Title:
Formwork Design for High Shoring Towers
Author(s):
Aviad Shapira
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
20
Issue:
10
Appears on pages(s):
51-54
Keywords:
elevation; formwork; shoring towers
DOI:
Date:
10/1/1998
Abstract:
Formwork based on shoring towers is the preferred forming solution for slabs, beams, and other high-elevated cast-in-place concrete elements, i.e., elements rising to such heights that the common shoring solution of individual props is no longer suitable (commonly heights greater than 3 to 4 m, or 10 to 13 ft). Other solutions for high-clearance cast-in-place concrete construction exist, based on forms supported by vertical elements of the constructed structure (e.g., walls, columns). However, such elements may not be available at the required locations, if at all. Thus towers, available on the market in various configurations, are used extensively and can be observed on construction sites of public, commercial, and industrial buildings, as well as in highway and bridge construction, rising to heights of anywhere between 3 and 30 m (10 to 100 ft) and higher. In spite of their common use, the knowledge for the design of shoring-tower-based formwork is possessed by a limited number of specialists. Moreover, the design process itself is often made complicated by the variation and irregularity that mark structures containing such concrete elements and are hard to generalize. The lack of basic design data (e.g., work inputs) also impair the ability to compare design alternatives and to produce economic solutions. This article reports on a knowledge-based and data-based approach to the economic design of shoring-tower-based forming systems for elevated concrete elements.