The use of plastic panels for vertical and horizontal formwork
When assembling formwork for monolithic construction, we need to create a solid structure, and when choosing materials, including consumables, many factors must be taken into account. Let's consider, as an example, the choice of sheet material for formwork, which can be used both for the construction of foundations and for pouring floor slabs.
On construction sites, laminated plywood is used as the main material for formwork, which has a number of qualitative advantages over conventional plywood and board structures. It has a significant cost, and manufacturers promise us from 10 to 30 cycles of reuse, and this is a good indicator. But these figures are applicable to ideal conditions of use.
In real conditions of use on construction sites, this indicator in rare cases reaches even 10 times. And all this is because during operation the sheets are subjected to mechanical influences, falls, scratches and chips appear on them. After moisture, mortar, and construction chemicals get into them, this leads to swelling of the shields and they become unusable. No laminated coating is able to cope with such loads.
An important point is the method of storing this sheet material, especially when it has already been in use and has some damage. To do this, it is necessary to equip a special place on the construction site, to protect it from the effects of external factors. All this requires additional time and money. And what if there is such a sheet material that is devoid of the disadvantages of laminated plywood, is not picky about storage conditions. And preferably more than 100 cycles of reuse, and the cost is the same.
There are polymer products that have not bypassed the construction industry. Such an example is plastic shields for vertical and horizontal formwork. They can be used for pouring and erecting almost any reinforced concrete structures.
These shields are made of high-strength plastic and are resistant to falls and impacts. They have smooth edges, fit joint to joint and create a flat area for pouring floor slabs. Plastic does not adhere to concrete, so there is no need to use a lubricant for formwork. After demoulding, the shields are easily cleaned with water without additional detergents.
Plastic formwork panels have special holes for mounting on beams, for connecting them with spring clamps or clamping screws and nuts for formwork. If there is no need to use them, they are closed with special plugs. The size of the shield is quite versatile, it is 1000 x 500 x 36 mm. If necessary, the shield can be easily cut with a hand or circular saw.
The number of repeated cycles of using plastic shields reaches 200 times, while they do not require special storage conditions, they are absolutely resistant to moisture, building chemicals and external factors. To all this, it can be added that custom-made shields with various patterns and textures are possible.
