What are the points to be checked in column shuttering? / Checklist for column formwork.

 Following are the 10 points that should be checked in the column shuttering work before concreting.

1. Formwork quality:

The minimum thickness of the plywood should be 12mm. for the residential columns. For the heavier structural columns, plywood of thickness 18 mm. or above should be used to avoid bulging. 

The plywood should be fastened with adequate wooden batten ( Patti ) & yoke (Chavi) at the appropriate intervals as shown above. The inner surface of the shutter mold should be clean & smooth, without any concrete particles adhered to it.

2. Shuttering oil:

Before the installation of the column formwork, shuttering oil should be applied to the inner plywood surface. The oil helps in easy de-shuttering work & provides a good surface finish to the casted concrete.

3. Verticality through plumb: 

Any two adjacent shutter sides should be checked for verticality by using the plumb bob as shown in the above image. If you check the plumb of side AD, then side AB or DC should be checked with the plumb bob. 

The string attached to the plumb should be at the same distance from the surface of the plywood when measured at the top & bottom parts of the shutter. Suppose if the top measured distance is Xmm., then we should adjust the column formwork to provide us with the same Xmm. measurement at the lower shuttering part.

4. Corner angle:

All four corner junctions of the column shutter should be at a right angle to each other (from inside). The same can be confirmed by using a try-square tool. If they form a parallelogram-like shape, it should be corrected to a 90° angle.

Try square.

5. Column diagonal:

The diagonal AC & BD should be checked from the inner corner of the plywood. Always, the measurement of diagonal AC & BD should be equal, to ensure the perfect shape of the column.

6. Column position:

The position of the column shutter should be checked by measuring the required length from the neighboring columns. 

If you want to confirm the position of column A (as shown above ), the distance X & Y should be checked to align column A in a proper position. The shutter alignment should be done on both axes as shown above.

7. Gaps or openings:

If there are any gaps or openings in the shuttering work, the cement slurry oozes out through those gaps at the time of vibration. So, if you find any leftover openings in the shuttering, they should be closed properly. Smaller gaps can be filled effectively by using rubber or foam sheets.

8. Shuttering clamps:

When the concrete is poured & vibrated in the shutter molds, they have a tendency to bulge & move apart due to the compaction of concrete. Clamping the shuttering material is a must to hold them firmly in their position. 

A shutter clamp ( Shikanja ) or nut bolt system can be used to hold the Chavi that are opposite to each other.

Shuttering clamp.

9. Concrete level:

The filling level of the column concrete should be transferred by using level tubes and marked over the formwork.

10. Column support:

All the column props should be nailed properly to the wooden planks or any such supports. The props should be checked for their firm grips without any loose movements when shaken.

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