Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pre-Concrete Checks For Formwork & Release Agents
Pre-Concrete Checks For Formwork & Release Agents
RELEASE AGENTS
Formwork pressures are function of height (including the height from which concrete is
dropped into the forms) and are affected by concrete workability, rate of stiffening and rate
of placing. One task of the temporary works co-ordinator is to consider such factors as
ambient temperatures and concrete composition, when calculating maximum permissible
rate of concrete placing.
Exceeding this limit may lead to unacceptable formwork deflections, loss of grout / concrete
at joints, or even collapse. The cost of remedial work due to formwork deflection will usually
exceed the original cost of doing the job properly.
Below are the checks that should be verified before pouring begins:
There are different release agents depending on what material is used for the formwork.
The three most common release agents for formwork are:
1. Neat oils with surfactants: used mainly on steel surfaces, but also suitable for timber
and plywood.
2. Mould cream emulsions: good general purpose release agents for use on timber and
plywood.
3. Chemical release agents: recommended for high quality work, applied by spray to all
types of form face.