Formwork Blog

Yes it’s raining at the South Road construction site and the blokes are unable to access the job site. some are inside playing cards, others are surfing the web on their smart phones, and Gary is blowing up a surgical glove.

Here is a 3D Simulation of what the South Road Superway will look like when it is completed.

South Road Superway Video

The South Road Superway is a cool elevated road structure, the first of it’s kind for Adelaide.

Budge and the Liscon Formwork Gang waiting for the rain to stop at Urban Superway Project South Road Adelaide.

Steve, Gary, Simmo and Cathal having a well earned smoko break at South Road Superway Project Adelaide.

The Urban Superway Segment Launcher is being commissioned right now. Below you’ll see the Segment Launcher picking up it’s first 40 tonne Precast Concrete Segment.

The South Road Superway is starting to take shape. More will be revealed

Here is a formwork bolt assembly we used to cast some 40 KG bolts into a 5 meter high pedestal. The assembly includes a pre-fabricated Shear Key (which is always fun)

Click the images for a larger more detailed picture.

Bolt Template

The bolt template is made from steel in order to support the weight of the bolts. The template must have the Center Lines scribed into it in order to place it into the correct position.

The template is clamped onto aluminium formwork beams. The beams are secured onto the formwork shutter with a timber and Z-Bar holding-down assembly.

The center of the bolts was marked onto each side of the forms and a string line was stretched across.

Then we used either a plumb bob, or spirit level to align the string line with the scribed centers on the template.

Doing this positions the bolts pretty close, but not close enough for a mining job. Later surveyors will come and check the bolt centers and each bolt position.

The total weight of the bolts is 480 kg. It is essential to get the assembly positioned as close as possible so that it makes it easier to lever into a spot-on position with the surveyer.

The Bolts

For safety reasons, we found it necessary to lift these bolts in one at a time with a crane.

Tolerance Tubes

After the bolts are in, polystyrene Tolerance Tubes must be added to the bottom of the bolts at the correct height. The height was established and scribed onto the formwork shutter, then transferred onto the bolts with a spirit level.

Adding the Shear Key and Bottom Template

The Shear Key was added next. After that the bottom template made from form ply was added.

A hanging assembly made with timber and z-Bars was used. The Z-Bars were used to wind the Shear Key up until it buts up tightly into the Spreader Bar timber holding it firmly in position.

The Z-Bars are also used to “Crack’ the Shear Key after the concrete is poured. Crack the Shear Key while the concrete is soft (Don’t wait till the next day).

Concrete Finished

One down, 7582 to go Personally, I’d rather be fishing.

Similar Articles

• Using Old Z-Bars For Pins With Wedges
• Two More Pedestal Formwork Examples
• Sump Formwork with Ladder
• Nightmare Pedestal At Iron Duke Whyalla

Using old Z-Bars for pins with wedges to secure formwork is an excellent idea for companies who over time end up with lots of short Z-Bars.

Obviously you would not cut these down to size from a brand new length, but because cutting Z-Bars to size is common, there will always be lots of Off-Cuts which can be used for this.

Z-Bar Pin And Wedge

To use the pin and wedge system, you must first have location pins on the inside of the formwork. This will prevent the formwork going over the line when the wedge is hammered in. These location pins are usually some thin steel around 10mm, but some projects do not allow steel so fiberglass pins are used.

Next, drill a hole larger than the Z-Bar to allow for a pretty loose fit. You’ll know the hole is too small if you have to use a hammer to drive them in.

Ensure there is a nice gap for the wedge to fit in. I often use a piece of plywood as a packer between the forwmwork and the drill bit. This leaves a gap of around 20mm which is heaps for a wedge.

After the hole is drilled, tap the wedge in until the formwork hits the location pin on the other side. Then secure the wedge with a nail wrapped around the pin to ensure the wedge stays in while the concrete is being vibrated.

Z-Bar Pin And Wedge

Using Z-Bar pins and wedges ensures that the formwork stays in the correct position while the concrete is being poured, plus, it’s fast and is easy to strip.

Similar Articles

• The Correct way to Secure Timber Formwork with Pins and Wedges
• The Quick and Easy Way To Make a Z-Bar Extracting Tool
• Formwork Braced With Bedlog System
• The Pitfalls Of Back-Propping Later

Recent Aluminium Formwork Video

This is a leading formwork system which guarantees high savings in time and cost. For more info, please contact Eng. Akram Banat +962796648855 – e mail: cedraprojects@yahoo.com
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Woodwork Joints

To be successful in woodwork construction the possession of two secrets is essential – to know the right joint to use, and to know how to make that joint in the right way.

WOODWORK JOINTS is one of the Woodworker Series of handcraft books published by Evans Bros, London, during the first quarter of the 20th Century.

Covering both the major and minor woodworking joints, Fairham gives us clear, concise and well illustrated instructions on when to use and how to make joints in Carpentry, Joinery and Cabinet-Making. “…written for the practical man…”

List Price: $ 18.95

Price: $ 15.35

Recent Concrete Slab Video

A 30-foot concrete slab broke off a lakefront parking structure in Milwaukee and fell to the ground, killing one person and injuring two others. The collapse happened just as thousands of people were pouring into the area for a major music festival.

Video Rating: 4 / 5