Formwork​
Systems
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Materials
Timber
Generally, Timber is used for form work in small scale constructions and in places where labor is cheap. It is most commonly used in developing nations mainly due to its easy availability.
Advantages:
- Easy to work with
- Low Initial Investment
- Less environmental impact as it is renewable
Disadvantages:
- Non Uniform strength
- Less Life span
- Cannot be used for complex designs
- High Labor Requirement
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Steel
Steel is one of the most widely used formwork materials nowadays mainly due to its high strength and greater life span. Steel formwork is often used for infrastructure projects of huge proportions.
Advantages:
- Overall reduced costs due to repeated use
- Less labor Requirement
-Can be used for complex designs
Disadvantages:
- High initial cost of manufacture
- High impact on environment
- Increased temporary loads on the structure
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Aluminum
​Aluminum formwork has been a tremendous success in the field of residential construction which involves repetitive construction. Aluminum allows achieving very versatile shapes with low weight.
Advantages:
- Low Costs
- Reduced loads on the structure
- Fast paced construction
Disadvantages:
- Comparatively low life span
- Impact on environment
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Plastics
​In the last few decades, the technology for using plastic for construction formwork is gaining momentum especially in low-rise repetitive residential construction. Plastic forms are essentially recycled plastic composites prepared to the specifications for a particular project. The major reasons for the increase in use of plastic forms is the versatility in shapes, low costs and low environmental impacts. Due to the limitations in in the strength of the materials it was not used for heavy infrastructure. However with the tremendous research in the field of polymers, better options are available nowadays.
Advantages:
- Low weight
- Ease in workability
- Low costs
Disadvantages
- Low thermal resistance
- Low impact resistance