Alminium formwork had been extensively used in developed countries like the State, Canada and many emerging industry countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Malaysia, South Korea and India, since it was invented in 1962. China real state has been moved from the golden stage to the silver stage. Constructors are not only competing with capital, time but also technology applications. Because of efficacy of construction, many of constructors are promoting the usage of aluminium formwork.
2.Aluminium Formwork Introduction
Aluminium formwork is made up of plate system, reinforcement system, support system and accessory system. Standard plates are made of aluminium extrusion profiles instead of wood. Aluminium alloy extrusion has the advantages of light, strong hardness, safety, quick installed and reusable.
Plate System: K plates, angles, walls, beams, roof tops, stairs and so on.
Reinforcement System: pieces, iron dorsal bars, vertical dorsal bars, poles.
Support System: DP suspension, door suspension, oblique suspension, top keels and connections.
Accessory System: K screw, nuts, pins, chairs, boxes and so on.
3.Construction Process
blueprint deepening - pre-installed - supervising engineers at fields - demould painting - installation - reinforcement - inspect and check - concrete filling - formwork disassembly and transfer to next stage
4.Pros & Cons of aluminium and wooden formwork
(1)It’s heavier than wooden formwork, but flexible installed. Strong hardness, durable, large size. High precision formwork makes concrete flat and smooth.
(2)Reducing dependency on mechanical equipment, shorter construction period, increasing efficiency. Quickly installed and disassembled, a set of aluminium formwork is capable of constructing one level in four days, reducing construction period and unit management cost.
(3)Construction efficiency: Aluminium formwork assembly is simple, efficient and convenient. The average weight is 21KG/㎡, which means that manual assembly by workers and doesn’t need extra mechanical equipment. Well-trained workers can install 20-30m2 every day (simple job required at site only).
(4)Stability and load bearing: Formwork is fully made of aluminium alloy. Once the assembly is finished, the structure will be stable and fixed. The weight bearing reaches up to 60KN per m2.
(5)Flat and smooth concrete surface: After destruction, the surface of concrete is flat, flatness 0-4mm, perpendicularity 0-4mm. Generally, it reaches the requirement of decoration which doesn’t need ash painting, time and cost-saving.
(6)No disposals at site: Aluminium formworks are reusable. After construction finishing, construction site left no building materials and disposals, safety and clean. Materials are all non-flammable and no fire dangers.
(7)Multiple use times: Aluminium formwork is made of 6061-T6 aluminium extrusion profiles. A set of aluminium formwork can be reused normatively up to 200-300 times.
(8)Universality: aluminium formwork is diversity and universality. Base on requirements, formwork size and structure can be designed. Once the construction is finished, there is only 10-20% formwork pieces replacement, which significantly decreases the cost of construction.
(9)High disposal value: once the formwork is scrapped, it has a high disposal value. It reaches up to 180-220 RMB per m2.
(10)Easy operation: aluminium formwork is easy to assembly and deconstruction, little relying on training staffs. Simple training workers are satisfied. It’s cost and time saving.
(11)Environmental friendly: Aluminum formwork is made of recyclable material, eligible for national rule and regulations for green. Many countries are banning from using wooden formwork, replaced by aluminium formwork.
