BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

WHAT IS FORMWORK
Formwork is a die or a mould including all supporting structures, used to shape and
support the concrete until it attains sufficient strength to carry its own weight. It
should be capable of carrying all imposed dead and live loads apart from its
own weight.

INTRODUCTION TO FORMWORK

Formwork has been in use since the beginning of concrete

construction.

New materials such as steel, plastics and fiberglass are used in

formwork.

greater attention is being given to the design, fabrication, erection

and dismantling of formwork

The term formwork includes the actual material contact with the concrete, known
asform face, and all the necessary associated supporting structure.

REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD FORMWORK SYSTEM

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

How formwork can be erected and de-shuttered fast.

How good concrete quality and surface finish can be achieved.
What is the optimum stock of formwork required for the size of work force, the
specified time schedule and flow of materials.
What is the overall cost savings that can be achieved using the right type of
formwork.
How SAFETY can be improved for the site personnel.

In order to successfully carry out its function, formwork must achieve a balance of
following requirements:

Containment

Strength

Resistance To Leakage

Accuracy

Ease Of Handling

Finish And Reuse Potential

Access For Concerted

Economy

Containment: formwork must be capable of shaping and supporting the fluid

concrete until it cures.

Strength: formwork must be capable of safely withstanding without distortion or

danger the dead weight of the fluid concrete is placed on it, labour weight,
equipment weight and any environmental loadings.

Resistance to leakage: all joints in form work must be either close fitting of
covered with form tape to make them grout tight. If grout leakage occurs the
concrete Will leak at that point. Leakages cause honeycombing of the surface.

Accuracy: formwork must be accurately set out (uniformly) so that the resulting
concrete product is in a right place and is of correct shape and dimensions.

Ease of handling: form panels and units should be designed so that their
maximum size does not exceed that which can be easily handled by hand or
mechanical means. In addition all formwork must also be designed and constructed
to include facilities for adjustments, leveling, easing and striking without damage to
the form work or concrete.

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

Finish and reuse potential: the form face material must be selected to be
capable of consistently imparting the desired concrete finish (smooth, textured,
featured or exposed aggregate etc.) At the same time it should also achieve the
required number of reuse.

Access for concrete: any formwork arrangement must be provide access for
placing of the concrete. The extent of this provision will be dependent on the ease
of carrying out the concrete operations.

Economy: all the formwork is very expensive. On average about 35% of the total
cost of any finished concrete unit or element can be attributed to its formwork; of
this just over 40% can be taken for material for formwork and 60% for labour. The
formwork designer must therefore not only consider the maximum number of times
that any form can be reused, but also produce a design that will minimize the time
taken for erection and striking.

FORMWORK BASED ON MATERIALS

MATERIALS FOR FORMWORK
Formwork can be made out of a large variety of
materials.

The material most commonly being used to date is timber. However, due to
the depleting forest reserves and increasing cost of timber the use of
alternate materials such as plywood andsteel has become prominent.

More recently, materials such as plastics and fiberglass are also being used
for pre-fabricating formwork.

The type of material to be used depends on the nature of construction as

well as availability and cost of material.

The constraints on the project such as overall cost, time of completion also
play a major role in the use of a particular material for formwork.

TIMBER FORMS
Timber is required for practically all jobs of formwork. The timber bring used for
formwork must satisfy the following requirements:
I.

It should be durable and treatable

II.

It should have sufficient strength characteristics

III.

It should be light weight and well seasoned without warping,

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

IV.

It should hold nails well.

Advantages of using timber forms:

I.

It is economical for small construction jobs

II.

It is design flexible and easy to erect

III.

It has good thermal insulation which makes it useful to be used in colder

Regions

Iv.

It can easily be made into any shape or size

Plywood forms (in combination with timber)

Concrete shuttering plywood is bwp grade plywood, preservative treated

and specially suited for use in concrete shuttering and formwork.

The plywood is built up of odd number of layers with grain

of adjacent layers perpendicular to each other.

Plywood is used extensively for formwork for concrete, especially for

sheathing, decking and form linings.

There are two types of plywood - internal and exterior.

The interior type is bonded with water resistant glue and exterior type is
bonded with water proof glue.

Hardboard forms

Hardboard is a board material manufactured of wood fiber, which is then

refined or partly refined to form a panel having a density range of
approximately 50 to 80 pounds per cubic foot.
Hardboards are standard / non-tempered or tempered.

The tempered one being used for formwork. Tempered hardboard is solid
or perforated hardboard panels impregnated with resin under high
pressure to make them stronger and more resistant to moisture and
abrasion.

The boards available in large sheets have a hard, smooth surface that
produces a concrete whose surface is relatively free of blemishes and joint
marks.

The thin sheets can be bent to small radii, which is an advantage when
casting concrete members with curved surfaces.

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

ALUMINIUM FORMS
Forms made from aluminum are in many

respects similar to those made of steel.

However, because of their lower density, aluminum forms are lighter

than steel forms, and this is their primary advantage when compared
to steel.

As the strength of aluminum in handling, tension and compression is less

than the strength of steel, it is necessary to use large sections.

The formwork turns out to be economical if large numbers of reuses are

made in construction.

The major disadvantage of aluminum forms is that no changes can be

made once the formwork is fabricated.

PLASTICS
These forms have become increasingly popular for casting unique shapes and
patterns being designed in concrete because of the excellent finish obtained
requiring minimum or no surface treatment and repairs.
Different types of plastic forms are available like glass reinforced plastic,
fiber reinforced plastic and thermoplastics etc.
Fiberglass-reinforced plastic is the most common and has several advantages
such as

The material allows greater freedom of design

Unusual textures and designs can be molded into the form
It allows the contractor to pour structural and
finished concret Simultaneously
Because sections can be joined on the job site in such a way
so as to eliminate joints, there is no size limitation
If carefully handled, a number of reuses are possible making
it highly Economical
It is lightweight and easily stripped

The disadvantage of using plastic forms is that it does not lend itself to field
fabrication Hence, the design and planning of this form must be carefully carried
out.Also care must take not to damage the plastic by the heat applied for
accelerated curing of the concrete. Trough and waffle units in fiberglass are used in
construction of large floor areas and multistoried office buildings.

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

STEEL FORMWORK:
Mostly used in large construction projects or in situations where large
number of re-uses of the same shuttering is possible. Suitable for circular or curved
shaped structures such as tanks, columns, chimneys. Etc. & for structures like sewer
tunnel and retaining wall.

Advantages of steel formwork over timber form:

I.

strong, durable & have longer life

II.

Reuses can be assumed to vary from 100 to 120 wares timber

varies from 10 to 12.

III.

Steel can be installed & dismantled with greater ease & speed
resulting in saving in labour cost.

IV.

Excellent quality of exposed concrete surface obtained. Thus

saving in the cost of finishing
the conc. surface.

V.

no danger of formwork absorbing water from the conc. & hence

minimizing honeycombing

CONSTRUCTION OF FORMWORK:

propping and centering

shuttering

scaffolding

Propping and centering: The props used for centering may be of steel, timber
post or ballies.pillars made up of brick masonry in mud mortar are also sometimes
used as props.

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

Shuttering:

It is temporary structure used to shape and support the concrete

until it attains sufficient strength to carry its own weight. It can be made up of
timber planks or it may be in the form of panel unit made either by fixing ply wood
to timber frames or by welding steel plates to angle framing.

Scaffolding:

Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to support people and

material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is
usually a modular system of metal

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

USSES OF FORMWORK FOR DIFFERENT STRUCTURAL MEMBERS

FORMWORK FOR FOUNDATION

For Wall foundation it consists of:
Plywood sheeting
Struts
For Column foundation it consists of:
Side supports
Side planks
Cleats

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

FORMWORK FOR COLUMN

It consists of the following:
Side & end planks
Yoke
Nut & bolts
Two end n two side planks are joined by the yoke & bolts

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

FORMWORK FOR BEAM & SLAB

It consists of:
Sole plates
Wedges
Props
Head tree
Planks
Batten
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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

Ledgers
Beam formwork rests on head tree
Slab form work rests on battens and joists
If prop height are more than 8 provide horizontal braces.

SHUTTERING OF SLAB

BEAM WITH SLAB

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

SHUTTERING OF BEAM

FORMWORK FOR WALL

It consists of:

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

Timber sheeting
Vertical posts
Horizontal members
Rackers
Stakes
Wedges

After completing one side of formwork reinforcement is provided at the

place then the second side formwork is provided.

FORMWORK FOR STARCASE

It consists of:
Vertical & inclined posts
Inclined members
Wooden Planks or sheeting
Stringer
Riser Planks

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

ORDER AND METHOD OF REMOVING FORMWORK:

Time of formwork removal depends on following factors:
TYPE OF CEMENT: Rapid hardening cement require lesser time as

compare to ordinary Portland cement

RATIO OF CONCRETE MIX: Rich ratio concrete gain earlier strength as
compare to weak ratio concrete
WEATHER CONDITION: Hydration process accelerates in hot weather
condition as compare to the cold weather

Shuttering forming vertical faces of walls, beams & column sides should
be removed first. Shuttering forming sofit to slab should be removed next.

Shuttering forming soffit to beams, girders or other heavily loaded

member should be removed in the end.

15

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

DURATION TAKEN FOR REMOVAL OF FORMWORK

1

WALLS COLUMNS & VERTICAL SIDES

OF BEAMS

1-2 DAY

SLABS

BEAM SOFFIT

REMOVAL OF PROPS TO SLABS

3 DAYS
7 DAYS

A) SLAB SPANNINIG UPTO 4.5M

7 DAYS

B) SLAB SPANNINIG OVER 4.5M

14 DAYS

REMOVAL OF PROPS TO BEAMS

AND ARCHES
A) SPANNING UPTO 6 MTS

14 DAYS

B) SPANNING OVER 6 MTS

21

DAYS

SCAFFOLDING
Definitions:
Its a temporary structure to provide a platform at different levels of a building for
workers and Materials

Scaffold: It is the temporary support system provided for the construction

& maintenance purposes. It consists of supports and a working platform for
workers and Materials.

Scaffolding: Method of construction of scaffolds is called scaffolding

TIMBER SCAFFOLDING

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

STEEL SCAFFOLDING

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

VARIOUS TYPES OF SCAFFOLDING

1. Single Scaffolds
2. Double Scaffolds
3. Ladder Scaffolds
4. Cantilever Scaffolds
5. Suspended Scaffolds
6. Steel or Tubular Scaffolds

Single Scaffolds
It consists of:
Standards (v posts)(10 cm)
Putlogs (7.5 x 7.5)
Ledgers (
Wooden boards
Braces
Used for ordinary buildings

19

BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

Double Scaffolds
It consists of
Two rows of
standards.
15 cm, 1.5 m
Shores are provided.
Used for superior works

Ladder Scaffolds
It consists of:
Brackets for plate form

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

Cantilever Scaffolds
It consists of:
Cantilever
Struts
Standards
Putlogs
Plate forms
It is used above ground level

Suspended Scaffolds
It consists of:
Ropes
Working platforms
Ropes can be raised Manually
or mechanically
Used for light construction and
finishing works of multistory buildings

Steel or Tubular Scaffolds

It consists of:

Steel tubes (1-1/2 2-1/2 diameter)

Coupler or Clamps (to hold pipes in different positions)
Prop nuts (to hold single pipes)
Bolts, Nuts & washers
Wedge & Clip
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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

SCAFFODS FITTINGS

Double Coupler

Swivel Coupler

Its a connection fitting used to join scaffold tubes.

Reveal Pin

Used at the base of the standards.

Split joint Pin

Used to join putlogs with transom.

Base Plate

Composed of two single couplers and used to join two scaffolds

at any angle.

Putlog Coupler

It joins ledgers and standards.

It fit in to the end of a tube to form an adjustable strut.

Putlog end

A flat plate used at the end of a scaffold to convert it in to a

putlog.

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

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BY: BHARAT VERMA & NIKUNJ AGARWAL

& 12BAC21

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