Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Materials Today: Proceedings

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A comparative study on newly emerging type of formwork systems with

conventional type of form work systems
Mohan Sai Gaddam ⇑, Aravindan Achuthan
Civil Engineering Department K L Educational Foundation, Guntur 522502, Andhra Pradesh, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Today, due to globalization, many improvements in construction methods around the globe have been
Received 19 February 2020 brought about as the dissemination of new and innovative technology across the world’s populations
Received in revised form 3 June 2020 has become easy and the exchange of cross-border information has become quicker and accurate.
Accepted 5 June 2020
Formwork, which temporary structure helps to mount concrete into desired shape supporting the loads
Available online xxxx
placed on it stays as well as underpinning wet cement until it fixes, is a vital developmental part.
Formwork is an important building feature and requires 20–25 percent of the total construction cost.
Keywords:
Therefore, with the use of latest methods in formwork, it allows the casting of larger elements faster than
Aluminium form work
Jump formwork
normal one, which eliminates the need for time and labour compared with conventional methods. A com-
Traditional formwork parative study is made in this paper between existing formwork technology with newly emerging form-
Construction cost work systems such as aluminium form work, jump formwork system, which is not commonly used in
Comparative study India and thus suggests which method is best to the project being considered. To better understand this
subject, numerous construction projects are studied where newly emerging formwork techniques are
used and the data collected from these projects are used to compare newly emerged formwork with tra-
ditional formwork system.
Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
ence on Future Generation Functional Materials and Research 2020.

1. Introduction help the people then discovered small formwork units and used
in the construction [4]. Then lastly the formwork system made is
Formwork system has important role in the construction, by steel, was used and it was found that it is heavy in weight then
selecting the appropriate formwork system could lead to sustain- plan is to reduce the weight of formwork system, for that material
able construction.Formwork is specified to support the concrete of formworks has changed to aluminium, plastic, etc. [5].Now a
as temporary structures until it supports itself [1]. This moulds days the need for newly emerging type of formwork systems is
the concrete to various types of formwork used in construction, more as the conventional formwork systems are replaced by the
usually varying depending on the building needs. Formworks are advanced ones their drawbacks are modified like these formwork
typically made of wood, steel, aluminium or prefabricated forms systems are strong enough to with sand the loads, they are in a
where concrete is poured into. The formwork used for casting position to retain the shape, free from leakages, material used for
structural elements like columns, beams, slabs and shear walls also formwork should be cheap, easily available and reusable [6].That
used for smaller building pieces like stairs, etc. Selection of form- the pros and cons to the formwork design selection depends on
work in high-rise building is depend upon, the main factors such the type of project and the specifications of the project. The tech-
as cost, time and quality [2,3]. The timber boards and steel boards nique of formwork construction is cost effective for mass produc-
along with the supports are used in the typical formwork style. tion and repetitive projects Formwork is a fast construction
Now the technology of a day is slowly being built, people are using process, with high speed construction Formwork construction pro-
plywood boards instead of timber and steel probes with jacks to vides high construction efficiency and low maintenance at the low-
est possible cost [7,8]. The main objective of this study is to
⇑ Corresponding author. compare the conventional and modern formwork based on cost
E-mail address: saimohan.100@gmail.com (G. Mohan Sai).
and duration parameters.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.090
2214-7853/Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Future Generation Functional Materials and Research 2020.

Please cite this article as: G. Mohan Sai and A. Aravindan, A comparative study on newly emerging type of formwork systems with conventional type of
form work systems, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.090
2 G. Mohan Sai, A. Aravindan / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

1.1. Conventional timber formwork quality and speed can be achieved at a high level. This system’s
build speed can exceed the speed of most other building methods
It is the oldest formwork system used in the construction indus- / technologies. This method is efficiently done by the labour to
try. This type of formwork is made up of timber, plywood. The speed up building, to ensure quality control and durability.
manufacture process of this type of formwork is simple but it con- Aluminum Formwork panels can be built for any building con-
sumes more time for installation and has low life span. This type is dition / component, such as bay windows, stairs, balconies and par-
more suitable for small houses of two or three floors, and they are ticular architectural features. This design is unusual in that all the
still in use for such constructions. However, this is not suitable for building materials, including slabs, floors, walls, columns, beams,
the big projects or high-rise buildings [9]. The main disadvantage staircases, balconies and window hoods, are concrete and there is
of this formwork is it does not retains its shape when heavy loads no need for block works or brick works. It gives a form finish,
are applied and it absorbs concrete water which results in strength removes the need for external and internal plaster and the walls
reduction of concrete. can be painted directly with minimal skim coat, all of which
eventually contribute to cost savings Fig. 1.
1.2. Conventional steel formwork
2.2. Table formwork system
Mainly used in major building projects or in cases where the
same shuttering can be re-used in large numbers. It is suitable A table form / flying form is a large pre-assembled formwork
for circular or curved structures such as tanks, columns, chimneys, and falsework unit which often form a complete bay of suspended
etc. and is used for structures such as drainage tunnels and wall floor slab. The machine needs enough space to fly the table unit
retention. This is Strong, durable & have longer life. The installation beyond the building line for daily use throughout the new con-
and removal of steel with greater ease and speed can result in struction. The supporting slab must be able to handle heavy loads
reducing labor costs. No danger of formwork by absorbing concrete at bearing sites. In building projects with standard design layouts
water, and reducing honeycombing [10]. or long repetitive structures, it provides versatility and easy instal-
lation, so it is highly suitable in flat slab, and beam and slab lay-
1.3. Requirements of good formwork system outs. Routinely it is used for: Residential flats, Hotels, Hostels,
Offices, Commercial buildings Fig. 2.

Formwork shall be sufficiently strong to withstand dead and
live loads, force induced by ramming and vibration of concrete
and other incidental loads placed on it during and after casting 2.3. Slip formwork system
concrete.

Appropriate procedures should be in place to avoid any com- It is a vertically style of Extrusion of a portion of reinforced
promise in the formwork either before or during concrete concrete and is suitable for Core wall building in high-rise
putting. buildings-lifting Shafts, shafts of stairs, walls, etc., This is

Formwork should be sufficiently robust to avoid undue deflec- self-inclusive Formwork system and can take very little crane time,
tion and joints should be firmly butted to prevent cement slurry Construction.. The formwork steadily rises up at a rate of 300 mm
from leaking. every hour, supporting itself in the centre. This formwork consists

Formwork must be specially constructed in such a way that the of 3 stages. The top level fills the potential e area of circulation, the
resulting concrete product is in the right position and that has centre stage performs the primary stage of work and is at the high-
correct shape and dimensions. est level of solid dimension spilled out. The lower stage gives
strong wrap-up control. Fast construction for broad floor areas,
2. Newly emerging techniques in formwork Reduced need for long-term on-site workers, Individual formwork
components can be modified with precision Fig. 3.
The use of advanced formwork techniques for construction of
structures is increasing as the time progressed. Speed and effi- 2.4. Jump form system
ciency are of prime importance in the present competitive market;
thus, by using newly emerging formwork systems, the length of Jump Formwork system is used where there is no floor on
the project is decreased by using the latest methods that are reli- which the wall formwork can be supported, or the wall and column
able, durable and accelerate the building speed [11,12]. Some of continue ahead of the floor. Jump-forms consist of a fixed plate
the newly emerging formwork techniques used nowadays is with two or more solid backrests attached to it. They can be one

Re-Usable Plastic/PVC/ Aluminium Formwork Systems

Table form/Flying Formwork Systems

Jump Formwork Systems

Slip Formwork Systems

Permanent Insulated Formwork Systems (ICF).

2.1. Aluminium formwork system

Aluminum Formwork System in India, a comparatively new

technology saves time, costs and increases construction efficiency.
Aluminum Formwork is widely used for the construction of low
and high rises apartments and buildings in Japan, Singapore,
Malaysia and the Middle East. Aluminum Formwork device is very
cost-effective for repeating building layouts and for above-the-
plinth work. It is one of the systems which has been described as
being very suitable for Indian mass construction conditions, where Fig. 1. Aluminum formwork system.

Please cite this article as: G. Mohan Sai and A. Aravindan, A comparative study on newly emerging type of formwork systems with conventional type of
form work systems, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.090
 G. Mohan Sai, A. Aravindan / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 3

Fig. 4. Jump formwork system.

Fig. 2. Table formwork system.

the formwork cost. Therefore, in order to emphasize the impor-

tance of formwork selection, an attempt has been made in this
paper to determine the best suitable technique for a particular pro-
ject by comparatively examining such techniques and then to cre-
ate a connection between these techniques w.r.t time and cost
parameters. For comparative study different systems of formwork
are taken like conventional timber, conventional steel, Aluminium
formwork system and jump type of formwork system. This is done
in the following steps. Figs. 4 & 5.

4. Data collection

The case study taken is KLEF new boy’s hostel 14 storey build-
ing being constructed in KLU university campus, vaddeswaram,
Guntur district. The project is proposed to facilitate the hostel for
boys.

Name of the Project: KLEF new boy’s hostel

Type of Project: Residential

No of storeys: G + 14 storeys.

Name of Client: KL University

Fig. 3. Slip formwork system.

floor high, supported by inserts in the lift underneath. It’s also pos-
sible to use two sets, one floor high, that alternately jump over Selecon of a project and calculaon of the quanes of the formwork.
each other. Typical jump-form process consists of three basic
operations: stripping, moving and resetting. Jump type systems
typically include formwork and working platforms for formwork Selecon of the different formwork techniques and cost esmate per
cleaning / fixing, steel fastening and concreting. The formwork
supports itself on the concrete cast earlier so it does not rely on
assistance or access from other building parts or permanent works.
Jump formwork sysem is ideal for constructing multi-storey verti- Preparaon of comparave statement with different factors like cost,
cal concrete components in high-rise buildings, such as shear cycle me, no of repeons, durability, etc.,
walls, core walls, lift shafts, stair shafts, bridge pylons. This is a
highly efficient device designed to improve speed and productivity
while reducing the time needed for work and cranes. Systems are Calculaon of the total cost of selected formworks as specified in
usually modular, and can be combined to form long lengths to fit
various geometries of construction.

Calculaon of the total me of selected formworks as specified in the

3. Methodology
comparison table 1.
Since Cost, time and quality are the major important factors for
the successful execution of the project, contractors mostly focus on Fig. 5. Detailed methodology of project.

Please cite this article as: G. Mohan Sai and A. Aravindan, A comparative study on newly emerging type of formwork systems with conventional type of
form work systems, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.090
4 G. Mohan Sai, A. Aravindan / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 1
Comparison of different type of formwork systems.

Parameter Conventional timber form Conventional steel form Aluminium formwork Jump formwork system
work work
Cost (Rs.)/sq.mProps & AccessoriesLabour Cost 400230 1000230 1400Included in form work 1200Included in form work
(Rs.) /sq.m cost35 cost40
Repetitions CycleRepetitions Cost /sq.m 757 3033 12020 1508
Cycle time for casting a 100 sq.m (days) 4 4 3 1
Strength in KN/sq.m 30 30 80 60
Durability Low Low High Medium
Finishing of surface Rough Average smooth Fair smooth Average smooth
Materials wastage High Average No wastage No wastage
Planning of System Not required Not required Required Required

Table 1 represents the comparison of different formwork sys- Duration for aluminium ¼ ð71611  3=100Þ=365 ¼ 5:8yrs
tems i.e, for Timber, Steel, Aluminum, Jump system. Jump system
is galvanized one Zinc coating to steel or iron) Duration for jump system ¼ ð71611  1=100Þ=365 ¼ 1:96yrs

1. Cost – for manufacturing of formwork.

2. Props & accessories – for fixing the formwork in site.
3. Labour cost - for fixing the formwork in site. 6. Results and Discussion
4. Repetition cycle – how many times it can be used totally.
5. Repetition cost – after usage of each time the cost for their The Figs. 6 & 7 represents the comparison of cost and duration
repairs and damages. of different type of formwork systems i.e., for conventional timber,
6. Cycle time for casting – time required to set up the arrange- conventional steel, Aluminium, and Jump system there by using
ment in site. the aluminium formwork or jump system can be recommended
7. Strength – strength of formwork material. based on the suitability and some parameters like speed of con-
8. Durability – durability of formwork material. struction ,availability of skilled labour. Conventional methods are
9. Finishing surface – finishing surface of formwork material. consuming 20% more time when compared to aluminum formwork
10. Materials wastage – during placing of concrete the wastage system and 65% more time when compared to jump formwork sys-
quantity. tem. Whereas aluminum formwork and jump formwork system
11. Planning of system – for fixing the formwork system. costs 25% less than conventional formwork systems. Therefore
the use of this newly emerging type of formwork systems the cost
5. Calculations and duration of the project can be reduced.

Formwork required for columns = 18754 m2

Formwork required for beams & slabs = 52262 m2
Formwork required for stair case = 142 m2
Formwork required for retaining wall = 453 m2
Total quantity of formwork required = 71611 m2

5.1. Cost

Overall cost for conventional timber = 71611*57 + 71611*2

+ 71611*30
= 6,373,379
Overall cost for conventional steel = 71611*33 + 71611*2
+ 71611*30 Fig. 6. Represents the comparison of cost for different type of formwork systems.
= 4,654,715
Overall cost for aluminium = 71611*20 + 71611*35
=3,938,605
Overall cost for jump system = 60139*8 + 60139*40
+ 11472*57 + 11472*2 + 11472*30
= 3,907,680
For jump system additional cost is added because it is installed
after completing two levels of a building using conventional
timber.

5.2. Duration

Duration for conventional number ¼ ð71611  4=100Þ=365

¼ 7:8yrs
Fig. 7. Represents the comparison of duration for different type of formwork
Duration for conventional steel ¼ ð71611  4=100Þ=365 ¼ 7:8yrs systems.

Please cite this article as: G. Mohan Sai and A. Aravindan, A comparative study on newly emerging type of formwork systems with conventional type of
form work systems, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.090
 G. Mohan Sai, A. Aravindan / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 5

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Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-

cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.

Please cite this article as: G. Mohan Sai and A. Aravindan, A comparative study on newly emerging type of formwork systems with conventional type of
form work systems, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.090