IWRE 416 – Construction Techniques

8. FORMWORK AND FALSEWORK

Eng. Mukama, E.
Outline

FORMWORK AND FALSEWORK

8.1 Definitions
8.2 Economic Essentials of Formwork
8.3 Formwork Materials
8.4 Types of Formwork
8.5 Formwork Siteworks and Practices
8.1 Definitions
Generally, concrete when first mixed is a fluid and therefore to
form any concrete member the wet concrete must be placed in a
suitable mould to retain its shape, size and position as it sets.

FORMWORK - a structure, usually temporary, which is designed to

contain fresh concrete; form it into required shape and dimensions;
and support it until it cures sufficiently to become self supporting.

 Provides a container in which fresh concrete is placed; its shape and

quality governing the accuracy and quality of finished concrete.

 Depending on the complexity of the form, the relative cost of the

form can be as high as 75% of the total cost to produce the required
member
FALSEWORK -Any temporary structure used in
construction to support a permanent structure until its
construction is sufficiently advanced to support itself.

It is essential that falsework be strong enough to

support the weight of three things: the forms, the fresh
concrete and any construction equipment and workers.

Falsework also must be capable of maintaining the

correct elevations. To do this, suitable jacks, wedges or
other approved devices must be used as part of the
falsework.
Figure: Falsework Supporting Precast Concrete Girders
Figure: Braces and ties are smaller types of falsework and are used
to hold forms in place
 A typical breakdown of total construction percentage costs shows
that formwork material and labour alone consists of 35% of the total
concrete construction cost. In the construction of a structural
element, the cost distribution can be found approximately as:

Concrete Materials 28% 40%

Labour 12%

Reinforcement Materials 18%

Labour 7% 25%

Formwork Materials 15% 35%

Labour 20%

Contractor will have to use an economical method of providing

necessary formwork if he is to be competitive in tendering
8.2 Economic Essentials of Formwork
Low cost
Strength
Finish
Assembly – should be very easy to assemble
Materials – durable and allow re-use
Design – controlled by the architect

Balance should be achieved, preferably at pre-tender

stage so that an economic and competitive cost can be
calculated.
To be successful in its function the formwork must fulfill the following
requirements:-

It should be strong enough to support the load of wet concrete (2400 kg/m 3)
It must not be able to deflect under load.

Load of wet concrete

Load Self-weight
Superimposed load – operating and equipment

It must be accurately set out. Fresh Concrete will take the shape of the
formwork, which must therefore be of correct shape size and in the right
position.
It must have grout tight joints. Grout leakage can cause honeycombing of
the surface and produce fins which have to be removed.

Form sizes should be designed so that the maximum sizes can easily be
handled by hand or by a mechanical lifting device.

Materials must be chosen so that can be easily fixed using wire, nails or
wood screw.

Use nails atleast two and half times the thickness of member being nailed in
length.

The design of formwork units should be such that they can easily be
assembled and dismantled without any member being trapped.
8.3 Formwork Materials
1) Rough or Smooth Timber
 Timber with Moisture Content of 15 – 20%
 Very dry timber may absorb moisture from concrete hence
reducing strength; the formwork may swell giving
unaccounted shape.
 Moist timber may shrink resulting into open joints and a
leakage of grounds.

2) Plywood – strong, light – supplies in large sheets.

3) Softwood Boards – panels for beams and column sides joined

together by gross members over their backs at centre not
exceeding twenty five times the boards thickness
4) Chipboard - Because of its lower strength it requires more
support and stiffeners
5) Steel forms – based on manufacturer’s patent system.

6) Aluminum –used often for pre-fabricated formworks. It

is getting more popular because of its light weight and good
strength. It requires fewer supports and ties.

7) Plastic - used for small concrete structures or for complex

portions of the structure. It is light in weight and durable for
long periods; Good resistant against water.
 Timber
formwork

Plywood
formwork
 Steel
formwork

Plastic formwork
Mould oil or Emulsions
Alleviate two defects on finished concrete.

a) Blow holes – small holes caused by air being trapped between formwork and
concrete face. 
b) Uneven colour – Caused by irregular absorption of water from the wet concrete by
the formwork material.

Mould oil - applied to the inside surface of the formwork. Excessive amounts
can cause retardation of the setting of cement.

Emulsions - Drops of water in oil, or drops of oil in water.

Should not be used in conjunction with steel forms since they encourage rusting.

Both mould oils and emulsion act as release agents. Apply only to formwork not
to the reinforcement. This may cause reduction in bonding.
8.4 Types of Formwork
1. Foundation Formwork

If subsoil is firm and hard, it may be possible to excavate the trench or
pit for the foundation to the size and depth required and cast the
concrete against the excavated faces.

Where this method is not practical formwork may be required

Side and end panels will be required and these should be firm strutted
against the excavation faces to resist horizontal pressure of the wet
concrete and to retain formwork in correct positions

Ties will be required across the top of the form as a top restraint, and
these can be utilized to form the kicker for the reinforcement concrete
column or as a template for casting in the holding down bolts for
precast concrete or steel.
Typical Foundation Formwork
Figure: House foundation with wooden formwork
2. Column Formwork

Consists of a vertical mould which has to resist considerable horizontal

pressure in early stages of casting.

Column has should be located against a 75 mm high plinth or kicker

which has been cast monolithically with the base or floor kicker –
accurately positions the formwork

Prevents loss of grout from the bottom edge of the form.

Panels forming the column sides can be strengthened using horizontal

cleats or vertical studs, which are sometimes, called soldiers.

The faces are held together with collars of timber or metal called yokes
in the case of timber and clamps when made of metal.

The spacing of the yokes or clamps should vary with the anticipated
Typical Column Formwork Details
Concrete pressure
The actual pressure will vary according to;
a) Rate of placing - the faster the rate, the higher the
pressure.
b) Type of Mix being used – the richer the mixer, the
greater the pressure.
c) Method of placing – If vibrations are used pressure can
increase up to 50% over hand placing and compacting.
d) Air temperature – the lower the temperature, the slower
is the hydration process and consequently higher
pressures are encountered.
3. Beam Formwork

Consists of three sided box which is supported by cross members called

head trees which are propped to the underside of the soffit board.
 
The soffit board should be thicker than the beam sides since the member
will carry the dead load until the beam has gained sufficient strength to be
self-supporting.

Soffit boards should be fixed inside the beam so that the later can be
removed at an early date, to enable flow of air around the new concrete
and speed up the hardening process and also release the formwork for re-
use at the earlier possible time.

Generally the beam form is also used to support the slab formwork and
the two structural members are then cast together.
Typical Simple Beam Formwork Details
4. Suspended formworks
Structural steel work is normally encased with concrete to
protect it against corrosion and fire.

Steel frame is erected before casting the concrete

encasement and in the case of beams it is possible to
suspend the form box from the steel using hanger fixing or
steel clamp or timber yoke.

Hanger fixing are left embedded in concrete encasing but

the bolts and plate washers are recoverable for re-use
Typical details of Suspended Formwork
5. Slab Formwork
Floor or roof slab formwork (also called shuttering)
consists of panels of size that can easily be handled.

The panels are supported by beams forms with any

intermediate propping which is required.

Adjustment for levelling purpose can be carried out

using small folding carried out using small folding
wedges between the joists (see figure)
Typical Beam and Slab Formwork
6. Wall Formwork (Traditional wall formwork)
Traditional – Consists of standard framed panels tied
together over their backs with horizontal members called
wallings.

Walling fulfill the same function as the yokes or column

clamps of providing the resistance to the horizontal force
of wet concrete

A 75mm high kicker is formed at the base of proposed

wall.
Details of traditional wall formwork
Figure1: Wall Formwork
Erection procedure

Erect one side of the wall formwork and ensure that it is correctly
aligned, plumbed and strutted.

The steel reinforcement cage is then inserted and positioned before

the other side of the formwork is erected and positioned.

Finally the other side of the formwork is fixed in position.

Keeping the forms parallel and the correct distance from one another
is very important.
This is achieved by:
 Precast concrete spacer blocks which are cast in.
 Steel space tubes which are removed after casting and curing, the voids
created being made good or
 Using one of the many proprietary wall tie spacers.
6.1 Wall formwork - Climbing formwork
This is a method of casting a wall in a set of vertical lift heights
using the same forms in a repetitive fashion thus obtaining
maximum usage from a minimum number of forms.

The first lift is positioned against the kicker in the inverted

position; the concrete is poured and allowed to cure.

The forms are then removed and fixed to the newly cast concrete.

After each casting and curing of concrete, the forms are removed
and raised to form the next lift until the required height has been
reached.
Typical Climbing Formwork Arrangement
7. Sliding formwork
 This is a system of formwork which slides continuously up
the face of the wall being cast by climbing up and being
supported by a series of hydraulic jacks operating on
jacking rods

 The whole wall is therefore cast as a monolithic and

jointless structure making the method suitable for
structures such as water towers, silos, chimneys and the
core of multi-storey buildings which have repetitive floors.
Diagrammatic arrangement of sliding
formwork
Factors to consider in designing ideal formwork;
a) Strength
b) Lightness without strength reduction
c) Durability without prohibitive costs
d) Good and accurate finish straight from the formwork.
e) Erection and dismantling times
f) Ability to employ Unskilled or Semi skilled labour to
carry out the work.
8.5 Formwork Site Works and Practices
When the formwork has been fabricated and assembled, the interior of
the form should be cleared from all rubbish, dirty and grease before
application of mould oil or releasing agent.

All joints and holes should be benched to ensure that they are grout
tight.

The striking or removal of concrete should only take place upon

instruction from the engineer

The appropriate time at which it is safe to remove formwork can be

assessed from tests on cubes taken from a similar batch mixed at the
time the concrete was poured and cured under same conditions.
 
Formwork striking according to BS8110 suggests that the minimum
strength for member in flexure should be “10 N/mm2 or twice the stress
to which it will be subjected to whichever is greater, provided striking
at that time will not result in unacceptable deflection”.
If cubes are not available the following table from BS
8110 can be used as a guide where ordinary Portland
cement is used.
In very cold weather, the above minimum periods
should be doubled, and when rapid hardening cement
is used, the above minimum periods can generally be
halved.
END