Insights into Concrete Forming, Reinforcing, and Pouring in Building Construction

The goal of this paper is to yield insights into the forming, reinforcing, and pouring of concrete buildings, focusing on design, functionality, failure, and safety aspects. The concrete construction process has different moving parts along the form–pour–strip cycle, and the authors aimed to analyze the information pertaining to formwork and rebar design, reasons for failures of formwork and hardening concrete, various hazards on jobsites, and safe work practices. The intent of this study was to seek and analyze the experiences of industry professionals on the above-stated aspects. In total, five well-experienced industry professionals working in concrete forming, reinforcing, and pouring were interviewed. Through comparative analysis of the interview results, the authors were able to gather valuable data related to designs of formwork system and rebars, field practices, jobsite hazards, and safety requirements. Interview results revealed that functionality and applied loads are the determining factors in any design considerations when it comes to formwork system and rebars for concrete buildings. Another finding was that a construction project does not wait for a concrete element to reach its full compressive strength at 28 days before proceeding with the work since the element can hold most construction loads after 3 or 4 days. In addition, the failures which occur in concrete buildings are a result of formwork breakdown, defective formwork layout, and concrete damage due to corroded rebars and inadequate curing procedure. Lastly, interview results revealed that the single leading hazard during concrete works is working at heights which can be minimized using fall arrest systems or engineered guardrails for improved safety.