accurately to the desired line and levels should
have plane surface.
7. It should be as light as possible.
8. The material of the formwork should not warp or get distorted when
exposed to the elements.
9. It should rest on firm base.
Two major categories of formwork are job built and prefabricated.
 Job-built forms are often designed, built, and used with the particular
requirements of a single project in mind. They are most often constructed
using plywood sheathing and lumber framing. They may also incorporate
proprietary hardware in their assembly.

 Prefabricated or commercial forms are usually constructed with

materials that can be reused many times. Their higher initial cost is offset
by the potential for more reuse cycles than job-built forms of lumber and
plywood or possible cost savings from increased productivity in erecting
and stripping the forms. Commercial concrete forms may be of standard
design or custom built for a particular application. Some types of
commercial forms are designed to span relatively long distances without
intermediate supports. Some girder forms of this type are constructed so
that the sides of the forms behave like a plate girder to carry the dead and
live loads.

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The main concrete elements for different positions and forms are
constructed on the formwork system, which will be:[3],[4],[5].
 Flat slabs
 Columns formwork
 Ribbed and waffle slabs
 Beams and slabs
 Post-tensioned slabs
 Tunnel form
 Table form

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 CHAPTER 3
EFFECT OF FORMWORK ON CONCRETE QUALITY

Architectural modern concrete compare with common structural concrete

in focused of exposed surfaces or forms may be more important than the strength
of the members. The properties of fresh concrete are such that it may be cast or
molded to produce any shape that forms can be made. A variety of structure may
also be obtained by adding a color or admixture to the concrete mix or by adding
a surface coating on the formwork or after the concrete has hardened. The
surfaces may be extremely smooth or they may be quite rough, depending on the
desired effects. The appearances of large and possibly drab areas can be improved
greatly by the use of recessed or raised panels, rustications, ornaments, and other
designs. Metal molds can produce concrete having extremely smooth surfaces. A
variety of surface patterns can be obtained using form liners that are placed on
the inside of plywood sheathing. A large variety of shapes is available from
companies that supply formwork accessories. Permits the forming of concrete
with a great variety of intricate details, such are: Stained Concrete; Stamped
Concrete; Form Liners; Smooth-Surfaced Concrete; etc.
In this research works we are focused on the smooth surface of concrete,
such a parameter for visual and modern concrete, and the formwork effect in
concrete and concrete quality. The selection and construction of good quality
formwork is fundamental to achieving a good finish. Impermeable linings such
as steel, polypropylene, Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) and high density overlay
(HDO) board produce a smooth, shiny surface whereas timber, unsealed
plywood, paper faced or medium density overlay (MDO) boards give a matt
finish.[7].

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 The increasing idea for creative and organic shapes in modern
architecture, although it is not always easy to realize the architect designs.
Theoretically, concrete is the perfect material to make all kind of various shapes
since, after all, fresh concrete can be poured into any formwork shape. Traditional
formworks however are very stiff and straight-lined, rendering flat walls,
and rectangular beams or columns. These panel formworks are often the limiting
factor for more organic architecture. Flexible fabric formwork might create new
possibilities for designers and contractors to realize these kind of organic shapes.
Realizations of the requested idea is on the direct relations with type and
characteristics of formwork.
Formwork cannot avoid impacting the surface appearance of concrete.
The impact can be controlled, however, by using formwork that has benign
interactions with the concrete and has consistent contact surfaces. For satisfactory
appearance, formwork has to be accurately placed, rigidly installed, and have
tightly sealed joints. Forms should be clean, maintained, and used a consistent
number of times. In some cases, forms may be limited to a single use if the
conditions dictate. Forms should be sealed with non-vapor-transmitting coatings,
and form release agents should be used to achieve consistent form removal.
Consistent formwork in consistent conditions with benign interaction with the
concrete is necessary for uniform-appearing architectural concrete. From
practical point of view also the curing structural concrete apply to architectural
concrete, must be in considerations for architectural concrete. A consistent curing
process should begin as soon as possible and be consistently maintained among
the different pours. Because it is easier to achieve consistent results with curing
compounds, architectural concrete should not be wet-cured. But to make the
curing more uniform, concrete should be consistently misted before applying
curing compounds.
Generally some unexpected event causes one member to fail, then others
become overloaded or misaligned and the entire formwork structure collapses.
The main causes of formwork failure are:
 improper stripping and shore removal
 inadequate bracing
 vibration
 unstable soil under mudsills
 inadequate control of concrete placement
 lack of attention to formwork details.

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 CHAPTER 4
TYPES OF FORMWORK

Types of Formwork (Shuttering) for Concrete Construction:

A.Timber Formwork:
Timber for formwork should satisfy the following requirement:
It should be
1. well seasoned
2. light in weight
3. easily workable with nails without splitting
4. free from loose knots
Timber used for shuttering for exposed concrete work should have smooth and
even surface on all faces which come in contact with concrete.

Normal sizes of members for timber formwork:

Sheeting for slabs, beam, column side and beam bottom 25 mm to 40mm thick

Joints, ledges 50 x 70 mm to 50 x 150 mm

Posts 75 x 100mm to 100 x 100 mm

B.Plywood Formwork
Resin bonded plywood sheets are attached to timber frames to make up panels
of required sizes. The cost of plywood formwork compares favourably with that
of timber shuttering and it may even prove cheaper in certain cases in view of the
following considerations:
1. It is possible to have smooth finish in which case on cost in surface
finishing is there.
2. By use of large size panels it is possible to effect saving in the labour cost
of fixing and dismantling.
3. Number of reuses are more as compared with timber shuttering. For
estimation purpose, number of reuses can be taken as 20 to 25.

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C.Steel Formwork
This consist 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 large projects
or in situation where large number reuses of the shuttering is possible. This type
of shuttering is considered most suitable for circular or curved structures.

Steel forms compared with timber formwork:

1. Steel forms are stronger, durable and have longer life than timber
formwork and their reuses are more in number.
2. Steel forms can be installed and dismantled with greater ease and speed.
3. The quality of exposed concrete surface by using steel forms is good and
such surfaces need no further treatment.
4. Steel formwork does not absorb moisture from concrete.
5. Steel formwork does not shrink or warp.

Construction of Concrete formwork:

This normally involves the following operations:
1. Propping and centring
2. Shuttering
3. Provision of camber
4. Cleaning and surface treatment

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 CHAPTER 5
ORDER & METHOD OF REMOVING FORMWORK

The sequence of orders and method of removal of formwork are as follows:

1. 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.
2. Shuttering forming soffit of slabs should be removed next.
3. Shuttering forming soffit of beams, girders or other heavily loaded
shuttering should be removed in the end.
Rapid hardening cement, warm weather and light loading conditions allow early
removal of formwork. The formwork should under no circumstances be allowed
to be removed until all the concrete reaches strength of atleast twice the stresses
to which the concrete may be subjected at the time of removal of formwork. All
formworks should be eased gradually and carefully in order to prevent the load
being suddenly transferred to concrete.
Figure 1 to 6 shows formwork for different types of members in civil engineering
construction.

Figure 1(a): Details of timber formwork for RCC beam and slab floor

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 Figure 1(b): Details at section (A) shown in above figure

Figure 2(a): Elevation

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 Figure 2(b): Details of timber formwork for circular RCC column

Figure 3(a): 150 3D View

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Figure 3(b): Details of timber formwork for square or rectangular RCC
column

Figure 4: Sectional plan showing details of timber formwork for an

octagonal column

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 Figure 5: Details of formwork for stair

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 Figure 6: Timber formwork for RCC wall

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 CHAPTER 6
PERIOD OF REMOVAL OF FORMWORK

S. No. Description of structural member Time Period

1 Walls, columns and vertical sides of beams 1 to 2 days

2 Slabs (props left under) 3 days

3 Beam soffits (props left under) 7 days

Removal of props to slabs

4 (a) For slabs spanning upto 4.5 m 7 days

(b) For slabs spanning over 4.5 m 14 days

Removal of props to beams and arches

5 (a) Spanning upto 6 m 14 days

(b) spanning over 6 m 21 days

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 REFERNCES

[1] David Bennett; Architectural In situ Concrete; RIBA Publishing, 2007

[2] Graham True; Decorative and innovative use of Concrete; Whittles
Publishing;2013
[3] Robert L.Peurifoy;Garold D.Oberlender: Formwork for Concrete
Structures;McGrawHill,2011
[4] APA; Concrete Forming:Design/Construction Guide/; 2012
[5] David W.Johnston; Design and Construction of Concrete Forwork;Concrete
Construction Engineering Handbook;
[6] Aberdeen Group; Effects of formwork on concrete; PublicationsC370429,
1973
[7] John J Orr; Anthony P Derby; Tim J Ibell: Concrete structures using fabric
formwork; Journal :Structures.
[8] Mapei:Form Release Agent DMA 1000; Technical Specifications
[9] John Gambatese, PhD, PE;Andre Barbosa, PhD;Amrutha Das : Use and Reuse
of Formwork:Safety Risks and Reliability Assessment, September 2014
[10] Kamran M. Nemati; Temporary Structures Formwork for Concrete; TOKYO
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,2005
[11] N.Kabashi;Technology of Concrete; University of Prishtina, 2006

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