Temporary Formwork

Temporary formwork is often constructed from wood components, and is removed once the castin- place concrete deck has hardened. Figure 6 shows a photo of temporary wood formwork constructed in between the girder top flanges of a steel I-girder bridge. The use of temporary formwork should be specified in the contract documents. However, the bridge designer should consider an appropriate loading for the temporary formwork when investigating the girder constructibility provisions associated with the deck placement sequence. The load allowance considered by the bridge designer may also be placed in the contract documents. In most cases, the contractor is responsible for the design of the temporary formwork. A benefit of using temporary wood formwork is that the bottom of the concrete deck slab is visible, and any signs of distress can be noted during routine bridge inspections. A disadvantage of using temporary formwork is the fact that removing the forms will require additional construction time.