Design and Calculation of Formwork Requirement for Slabs

Formwork is a structure that is used to bolster and keep in place concrete so that you get it in the desired shape before it sets in and hardens. Formwork can be temporary or permanent according to the need of a project.  Formwork is designed in a way that it can not just hold the weight of the concrete i.e. fresh concrete but also the weight and load of the people that are working on it.

What is Concrete Beam formwork?

Concrete beam / Slab formwork holds a load of concrete during curing and when the concrete slab is put on the permanent supports. The bases are also referred to as sills. They are made either from metal or using wood. These bases bolster the vertical stringers and also offer prop to the horizontal joists. It is these horizontal joists that help build a flat surface where the plywood, timber, steel sheets, fiberglass, or aluminum can be utilized as a base where the concrete is put.

In the majority of the cases, the whole beam formwork system can be put to use again and again. The process of doing away with formwork after setting up concrete is referred to as stripping. Once the formwork is stripped, it has to be cleaned to make sure that the faces of the panels are straight and no built-up of any kind is there. The reusable forms are referred to as ‘panel forms’. And the forms that cannot be used are referred to as ‘stationary forms’.

Different Types of Formwork materials

For smaller works, many people use plywood or timber formwork. The problem with this kind of formwork is that it can swell, warp, or shrink, even when the impermeable laminate is used to prevent the application of water. In short, plywood and timber formwork have a very short lifespan.

For bigger projects, steel sheets are put to use so the formwork can be easily re-used several times. Even though these sheets are more expensive to make, they have a longer lifespan than plywood or timber. So, depending upon the scale of a project or need, different types of formwork are used and their requirement is also different

Customizable formwork

Slab formwork can be customized as per the need of the project. It can create curved and horizontal surfaces; you can also use it to create vertical and diagonal structures. These days it is easy to customize formwork according to the need of the project. The falsework holds the forms in place. It helps the modular nature of the formwork.

As there are so many different kinds of slab formworks available, you should use the aptest and economical one according to the requirement as well as budget of a project. It is significant to get the correct advice so that any kind of miscalculations in the requirement of formwork is avoided as this can lead to serious costing errors.

For all kinds of formwork slabs, Nova Formwork is the best solution. They are the leaders in concrete construction products. All products are made using the finest technology and technique.