The use of Rapid Form Brackets on the construction of a four-story office building eliminated the need for about 720 two by fours at a cost of $4,800. In addition, the contractor estimates a labor savings of $26,800.
Wood has been the concrete contractor&#;s formwork of choice for years. It&#;s relatively inexpensive and easy to understand, light weight, can be easily cut to size, and easy to replace and dismantle.
However, lumber formwork also has its disadvantages. It has limited usage and cannot be reused on one job to the next. Wooden formwork also been known to absorb water from concrete when dry, reducing the strength in concrete structure. On the other hand, lumber with too much moisture can compress wet concrete and cause cracks when shrinking occurs.
These challenges have resulted in hundreds of formwork alternatives&#; from steel, aluminum, manufactured timber, plywood, plastics and fabric&#;that claim to offer the trifecta: saved time, labor and money.
Formwork is a crucial element to concrete construction, though, so selecting the right formwork is essential to any job. In fact, the right choice can greatly affect the schedule, labor requirements, quality and total cost of a project, says Michael Schaeffer, senior U.S. product manager with Doka USA.
&#;Formwork, the temporary or permanent molds used to hold wet concrete until it sets, is a crucial element in concrete construction. Just as important is selection of the right formwork,&#; Schaeffer notes. &#;Over the years, formwork molds have evolved from traditional job-built timber to pre-engineered systems composed of a combination of steel, aluminum, manufactured timber, plywood and plastics. These advancements in formwork molds have led to increased jobsite production and safety, with less labor, while producing a better-finished product.&#;
But with so many options, how can contractors choose the right one. Schaeffer suggests the following tips to consider when choosing a formwork system:
Now let&#;s look at a few of the newest formwork alternatives on the market:
The Rapid Form Bracket from Innovative Concrete was designed to take the place of lumber supports in the construction of elevated slabs. The bracket is commonly used for work on foundations around a building, when constructing loading docks, or any job involving vertical work.
Made of steel and then powder-coated to keep away rust, the bracket&#;s inventor Bob Kalbach says it eliminates the labor and costs involved in purchasing, layout, measuring, cutting, constructing and cleaning up after stripping of wood supports. He estimates that the traditional process takes about three times longer than the bracket does.
When a slab is designed to turn down on top of a wall, you have to form the outer edges so that concrete doesn&#;t go over the top of the wall. Traditionally, this is done by cutting two by fours that hold the form against wall. The pieces are layered on top of each other, the form is attached and then everything is braced. Once the concrete is poured, the supports then are removed and thrown away. Innovative Concrete
&#;Why are we paying $1,200 for a pallet of wood, cutting it all up and taking these pieces and throwing them away when we&#;re done. Not just that, but you have to collect all of that. Hundreds of pieces collected and then thrown in the dumpster,&#; asks Kalbach.
The bracket was recently used during the construction of a four-story office building for LifeQuest, totaling 3,675 lineal feet of slab form. The project called for 925 brackets, which saved the company approximately 720 two by fours at a cost of $4,800. In addition, the contractor estimates a labor savings of $26,800.
The use of fabric formwork began in the early 20th century with concrete architectural structures. Today, the formwork alternative is slowly gaining momentum in the construction industry as the public&#;s focus on sustainability grows. The industry is increasingly being asked to address and lower its carbon footprint. While the use of wood and/or metal is not completely eliminated by using fabric, it can be reduced to essential components thereby saving natural resources.
Using fabric formwork, such as a geotextile, offers several additional advantages, according to an article by Robert P. Schmitz, a registered professional engineer, with more than 35-years&#; experience in architecture and structural engineering. Those benefits include:
Schmitz notes that fabric formwork does have its disadvantages though. Those include:
&#;However, until new fabrics are developed, the benefits of using geotextiles far outweighs any disadvantages,&#; Schmitz writes. &#;In addition, unless standards and guidelines for use in precast and cast-in-place forming systems are developed, this method of forming concrete will remain a niche market exploited only by those brave and bold enough to challenge the status quo. To be of practical use to the design community, some standardization of systems and guidance are needed for contractors to feel comfortable using flexible formworks.&#; Fab-Form Industries
Leading the charge for adoption in the construction industry, Richard Fearn, owner and founder of Fab-Form Industries, Ltd., has developed several fabric forming products, including Fastfoot for continuous and spread footings, Fastbag for spread footings, and Fast-Tube for piers and columns.
Made of high-density polyethylene fabric, Fab-Form&#;s markets its products as a &#;green replacement of lumber and plywood for forming concrete footings.&#;
Force Concrete & Masonry Corporation of Piscataway, New Jersey, has been working with Fab-Form for nearly a decade. They recently used the Fastfoot product to form the footings of Rutgers University&#;s new Health & Athletic Performance Center.
The project had a tight deadline&#;just six months. Because Force Concrete & Masonry was able to setup huge amounts of formwork before the pour took place, they were able to pour all the concrete in one day, keeping the project on track. In addition, because the fabric prevents the concrete from touching the lumber framework, the lumber framework can be reused and easily stripped, further increasing labor productivity.
&#;When you strip [the forms], you only remove the lumber framework,&#; explains Bill Pavlic of Force Concrete & Masonry. &#;The fabric conforms to the uneven ground, which makes it a lot easier. If you&#;re using regular forms, you have to go back and patch in the bottom or other spaces.&#;
Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) are not a new technology, but they are seeing a resurgence in popularity. In fact, before the collapse of the housing industry in , many homes were built with ICFs&#;a type of permanent concrete formwork that create the external wall envelope of a building. The alternative formwork has regained some of that traction in recent year, though, as the popularity of energy efficient and disaster resistant homes and buildings grows.
In the past, single family residential accounted for about 70% of ICF construction compared to about 30% for commercial or multifamily uses, according to a report by the Portland Cement Association. (PCA). But, use in larger commercial buildings appears to be a growing market for several reasons. Chief among them is the potential for reducing energy to heat and cool the building. Nudura
According to the PCA report, some estimates place the savings at 20 percent or more. The R-value for a typical ICF is about 20, and the walls can often have high air tightness 10-30% better than frame-with compatible windows, doors and roof. As a result, assuming a 100-year service life, PCA estimates one single-family ICF home has the potential to save about 110 tons of CO2 compared to a traditional wood frame home.
&#;This more than offsets the CO2 associated with the production of the cement used to make the concrete,&#; the report adds.
In addition, ICF save natural resources by eliminating the structures wood frame. The forms also often contain recycled materials.
Each building in the construction industry needs diverse scaffolding and formwork methods. It is particularly well suited in preparing molds for pouring the concrete in structures, ceilings, and flooring of buildings. It may also employ in the automobile sector as truck and container built environment, shipbuilding, and furnishings. This article will talk about the plywood and formwork plywood alternatives.
Why Formwork Plywood?It is particularly well suited to molds for pouring concrete into structures. Also, Plywood formwork is a low-cost, long-lasting, and environmentally friendly technology for producing a high-quality concrete cast surface. Plywood has a natural ability to absorb humidity, giving it a sponge-like appearance. However, people may use the formwork plywood alternatives.
> Read more: 20 Types Of Plywood And Grades Used In Interior And Exterior
Formwork Plywood AlternativesFormwork is a crucial element to concrete construction, so selecting the correct formwork is essential to any job. Wildfires, shortages of labor, and supply issue chains are making plywood harder to get and is now more expensive. So, here are the various formwork plywood alternatives that are less expensive, endure longer, and may be used hundreds of times.
1- Wood Polymer FormworkIn the building industry, commercially produced wood-cement panels are utilized in permanent formwork. The fracture and flexural characteristics of natural fibers reinforced epoxy polymer concrete have improved.
The flexural modulus of wood-plastic formwork is lower than plywood formwork for construction. However, by increasing the thickness, the shortcomings can be improved. They have a complicated architecture characterized by multi-scale porosity and are often very porous with a low apparent density and a low apparent density.
The wood-plastic composite template is used 20-30 times and has a significant residual value when considering the number of cycles and residual value.
They&#;re ideal for warm, humid locations where termites and deterioration are significant issues. So, the wood polymer formwork becomes an excellent option to resist moisture. It&#;s cheaper than other formwork plywood alternatives and more comfortable to work with.
2- Fiber-reinforced Boards FormworkFiber-reinforced boards are a novel structural and technical technique for the economical manufacturing of curved freeform formworks and single or double-curved textile-reinforced concrete parts.
The method is based on a multi-layered, flexible formwork system made of glass fiber&#;reinforced plastic. This technique employs lightweight, high-strength fabric sheets that are meant to adapt to the fluidity of concrete and produce unique architectural shapes.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Zolo.
> Read more: Understanding Oriented Strand Board (OSB) and Its Production Process
Fiber Reinforced Boards FormworkThe three-point bending tensile strength of the created textile-reinforced concrete was extremely high. In the longitudinal direction, it has better flexural strength than lumber.
Moreover, it is typically stronger than steel and aluminum. As a result, this formwork utilizes less concrete than rigid systems, resulting in cost savings and increased yield output.
3- ABS Plastic FormworkAlternative formwork systems, such as ABS plastic formwork, can be a viable and cost-effective one to traditional formwork systems.
Because the formwork is comprised of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic, it is lightweight while maintaining a high load-bearing capability.
Plywood can only be reused 3 to 5 times; however, ABS Plastic formwork may be used 100 times. As a result, Plastic Formwork is less expensive.
Plastic is waterproof by its nature. It&#;s impervious to corrosion and rust, making it ideal for use underground and in wet environments.
People are in love with the fact that the product is low in mass and is considerably easier to handle and carry on-site. As a result, no heavy lifting equipment is required.
> Read more: Understanding Different Types Of Wood And Their Uses
4- Quik-TubesQuik-Tubes are rigid fiber construction forms that do not require wood forms. Deck footings, goal posts, fence posts, mailboxes, and lighting are all applications.
Multiple layers of high-quality fiber fused with an adhesive and a unique moisture-resistant coating that aids uniform curing. You have to use up to three feet below grade and up to three feet above grade. Moreover, it is unnecessary to remove it because it degrades with time.
5- Reinforced Polyurethane Foam boardsPolyurethane Board is a type of board that is created from leftover polyurethane foam and used commonly as a formwork replacement.
The board has a low thermal conductivity (0.076 W/mK) and is damp and waterproof. Furthermore, fiberglass layers give strength to the high-density boards.
Polyurethane Foam BoardsBecause it has a significant proportion (at least 90%) of non-connected sealed small cells saturated with inert gas, polyurethane foam is effective as an insulator.
Above all, the boards are naturally rot-resistant, ensuring a long-lasting framework for the construction method. They may also be a great substitute for plywood.
6- MDO PlywoodMDO stands for medium density overlay, which is significantly better/expensive than standard film faced plywood&#;s surface film. The ability of MDO plywood to cover defects gives concrete a high-quality finish.
It reduces the amount of wood grain that transfers to the concrete surface. A medium-density overlay produces a uniform color and a smoother texture, making it perfect for spraying or finishing.
7- Foam 3D Printing (F3DP) FormworkFormwork investigates how foam 3D printing (F3DP) is utilized in casting the concrete to create distinctive designs for useful stay-in-place or temporary and recyclable formwork.
The mineral composite components that result could save up to 70% of concrete. This is one of those formwork plywood alternatives which are more lightweight and have better insulating characteristics.
> Read more: Characteristics Of Plywood &#; VINAWOOD
8- Aluminum FormworkAluminum For the construction of low and high-rise flats and structures, formwork is commonly employed. It is a relatively new technique that saves time, money, and improves the efficiency of a building.
This strategy may be used effectively by workers to accelerate construction while also ensuring quality control and longevity.
Aluminum Formwork provides a form finish, eliminates the need for exterior and internal plaster, and allows for direct painting with minimum skim coat, all of which add to cost benefits in the long run.
Aluminium Formwork Plywood Alternatives 9- HDO Forming Panels for FormworkThe faces of HDO overlay panels are bonded with resin-impregnated cellulose fiber sheets and can be single- or double-sided.
HDO forming panels feature a higher resin content in the overlay, making their surfaces hard and more water and impact-resistant than MDO-forming panels.
While using HDO Polyform, you may expect more applications and a better finish on the concrete surface. The concrete finish created by an MDO surface will be softer and less slick than HDO panels.
> Read more: Specifying The Right Plywood For Concrete Formwork
Conclusion &#; Formwork Plywood AlternativesFormwork is a type of &#;mold&#; used in concrete buildings to pour concrete. Thus, when selecting the ideal material for the formwork plywood alternatives, keep these qualities in your mind:
You will handle any problem easily if you are sure about choosing the perfect material for the formwork plywood alternatives.
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