7.

4 - Formwork
FORMWORK

• Defined as a temporary construction to support the cast-in-situ

concrete, in the form of a mould or a box.

• Provided during construction of RCC Column, Beam, Slab, Stair,

Shear Wall and arches.

• Should be strong enough to withstand the load of the green

concrete until it sets and achieves the desired shape and the
predetermined strength.

•It is a supporting structure onto which the concrete mix is poured,

compacted and left till it sets.
FORMWORK

•For reinforced concrete columns, floors, walls and roofs, the term
formwork, false work, is applied.

•Shuttering is applied to the temporary casings and supports.

•If the work is circular, such as arches and vault roofs, it is referred
to as centering.

•The construction of formwork involves considerable expenditure

of time and material
•Up to 20 to 25% of structural cost in building & even higher in
bridges.
FORMWORK

Footing Column Stair

 FORMWORK

Propping and Centering

FORMWORK

Slab and Beam

FORMWORK

1.

2.

3.

4.
FORMWORK
Characteristics
• It should be strong enough to withstand dead and live loads
during and after casting of concrete.

• It should be accurately set out; correct shape, size and position.

• It should have tight joints to avoid leakage of cement slurry.

• It should be of the size, material and design that make it easy to

assemble & dissemble and hence could be reused.

• Materials for formwork should be resistant against warping,

bulking and weather.
FORMWORK
Characteristics
• Materials should be cheap and easily available and should be
suitable for reuse several times.

• It should be stiff enough so the deflection is minimum when the

concrete is consolidated by tamping or vibration.

• The formwork should be light as possible and its surface should

be smooth for easy stripping.

• It should rest on firm base

FORMWORK
Materials and Size Of Formwork

• Formwork can be made of timber, plywood, steel, pre cast

concrete or fibre glass used separately or in combination.

• Types of materials to be used depends on the nature of

construction/ availability/cost of materials

• Steel forms are used in the major projects, fibre glass/ aluminum
used in the precast concrete

Types of formwork (based on materials)

1. Timber formwork
2. Plywood formwork
3. Steel formwork
FORMWORK
Materials and Size Of Formwork

Timber
• It should be well seasoned
• Light in weight
• Easily workable without nails splitting out
• Free from loose knots

Plywood
• It will have perfectly plain and smooth surface
• Large size panels helps in saving the labor cost of fixing &
dismantling
• It can be reused for 20-25 times
FORMWORK
Materials and Size Of Formwork

Steel

• It is stronger, durable & has long life, reused 100-120 times.

• It can be installed &dismantled with greater ease, saves
time.
• Finishing is achieved.
• No absorption of water, so honey combing is minimized.
• Shrink & distortion is negligible.
FORMWORK
Recommended sizes of Formwork units

SN Description Sizes Remarks

Flat sheeting for
25-50mm thick
slab bottoms,
1. (app. 1/3 rd of the
for columns and
slab thickness)
beam sides
2. Bottoms of beams 50mm thick
Vertical posts or 75X100 to Depending upon the load to
3.
props 150X150mm thick be carried out
50X100 to
4. Joists or ledgers To support slab sheeting
75X200mm
50X100 to Supporting vertical wall
5. Studs, wailings
150X150mm thick sheeting

Horizontal cross pieces to

50X100 to
6. Column yokes tie the vertical column
100X100mm thick
sheeting
FORMWORK

Construction of Formwork
• The construction of formwork involves the following
operations;

a) Propping and centering

b) Shuttering

c) Provision of camber

d) Cleaning and surface treatment

FORMWORK

a. Propping and Centering

•Props are the vertical supports of
the formwork, also known as Ballies or
Shores.

• Made of timber, steel or even of brick

piers bonded in mud mortar.

•Support the horizontal formwork

member at a regular interval of 1-1.2m
c/c.

•Are rested on wooden sole plate

(40mmX100mm) laid on firm ground
and are fixed with the help of double
wedges.
FORMWORK
a. Propping and Centering
FORMWORK

Shuttering
•Horizontal platform made out of Timber Planks or Ply
boards or Steel Plates.
•It also used for construction of Chamfers, Bevels, Moulds
in column, beam or slab.
•Openings for clamps and hooks are provided in the
shuttering as desired.

Provision of camber
•Certain deflection, usually in the horizontal members in
RCC construction is unavoidable.
•So there should be provision of upward camber in the
formwork;
•4mm camber for slab and beam and 1/50th of the
projected length for cantilever
FORMWORK

Surface treatment
•The surface of formwork is cleaned thoroughly before
pouring concrete.

•The surfaces that are in direct contact with the concrete

should be wetted with water.

•It prevents the dry surfaces of the formwork from absorbing

the water in the mix avoiding situations like warping,
swelling of wood or honeycombing in concrete.

•Steel formworks should be cooled using water and a

coat of raw linseed oil or soft soap solution should be
applied on surfaces that come in direct contact with water.
FORMWORK

Removal of Formwork
Formwork should be planned & constructed in such a
manner that removal of it is in certain sequences

Order & method of removing formwork

• Shuttering forming vertical faces of walls, beams and

column sides which do not bear load, but retain the concrete
is removed first.

•Shuttering forming soffit to slab should be removed.

•Soffit of beam, girders or other heavily loaded shuttering

should be removed at the end.
FORMWORK
• Under normal circumstances with atmospheric temperature of above 20°c,
stripping of the formwork is recommended as follows

SN Description Time
Duration
1. Wall, Columns, Vertical sides of beams and 1-2 days
foundation

2. Slab ( props left) 3 days

3. Beam soffits ( props left) 7 days

4. Removal of props for slab;

i. Span upto 4.5 M 7 days
ii. Span over 4.5 M 14 days

5. Removal of props for beams & arches 14 days

i.Span upto 6 M 21 days
ii.Span over 6 M

Duration of removal of formwork depends on type of cement ,shape & position

of the member, loads to be carried & temperature of the air.
 FORMWORK
Shuttering for columns
Sizes:
•Sheeting>>25-30 mm thick
Width>>125mm-225mm
•Cleats>>32mm thk.
(75*50) 600 or 300mm
•Yokes or clamps-75mm*50mm or
100mm*75mm
•Wedges and bolt with washer
Shuttering for columns
Shuttering for columns
Columns Formwork
FORMWORK
Formwork for beam & Slab
• Slab is supported on 2.5 thk sheeting laid parallel to the
main beam.
• Sheeting is supported on wooden battens laid between the
beams at suitable spacing
• To reduce deflection, the battens may be propped at the
middle of the span through joists
FORMWORK
Formwork for beam & Slab
•End of the battens are supported on the ledge , fixed to the cleats
throughout the length
• The beam form is supported on the head tree.
• The shore of post is connected to the head tree through cleats
• At the bottom of shore, two wedges of hard wood are provided over
a sole piece
Formwork for beam & Slab
Beam three parts-two side boards and a soffit board

• Side board=32mm thick boards nailed with 150mm by

32 mm cleats at 610 mm c/c
• Ledgers firmly nailed to cleats for the support of the
ends of the joists=100mm *32mm or 75mm *50 mm
• Soffit board 50mm thk. support greater weight.
• Fixing plate= 75*32 nailed to the top of the head tree.
• Head tree= 100*75(on top of props which is further
nailed & secured by 75*25 braced.
• Props=100*75 placed at 1.2 centers centrally below the
beams
• Sole pieces= 200*50 placed below the wedge
• The soffit of the deep beam should be cambered to avoid
the illusion of sagging ( max. camber at mid span)
Formwork for beam & Slab
Formwork for beam & Slab
Formwork for beam & Slab
Formwork for Staircase
Formwork for Staircase
•The sheathing or decking
for the deck slab is carried
on cross joist.

•The cross joist is further

supported on raking
ledges.
Ledger= 7.5*10
cross joist= 5*10
riser planks=4*5
•The riser plank of equal
height is fixed on the
decking which is beveled at
the bottom.
•The outer end are
supported by cut string
which is strutted by cross
joists.
Formwork for Staircase
•At the wall side riser
planks are supported by
hanger secured to the
board or strutted against
the wall.

•Treads are left open to

permit concreting and
through vibration.

•Stiffer joist is placed

along the middle of the
riser planks.
Formwork for walls
(reinforced concrete walls)
1. Fixed formwork
2. Moving formwork

Fixed formwork
• It is used for the wall up to 3-4 m high.
• The boards fixed to post spaced in suitable intervals
• Horizontal walling are fixed to the posts at suitable
intervals and the whole assembly is strutted in both sides
• The two shutters are kept apart equal to the thickness of
the wall, providing kicker at the bottom and nailed to the
post
1. Fixed formwork
Moving formwork

• Forms are made of in panels size of 0.6*1.8m for easier

handling & stripping.
• 15 mm plywood is used as boarding.
• Struts are fixed at the center and end of the panels.
• The panel are erected in such a way that the lower panels
can be removed when concrete is hard and used higher
level.
• This type of formwork is more suitable for large contracts,
particularly reinforced concrete multistory building having
repetitive floors.
• For rapid construction of constant thickness wall,
continuously rising form ”sliding shutter” is used, rise at
the rate of 15-30 cm per hr. depending upon rate of
hardening of concrete.
• Operated by hydraulic jack or manually screw jack for
raising.
Moving formwork
 UNDERPINNING OF EXISTING FOUNDATIONS
• Definition
• It is a process of improving and strengthening existing foundation
• It facilitates to support structure and assist in transferring loads to
better soil strata.
• Thus the main objective of most of underpinning work is to transfer
the load carried by a foundation from its existing bearing level to a
new level at a lower depth.
• Purpose
• To strengthen the settled existing foundation.
• To strengthen the shallow foundation of existing building when a deep
foundation of adjoining building is to be constructed.
• To deepen the existing foundation.
• Construction of new basement.

39
40
• Operation to be carried out before underpinning
• Survey of structure
• Marking of Settlement if any
• Noticing neighbors (adjacent building)
• Setting indicators to identify probable cracks while
underpinning
• Carrying out corrective measures for cracks etc.
• Investigate sub-soil

41
• Sequences of operation for underpinning
• Suitable holes driven through the wall
and a needle beam is inserted &
supported on the jack
• Excavation is started up to foundation
footing of the existing foundation.
• The offset of the foundation is cutoff
and removed & excavation is reached
to the defined new depth

• New foundation is laid in the desired depth up to the underside of the

existing foundation
• This process is repeated in stages
• Final layer of pinning work just underside of existing foundation should
be done with the mortar from rapid hardening cement.
42
• Precautions
• Excavation in one time done for less than one fourth of length, for
weak soil it is done for less than one fifth to one seventh of length,
normally length of one bay is taken as 1.5 m.
• To be carried out slowly in stages and not at a time.
Methods of underpinning
• Pit method
• Ordinary
• Cantilever
• Pile method

43
 Methods of underpinning
 Pit method
 Entire length of foundation to be
underpinned is divided into sections of 1.2m
to 1.5m length.
 A hole is made for each section in the wall,
above the plinth level, and needle (timber or
steel section) is inserted. (each section at a
time)
 Bearing plates are placed above the needle
to support the masonry.
 Needle is supported on either side of the
wall on crib supports(wooden blocks) and
screw jacks.
 Foundation pit is excavated and new
foundation is laid.
 The process is repeated for alternate
sections. 44
 If an interior strong column exist, or if the foundation is to be extended only
to one side, cantilever needle beam may be used.
 In such case jack is placed between the column and the wall.

 Precautions
 Alternate sections in first round and one
section at a time.
 Work is started from middle section in
case of long wall and extended in both
directions.
 Proper timbering of trench in case of
deeper foundation.
 Needle beam should only be removed
when the new foundation becomes
strong enough.
 Needle holes should be closed.
45
46
47
 Methods of underpinning
 Pile method
 Piles are driven at regular interval
along both the sides of the wall.
 Generally, bore hole pile or under-
reamed piles are used
 Piles are connected by concrete or
steel needles (acts as pile caps)
 Useful in clayey soils and also in
water logged areas.
 The existing foundation is very much
relieved of the load.

48
49
 Methods of underpinning

wall wall weight

Needle beam Needle beam

Jack

Existing foundation Existing foundation

New foundation New foundation

wall

GL wall
Pile cap
Perforated pipe

GL
pile

Hard strata consolidation

50