Formwork systems

Traditional system:
When it is made in works using sawn and roundwood pieces or
laminated wood, it is easy to assemble but slow to execute when the structures are
large. It is mainly used in works of little or medium importance, where the
Labor costs are lower than those of renting modular formwork. Given
its flexibility to produce almost any shape, they are often used in combination with
other formwork systems.

Modular formwork or standardized system:

When it is made up of prefabricated modules, mainly of metal or plastic.
Its use allows for speed, precision, and security using assembly hardware and
other necessary auxiliary parts. It is very useful in large volume works.

Sliding formwork:
It is a system used for constructing vertical or horizontal structures.
of constant or significantly similar sections, allowing the same formwork to be reused
as the building grows in height or extension. This formwork also has
space for scaffolding, machinery, etc.

Lost formwork:
It is designated as one that is not recovered for later use, remaining jointly.
joined to the structural element. It can be done with pieces made of plastic, cardboard, or
ceramic material, and it remains on the outside of the piece to be molded, usually of
concrete.

Formwork designs

The formwork that is commonly used today is the formwork

modular and custom standard formworks. These formworks are

They supply the work with a series of accessories that are part of the measurements.
security collectives that have the mission of preventing accidents (ladders of
ascent, platforms with side protection, platforms for slab edges, units
of protective scaffolding...)

Modular formwork:

The modular formwork consists of standardized pieces that are supplied and assembled in
work with specific characteristics according to the manufacturer. These modules have
joining systems that, with the modular elements, allow adaptation to geometry
required. In general, they are rectangular, modulated in such a way that their combination
allows adaptation to any geometry. They are made up of a metal frame with
metal or phenolic plywood formwork.
Characteristics of modular formworks:

Phenolic plywood lining. Advantages of phenolic linings over metal sheets:

No dents are produced. Easy repair.
Lighter (12 kg/m2 compared to 25 kg/m2).
They do not present corrosion problems.
-Few through anchors.
A single connecting element between panels.
Incorporation of security elements.
High load capacity.
Maximum lightness.

Standard custom formwork:

If the characteristics of the element to be formworked require it, there are solutions in the
market, made up of standard formworks that allow, from a
reduced number of

elements, develop complex geometries.

They are usually supplied disassembled and have, among other advantages, the need to
minimum assembly times due to the fact that the joining of pieces is carried out with systems
of patented unions for easy placement.

Design of horizontal formwork:

Formwork designs have been developed that allow for the creation of horizontal structures.
with greater security than with traditional systems.
The formwork has evolved in search of an improvement in placement performance.
work as well as in the safety of workers. In this sense, the latest trends
In the different horizontal formwork systems, they are aimed, on the one hand, at achieving the
stability of the set, and on the other hand to reduce the risks of falls from height through the
coating of the entire surface and the placement of accessories around the perimeter of the
surface to be concreted. While all these systems are made up of props,
suspended doors, suspended ceilings and panels, the safety of current formwork is
achieve with the use of materials that have passed a quality control more
exhaustive and with designs aimed at providing rigidity to the various parts that make up
the set.

The most common anomalies that are usually seen in structural constructions.
the horizontals are as follows:

The finishes are not defined in the assembly procedure, which causes the
appearance of gaps and/or improper fittings.
A large number of scrap pieces and parts are left lying on the flooring.

inferior.

The safety against sliding that the boards provide is unknown.

The stability of the inclined props is doubtful. The formwork of the edge flights
The formwork is dangerous and the guardrails cannot be installed.

- Railings are not installed on the leading edge, nor in the interior openings, furthermore, to
Making so many cuts in the formwork wood does not promote order and cleanliness.

The stripping in the traditional horizontal formwork system is not explained.

Normally in the user manuals, it is also not clear how to disassemble the door.
sopanda, how the board is held when the strip is removed. Normally it is eliminated and
The board is allowed to fall, which can cause accidents during the de-shuttering.

Formwork tables:

This horizontal formwork system consists of pre-assembled formwork tables.

Large pre-assembled surfaces of platform and rigid supporting structure and
independent).

The use of this horizontal formwork system allows for the use of less
braces, perfectly connected and rigid, with connections between braces. The braces
They are plumbed throughout the entire use of the formwork. The solution of the formwork
horizontal in the construction of cantilever structures does not require the use of props
Inclined and railings can always be pre-mounted.

Working with this formwork requires a systematic approach that promotes the
order and cleanliness and requires the use of mechanical means of maintenance. The stripping
it can be done easily

since the set is lowered and removed in complete modules for later
transport with a handling system using carts.

Therefore, the horizontal formwork system using tables presents a series of

preventive advantages:

Notable reduction in the risks of falls from height.

Reduction of the risk of falling objects.
Manual handling of loads is eliminated.
Obstacles are removed and the process itself prioritizes order, cleanliness, and work.
systematic.
The review and control measures are significantly simpler.
Avoids tensions between managers and prevention technicians.
The coordination tasks are simplified in one of the most important items of the
work and with more risks.

Types of formworks

Formwork for columns are:

Square section pillars:

The formwork for square or rectangular section columns is resolved
simply through boards that are formed with parallel tables connected to each other by
fear of bars.
Four boards are arranged, two of the same dimensions that are intended to give to the
pillar, one facing the other, of a slightly larger dimension.
To ensure the joining of the four boards, they are held together by means of frames.
The frames, while keeping the boards in position, prevent them from warping.
due to the pressure of the concrete.
Since the pressure is greater in the lower parts of the pillar, the separation of
the lower frames must be smaller than the upper ones or they should be made larger
resistant.

The formwork must be completely closed, so that there is no

possibility of concrete escaping from its interior. This is achieved by taking care of the
construction of the boards and joining them at the corners, so that they touch
Perfectly. For added security, triangular strips should be placed in the corners;
these, besides closing the possible gaps, kill the live edges of the pillar that usually
be the parts of easiest deterioration.
As auxiliary pieces of these formwork, we will mention the braces and the tie rods.
the first ones are some crossbars that are placed inside and are removed as
they are made of concrete; they prevent the boards from falling inward. As for the braces
They are used to maintain the verticality of the formwork.
The height of the boards depends on whether the column and the beams are poured concrete or not.
or the slab at the same time; in this case, it will also depend on the position of the column in the work, it is
to say, whether it is interior or facade.
Another form of formwork, increasingly used, is the prefabricated one made of small
iron panels, which usually measure 45x40cm, 50x50cm or 60x50cm, and that are
they interlock to form the pillar that is to be constructed.

Circular section formwork

The formwork for this type of pillars is done using narrow boards instead of
tables, as these would have to adopt a curved shape to determine the
circumference of the cross section.
To give a circular shape, the loose boards are mounted using camons, which are
some tables that
it has cut off one part of a circumference arc, so that among all
they complete the requested section. The trucks are placed at the base and at the head of the
mold
The necessary rigidity of the formwork is achieved by placing iron rings.
which are called straps. It can also be used if the push from the concrete
It should not be large, steel wire, in a single loop or double loop for reinforcement.
The fastening. Formwork for circular pillars is faster and more comfortable with tubes.
asbestos-cement.

Polygonal section pillars:

Only on rare occasions are pillars with polygonal, hexagonal, etc. cross-sections built.
encofrado is usually done in a similar way to those of circular section, by means of beams
and straps.

Slab formwork
The formwork for slabs varies according to the type of soil that is adopted. Thus, for solid slab
For a ribbed slab, it will be necessary for the formwork to consist of flooring.
complete, very sturdy and well braced in order to avoid deformations and withstand everything
weight of slab or flooring.
In contrast, for a floor made of prefabricated beams and ceramic blocks, there is hardly any
to place more than just some boards so that the concrete of the compression layer does not
go out.

Wall formwork
The fundamental difference with the previous formworks up to now is that in the
large boards that are to be used for the construction of walls are employed
maintain verticals through sturdy braces, struts, and other elements of
support and holding.
In the foundation

hold the test table and then the so-called ribs are placed, which are
They are secured with corner brackets and other boards are joined together, which are given the name of
races. Supported by this framework, the boards are situated in
position by means of codals.
The separations between ribs, run, and turnpike depend on the thickness and height.
what the wall must have, as well as the height from which it will be concreted.
Before positioning the boards, it is necessary to formwork the wall openings.
(windows, doors), that is, to place a drawer the size of the opening, properly
reinforced to prevent any movement.
The whole process requires a lot of working time and a large amount of material.
Indeed, it increasingly tends to use large prefabricated iron panels or in the
wall coating, especially when it comes to large works.

Beam formwork
For the construction of formworks, the beams are divided into light, medium, and heavy.
considered light beams up to 70x50 cm; medium beams up to 50x70 cm and heavy
the larger dimensions. Like the pillars, this classification has only a specific interest
relative, since the construction of the formwork is approximately identical in the three
described types, varying the thicknesses of wood and nailing.
Each of these types require different formwork, but for the purposes of study
they can meet in two types, beams with slabs on the sides and header beams (in which it
other beams support) since the isolated beams and the

Beams with slabs on the sides are a simplified case of beams with slabs on both.
sides, so only the beams on which others rest are present.

General conditions that the formwork of a beam must meet

1-) The bottom of the formwork of a beam will always be included (enclosed) between
the two side boards: never underneath them, to facilitate the formwork stripping of
the side walls that can be done in three days; on the other hand, the back ones must
to be at least twenty-one days.
The loading of the background board of a beam must be very light, since the
resistance is handled by the supporting beams and the supporting props.
The clutter of the side panels will be placed with small gaps, already
it is about resistance elements that must withstand the thrust of the concrete
transmitted by the side panels.
The formwork of the beam must rest on that of the column that supports it, in such a way that
all the boards (side and back) should have the ends of the boards flush with
the inner face of the pillar, that is, there will be a support of 2.5 cm.
5-) The flooring slab boards will be attached to the outer face of the
side boards of the beam, meaning they will not be mounted on these: they are the boards of the
blocks that are to provide lateral support to those of the beam.
The formwork of the beams that rest on beams (girders) will penetrate
totally in the mold of the main beam (girders) identical in shape to how the beams are
they introduce into a pillar

Formwork materials:
The formwork tray can be made from various materials, the most
used wood. These panels, made of solid or laminated pieces ranging from 12 to
35 millimeters of wood (usually pine, beech, or birch) treated with carbonyl.
xylophones or covered with phenolic sheets, are assembled in multiple dovetail joints
or with small stoppers, glued in thin waves (of approximately 12 x 3
millimeters), enclosed by a galvanized steel framework of 1 millimeter thickness,
at a minimum, and framed with aluminum or galvanized steel tubes. The sizes of
the boards will condition the working meetings and their modulation.
The difference in formwork according to the type of concrete will not be very noticeable: for a
exposed concrete the panels used must be smooth, waterproof, usually
metallic, as they allow for a greater number of openings than wooden panels, and to
sometimes they will be covered with non-stick fabrics or release liquids, conditions that
will not be required if the concrete is not the final finish of the work.
Other materials used that facilitate a quick installation are steel and plastic.
and the laminated cardboard. With the latter, formworks are created that are especially indicated
for round, square, and rectangular columns and pillars, available in diameters
from 150 to 1500 mm with variable heights between 3 and 12 meters and with a thickness of 9
mm. Cardboard is an excellent material that retains a high degree of moisture and therefore
so it makes it very suitable

for a good formwork.

Reusable plastic formworks: They are modular formworks that are used for
build extensively, but intended for relatively simple concrete structures.
They are especially suitable for low-cost but well-built budgets.
serialized like modular housing plans.
Cardboard Formwork: They are also part of the lost formwork, the new ones.
cardboard formworks used for the pillars are only suitable for a single pour but for
example in the case of round pillars, they allow for an aesthetically challenging finish
obtainable with another type of finish.

Formwork in large buildings

This is a formwork of the slab of the new UTESA building. This image is seen from the
outer part of the building where the columns supporting the slab can be seen,
where the points are downwards and form a 90 degree angle with the ground.

This image is of the slab formwork from inside the building. Where the spans
they are bound to each other.

In this image, the formwork of the ceiling slab is seen from above, here are the ribs.
of the formwork, which are the boards that go on the sides to hold the concrete