VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HCMC

HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

Formwork and Falsework

Course Leader : Dr Huynh Nhat Minh

Visiting Professor : Ir Dr Patrick Quek
E-Mail : patrickquek119@gmail.com
 Formwork

BS 6100, Section 6.5,[10] defines formwork as ‘A structure,

usually temporary, but in some cases wholly or partly
permanent, used to contain poured concrete to mould it to the
required dimensions and support it until it is able to support
itself. It consists, primarily, of the face contact material and the
bearers that directly support the face material.’

What is the difference between the formwork and the

falsework?
 Formwork

• Selection of the formwork system is a key factor that governs the

success of a project in terms of time, cost, quality and safety

• For high-rise buildings, the most effective plan is for the works to
achieve a very short floor cycle

• The key to achieving this is to exploit an efficient and

appropriately designed formwork system.

• Modern buildings are generally complex in terms of scale and

size so the design and use of the right formwork system, will
contribute substantially to the overall success of a project.
 Formwork

Discuss the common formwork materials and types

available in construction. Include the following;

• Common formwork materials

• Common types of formwork,
• Implications and uses of each category,
• Disadvantages of each type.
 Categories of Formwork

• Size
• Location of use
• Material of construction
• Nature of operation
• Proprietary system
 Categories of Formwork

• Materials used for formwork are

traditionally limited due to the dilemma
between cost and performance.

• Timber in general is still the most

popular formwork material, due to its low
initial cost and adaptability.
 Categories of Formwork
• In recent years, full aluminium formwork system has been used but
the performance is being questioned by many, particularly with
regards to additional costs and the need for specialised workmen -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Yqu21vPBylY&NR=1
 Categories of Formwork
• Steel in either hot-rolled or cold-formed sections and in combination
with other sheeting materials, is another popular choice of formwork
material.
 Categories of Formwork

Other Formwork materials

• Flexible fabric
• Plastic

Principles of good formwork

▪ rigid, watertight, braced and tied together to maintain position and

shape during construction , and.

▪ able to be removed easily and safely without damaging the formed

concrete, or have components that remain as part of the finished
structure so the rest can be removed without damaging the
structure.
 Formwork
Most timber and aluminium forms can be assembled manually, due to
their weight, design and construction.
• It is labour intensive, and used in simpler jobs; or occasionally
used in very large or complex buildings to attain the benefit in
flexibility
• Some systems are equipped with a degree of mobility to ease the
erection and striking processes
• These formworks are generally categorised as either the crane-
lifted types or the mechanised slip-form systems.
• In the crane-lifted category large panels are fabricated either in
steel sections and sheeting, or using plywood sheeting and
stiffened by metal studs and soldiers.
• These large panels can be positioned either on a solid slab or
fixed onto brackets (e.g. should they be used for external walls or
shafts).
 Slip-form formwork
• Slip-form formwork systems use hydraulic or screw-jack systems (either
automated or manual), and these systems allow for continuous casting till the
end of a typical section is reached.
• Slip form formwork is raised vertically in a continuous process. It is a method
of vertically extruding a reinforced concrete section and is suitable for
construction of core walls in high-rise structures – lift shafts, stair shafts,
towers, etc.
• Slip-form system derived its name from the fact that the formwork itself
actually ‘slip off’ a previously cast structure
• It moves when the structure has taken physical shape with both its
cementitious properties and composite bond with the reinforcements being set
(i.e. harden) to a safe and acceptable level for the absence of the physical
form support.
• The process is continuous and encourages a sense of urgency in the steel-
fixers and casting crew to adhere to appropriately timed and scheduled
activities in order to compliment the continuum.
 Slip-form formwork

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKoj-N0-YyA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrUNHQeDkXw
 Climbing-form formwork

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIPpBvY
Sx8Q
Custom formwork
Custom formwork
Custom formwork
 Formwork: Construction-related factors
Repetitive sequence of work:
• High-rise block structures usually create highly repetitive cycles of
work and may be suitable for certain kinds of formwork.
• However, for horizontally spanned buildings, the level of
repetitiveness will be limited

Physical site constraints:

• Sites with numerous physical and contractual restrictions (e.g.
sloped grounds, minimal site access or manoeuvre space, close
proximity to sensitive structures), will increase difficulties from the
mobilisation stage (i.e. getting the formwork onto site and storing
them) to subsequent erection.
 Formwork: Construction-related
factors cont’d
Speed of work:

• Work on low rise construction sites can be accelerated by

the introduction of additional sets of formwork to create more
independent work sites.

• This increases costs and should be considered only when

time is of the essence e.g. when the risk of imposed delay
penalties exceeds the costs of having additional systems

• For high-rise buildings, the mere increase of formwork input

cannot often fulfil the need for speed in construction, as the
critical path depends on individual floor-cycles times.
Therefore the selected formwork design needs to support
minimal floor-cycle times.
Formwork: Construction-related factors cont’d
Recycling of formwork:

• The number of times timber formwork can be reused is usually

limited to its durability after every striking process (i.e. the removal
of falsework, struts and wedges, followed by plywood sheetings)
• Oil-based coatings are applied to contact surfaces of the plywood
sheetings and left to dry, prior to the erection process
• Timber form may usually be used for up to ten casts, thus making it
economically viable as the main option for formwork
• Though reusability of metal form is greatly superior, its high initial
and maintenance costs will often discourage its choice of use
• Careful balance between cost, speed, performance and quality of
outputs should be properly maintained when making the selection
 Formwork: Construction-related
factors cont’d
Construction planning and management:
• Planning i.e. phasing or sectioning arrangements, integration of
the structures, site-layout and setting up arrangements, and the
hoisting and concrete placing facilities, etc., are influential factors
in the selection and use of formwork.
Area or volume of cast per pour:
• The optimum volume of cast per pour will be different and in
accordance to the types of formwork used, elements of structure
to be placed and specific scale of work
• Usually volume of concrete ranging from 50m3 (non-continuous
pour from approx. 10 safely-laden ready-mixed concrete trucks) to
200m3 (continuous pour involving (e.g.) elephant concrete pumps
from approx. 40 trucks of the same) per pour can be comfortably
planned for most site environments.
 Formwork: Construction-related factors cont’d

Continuity of structures and construction joints:

• Introducing a large number of construction joints in a large

structure subdivides the works into effective and workable sizes,
• Being the weak physical links of any structure, construction-joints
are inevitable in all forms of building.
• Design engineers conceptualise form systems and
site staff exercise common sense, in conjunction
with strict adherence to design specifications, to
ensure the rigidity of a structure.
• In order to ensure rigidity of the overall system
during the casting process, form-ties are
incorporated into the formwork design
• These accessories once (partially or wholly)
removed after casting, have their locations
patched with high strength grout and should not
affect the overall structural integrity of their
structures.
 Formwork: Construction-related factors
cont’d
Involvement of other construction techniques:
• The applications of tensioning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JsuNg5r4Is) and
prefabrication techniques are often involved in the construction of
modern high-rise buildings, especially so in the Far East.
• This may impede the casting schedules and dictate the selection
and use of formwork, especially where pre-cast elements are to
be incorporated during the casting process.
• Additional provisions of temporary supports, slot spaces and
boxed-out positions in the formwork for the pre-cast elements, or
additional working spaces for the placing of stressing tendons
and the onward jacking process, should be allowed in such
cases.
 Formwork vs Falsework
The term ‘formwork’ is commonly confused and
associated with another, namely ‘falsework’, the latter
being a term used to described temporary support systems
such as those scaffold supports as previously covered.

BS 5975[12] defines
falsework as ‘Any
temporary structure
used to support a
permanent structure
during its erection and
until it becomes self
supporting.’
Falsework for Superstructures
 Groundworks
Excavations and trenching
• An excavation is any human-made cut, cavity, trench, or
depression in an earth surface that is formed by earth removal.

• A Trench is a narrow excavation (in relation to its length) made

below the surface of the ground.

• In general, the depth of a trench is greater than its width, and the
width (measured at the bottom) is not greater than 5m.

• If a form or other structure installed or constructed in an

excavation reduces the distance between the form and the side of
the excavation to 5m or less (measured at the bottom of the
excavation), the excavation is also considered to be a trench.
 Falsework for Groundworks/Substructures

Safety introduction:
• Excavating is recognized as one of the most hazardous
construction operations and this Unit will highlight various
trenching methods, hazards and their preventions.
 Falsework for Substructures

Flashback - Soil mechanics

• A number of stresses and deformations can occur in an open cut
site or trench. For example, increases or decreases in moisture
content can adversely affect the stability of a trench or excavation.

• The following diagrams show some of the more frequently

identified causes of trench failure.
 Substructures: Soil mechanics

TENSION CRACKS. Tension cracks usually

form at a horizontal distance of 0.5 to 0.75
times the depth of the trench, measured from
the top of the vertical face of the trench.

Figure 9.7.1: Tension Cracks

SLIDING or sluffing may occur as a result of

tension cracks.

Figure 9.7.2: Sliding

TOPPLING. In addition to sliding, tension

cracks can cause toppling. Toppling occurs
when the trench's vertical face shears along the
tension crack line and topples into the
excavation.

Figure 9.7.3: Toppling

when the trench's vertical face shears along the
tension crack line and topples into the
excavation.
Substructures: Soil mechanics
Figure 9.7.3: Toppling

SUBSIDENCE AND BULGING. An

unsupported excavation can create an
unbalanced stress in the soil, which, in turn,
causes subsidence at the surface and bulging of
the vertical face of the trench. If uncorrected,
this condition can cause face failure and
entrapment of workers in the trench.
Figure 9.7.4: Subsidence and Bulging

HEAVING OR SQUEEZING. Bottom

heaving or squeezing is caused by the
downward pressure created by the weight of
adjoining soil. This pressure causes a bulge in
the bottom of the cut, as illustrated in the
drawing above. Heaving and squeezing can
occur even when shoring or shielding has been
properly installed.
Figure 9.7.5: Heaving or Squeezing

BOILING is evidenced by an upward water

flow into the bottom of the cut. A high water
table is one of the causes of boiling. Boiling
produces a "quick" condition in the bottom of
the cut, and can occur even when shoring or
trench boxes are used.
Figure 9.7.6: Boiling
 Substructures: Groundshores
Ground shoring is the provision of a support system for trench walls,
used to prevent movement of soil, underground utilities, roadways,
and foundations. Shoring or shielding is used when the location or
depth of the cut makes sloping back to the maximum allowable
slope impractical. There are generally two types of shoring systems,
each with its own sub-categories:

• Ground shores support soil structures usually beneath ground

level and are commonly used in conjunction with trenching and
sheet-piling systems to prevent the inward collapse of the
surrounding earth.

• Structural shores typically support either existing building

structures that are deemed too structurally dilapidated to be in
self-support, or as a falsework in support of the erection process
of new structures.
 Substructures: Groundshores
Strut shoring

• Strut shoring is the most basic

form of ground shoring support.
The system consists of posts,
wales, struts, and sheeting

• The supporting struts are the main

components that resist the push
factor from the surrounding earth

• The preferred materials for struts

are timber and aluminium, the
former being cheap and readily
available, with the latter being
strong and light
 Substructures: Groundshores
Hydraulic shoring

• The modern trend is towards

the use of hydraulic shoring, a
prefabricated strut and/or wale
system manufactured of
aluminium or steel.

• Hydraulic shoring provides a

critical safety advantage over
traditional strut shoring as
workers do not have to enter
the trench to install or remove
the shoring components
Substructures: Groundshores
 Substructures: Groundshields

• Ground shields or trench boxes are

different from shoring.

• Instead of shoring upwards or otherwise

supporting the trench face, they are
intended primarily to protect workers
from cave-ins and similar incidents.

• The excavated area between the

outside of the trench box and the face of
the trench should be as small as
possible.

• The space between the trench boxes

and the excavation side are backfilled to
prevent lateral movement of the box.
Substructures: Groundshields
Substructures -Trench Boxes (Shields)

36
Illustration from Earthworks Class
(Week 2 )

37
 Excavation Support
Aim : for Safety of workers and structures under construction

Procedure and Regulations – require design for the supporting system – in some countries-
calculation requires certification by Chartered Engineers

Shallow Excavation Support – simpler – involving standard wall panels and strutting
 Excavation Support
Deep Excavation Support – involving diaphragm wall , sheetpiles , bracing, shoring strutting
Broad approaches to temporary soil support
Lateral support arrangements used for sheet steel pile walls
Interlocking sheet piling
 Ground anchoring

Drilling rig
Installing temporary support is expensive and slows
down construction activity.

Therefore, to speed construction, modern techniques

have been developed to allow the permanent basement
walls to be instilled before the deep excavation work
begins.
2. Permanent basement wall construction prior to excavation

• Diaphragm walling
• Contiguous bored piling
• Secant wall piling
 Retaining walls construction
Diaphragm Walls
Diaphragm walls are typically 20m to 50m deep, but may extend to considerably
greater depth.
 Diaphragm walls

www.bacsol.co.uk
Contiguous bored pile walls
Secant wall piling
 Bored Pile walls

piling rig in CFA mode

The range of CFA piles is between

300mm and 1200mm in diameter and
can be created up to 30 meters long.
 Conclusion

Designers and engineers have always tried to be creative and push

out the boundaries of structural form.
Fashion, computation skills, materials availability and ability of the
construction team all contribute to the structural forms we see
around us.
Imaginative structural design enhances the built environment.