Concrete is a tough material to work with, but with the right mixture and curing it can provide the support and protection your structure needs. To achieve this, a well-built formwork is necessary. This is a temporary set of molds where the concrete is poured and left to dry. Here are the most important factors a builder should consider when setting up formwork.
Form Pressure
There are at least three types of force at work when liquid concrete is poured into a mold—vertical force (the weight of concrete or gravity’s pulling force), horizontal force (the pressure liquid concrete exerts as a reaction to restraint), external force (the pressure exerted by the reinforcing bars, vibrations created by tools, and the weight of people working on the formwork). The main goal in designing formwork is to be able to effectively resist these forces until the concrete cures completely.
There are several things you can do to curb both forces efficiently. First, you have to make sure that the molds are made of a tough and strong material. One that can tolerate the expected amount of pressure the concrete will exert throughout the curing process. Next, the support and clamp must be installed properly and, like the mold itself, must be made of strong material, too. The column must be mounted on a stable base as well so that the concrete will not settle into the ground.
Pour Rate
As concrete hardens, it becomes part of the support system of the formwork. This means it can help the molds and its supporting parts to hold up fresh concrete. Builders can take advantage of this characteristic of concrete by pouring liquid concrete at just the right rate to allow the concrete beneath to harden just enough to provide support while maintaining integration with the whole column or beam.
It is dangerous to pour too much liquid concrete into a form because the pressure it exerts on the mold is different from that of partially hardened concrete. The mold can burst at the point where most of the pressure has built up. The safest height for fluid concrete is four feet. Higher than that may put the whole structure at risk of collapse.
Top providers of concrete forming systems continue to innovate technology that can improve the efficiency of concrete forming. One of their greatest achievements is the invention of aluminum concrete forms for sale, which is far more efficient than traditional materials. Aluminum is undeniably strong and corrosion resistance so it can withstand the pressure of concrete.
Sources:
Formwork Making - Course: Timberwork techniques. Trainees' handbook of lessons (Institut für Berufliche Entwicklung, 14 p.), nzdl.org
Form Pressure and Pour Rate Basics, saiaonline.org
There are at least three types of force at work when liquid concrete is poured into a mold—vertical force (the weight of concrete or gravity’s pulling force), horizontal force (the pressure liquid concrete exerts as a reaction to restraint), external force (the pressure exerted by the reinforcing bars, vibrations created by tools, and the weight of people working on the formwork). The main goal in designing formwork is to be able to effectively resist these forces until the concrete cures completely.
There are several things you can do to curb both forces efficiently. First, you have to make sure that the molds are made of a tough and strong material. One that can tolerate the expected amount of pressure the concrete will exert throughout the curing process. Next, the support and clamp must be installed properly and, like the mold itself, must be made of strong material, too. The column must be mounted on a stable base as well so that the concrete will not settle into the ground.
Pour Rate
As concrete hardens, it becomes part of the support system of the formwork. This means it can help the molds and its supporting parts to hold up fresh concrete. Builders can take advantage of this characteristic of concrete by pouring liquid concrete at just the right rate to allow the concrete beneath to harden just enough to provide support while maintaining integration with the whole column or beam.
It is dangerous to pour too much liquid concrete into a form because the pressure it exerts on the mold is different from that of partially hardened concrete. The mold can burst at the point where most of the pressure has built up. The safest height for fluid concrete is four feet. Higher than that may put the whole structure at risk of collapse.
Top providers of concrete forming systems continue to innovate technology that can improve the efficiency of concrete forming. One of their greatest achievements is the invention of aluminum concrete forms for sale, which is far more efficient than traditional materials. Aluminum is undeniably strong and corrosion resistance so it can withstand the pressure of concrete.
Sources:
Formwork Making - Course: Timberwork techniques. Trainees' handbook of lessons (Institut für Berufliche Entwicklung, 14 p.), nzdl.org
Form Pressure and Pour Rate Basics, saiaonline.org
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