When to remove the formwork after pouring the concrete?

The foundation and formwork are one of the most important stages in the construction of a house, as they act as the foundation and frame for the formation of the future structure. The formwork structure must remain assembled until the concrete hardens completely. Therefore, it is very important to have information, after what period of time it can be safely disassembled.

To form the foundation, concrete is used, which is a semi-liquid composition. But it is necessary that the substance retains the required form. For this purpose, wooden formwork is used. It is a temporary removable structure, the internal volume of which is in accordance with all the necessary parameters and configuration. The formwork is formed immediately on the construction site, fixed with a wooden or reinforcing frame, then concrete pouring is carried out directly.

Depending on the type of foundation, wooden formwork is formed in different ways... Its removal from a strip foundation or from a columnar foundation may differ slightly in terms of time. To achieve an even distribution of the load on the building, an armored belt is used. It is required to dismantle the formwork from the armopoyas only after the reinforcement has been installed and the concrete solution has hardened.

Concrete is formed in several stages.

• Setting mortar from concrete.
• Strengthening process.

When concreting, the following are important factors that affect the strength of a concrete composition.

• Availability of water (constant saturation of concrete with water avoids the appearance of cracks on the formed surface, with a lack of moisture, the composition becomes fragile and loose).
• Temperature regime (any reactions proceed faster, the higher the temperature).

During the work, it is possible to influence only the moisture content of the concrete composition. It is impossible to influence the temperature regime. Therefore, the solidification time in different regions and in different climatic conditions will differ.

Formwork can be with or without film.

According to SNiP 3.03-87 removal of the formwork should be carried out only if the concrete reaches the required degree of strength and depending on the configuration of the particular design.

• Vertical design - make a withdrawal if the indicator reaches 0.2 MPa.
• The foundation is tape or reinforced monolith - it is possible to disassemble the wooden formwork when the indicator is 3.5 MPa or 50% of the concrete grade.
• Inclined structures (stairs), various overlappings with a length of more than 6 meters - the demoulding period begins when 80% of the concrete strength indicators are reached.
• Inclined structures (stairs), slabs less than 6 meters long - the parsing period begins when 70% of the strength of the grade of the concrete used is reached.

This SNiP 3.03-87 is currently officially considered not extended.... However, the requirements specified in it are absolutely relevant today.Long-term construction practice confirms this. According to American standard ACI318-08 timber formwork should be removed after 7 days if the air temperature and humidity are in accordance with all accepted standards.

Europe has its own standard ENV13670-1: 20000. According to this standard, the dismantling of wooden formwork can be carried out in the case when there is 50% of the strength of the concrete composition, if the average daily temperature was at least zero degrees.

With strict adherence to the terms specified in the requirements of SNiP, the strength of a monolithic structure can be achieved. The accumulation of strength is carried out subsequently, but the minimum required strength must be achieved until the moment when the dismantling of the wooden formwork is performed.

In the implementation of private construction, it is far from always possible to establish an exact percentage of the strength of concrete material, most often due to the lack of the necessary instruments. Therefore, it is required to make a decision on disassembling the formwork, starting from the time of exposure of the concrete.

It has been empirically proven that concrete of commonly used grades M200-M300 at an average daily air temperature of 0 degrees in 14 days can gain strength of about 50%. If the temperature is about 30%, then the same grades of concrete get 50% much faster, namely in three days.

Removal of wooden formwork is carried out the next day or one day after the end of the setting period of the concrete composition. However, experts recommend not to rush to dismantle the wooden formwork, since every few hours the solution only becomes stronger and more reliable.

There is one major factor that needs to be taken into account in deciding when to remove the timber formwork, namely the ambient temperature. Accordingly, the setting period will differ at different times of the year. As a result, basically all construction work related to the pouring of the foundation is carried out in the summer.

When calculating the temperature, it is not the maximum or minimum value during the day that is taken into account, but the average daily value. Depending on the specific weather conditions, the calculation of the time for removing the created formwork from the concrete floor is carried out. It is definitely not necessary to rush too much with the demoulding, since certain unaccounted for factors can somewhat slow down the process of crystallization of the concrete solution.

In practice, during the work on the organization of the foundation, they prefer not to remove the wooden formwork for at least two weeks. Concrete gains strength most intensively in the first week. Subsequently, the base hardens for another two years.

If possible, it is recommended to wait 28 days. It is this time that is required for the foundation to have approximately 70% strength.

In order for construction work to proceed more quickly, it may be necessary to accelerate the hardening process of the concrete solution. For this purpose, three main methods are used.

• Heating concrete mix.
• Use of special types of cement.
• The use of specialized additives that accelerate the hardening process of concrete mortar.

In the factory, high temperatures are used to accelerate the hardening of the concrete composition. The steaming process of various reinforced concrete structures significantly reduces the setting period. But this method is not usually used in private construction. An increase in temperature for every 10 degrees increases the setting speed by 2-4 times.

A fairly effective method of accelerating the setting process is the use of finely ground cement.

The use of special additives is another way to make the hardening process of the concrete composition faster. Calcium chloride, sodium sulfate, iron, potash, soda and others can be used as additives. These additives are mixed during the preparation of the solution. Such accelerators increase the degree of solubility of cement components, water is saturated faster, as a result of which crystallization is more active. In accordance with the requirements of GOST, accelerators increase the hardening rate in the first day by no less than 30%.

In the warm season, demoulding can be done quickly enough, you do not need to wait 28 days. After the end of the first week, concrete already has the ability to maintain the required shape.

If the formwork is dismantled too early, this can lead to the destruction of the created concrete structure. The foundation is the backbone of the structure, not just one technological detail. This monolith will hold the entire structure, so it is very important to comply with all the necessary standard requirements and standards.