The primary building material in the construction sector is the concrete. In helping concrete elements develop their strength and geometry, formwork is crucial. It is one of the biggest expenses while building concrete structures as well. Formwork has a lengthy history, and many formwork methods have been employed in a variety of projects. Roman Empire might be the earliest time that formwork was used. For building concrete vaults and arches at that time, Roman engineers used timber shuttering as formwork. Later, formwork was employed more and more for creating concrete structures. Historically, concrete construction formwork has been made of rigid materials like steel and wood. However, conventional formworks typically require skilled workmen, which takes time & money and the applications are primarily for regular shapes. Formwork systems can be categorized as indicated in Fig. 1 based on the material stiffness, recyclability and fabrication methods. The needs of construction safety, cost, structural geometry, time and surface quality must be considered in the design and selection of formwork systems.
Fig. (1)
Comparison of various formwork systems:
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