A review on wooden formwork for concrete casting

Abstract

This paper discusses about the advantages of using wooden formwork to cast concrete. The type of wood focused in this paper is BBCC plywood. The discussion on the wooden formwork arises when it is being compared to the steel formwork. The fact that steel-type formwork has bigger virtues over wooden formwork is undeniable. However, it should be understood that in making decision and judgement on formworks application, one must consider few important factors like cost and suitability. Wooden formwork has its own uniqueness and by some modifications, wooden formwork could be as good as steel formwork or even better from it. The advantages of using wooden formwork, specifically plywood-type will be explained from three perspectives; the cost, performance, and safety of wooden (plywood) formwork. Based these three perspectives, the paper presents positive arguments and facts to accentuate the wooden formwork if to compare to the steel formwork, with regard to the situation and environment of their usage. Based on the discussion in the paper, wooden (plywood) formwork is as dominant as steel formwork, especially if it is used in research and laboratory environment.