TRAINING.

Overview

After participating in this course, you will be able to:

• Analyze and design formwork for a variety of concrete structures, ensuring both efficiency and effectiveness.
• Identify and address safety concerns related to formwork, taking proactive steps to design secure and functional formwork systems.
• Incorporate economic and safety principles seamlessly into your formwork designs, balancing cost-effectiveness with robust safety measures.
• Develop a refined engineering judgment on the selection and use of formwork materials, understanding their properties and allowable stresses.
• Assess and optimize formwork design options for different reinforced concrete members, enhancing overall project performance and safety.

Description
Designers strive to optimize the sizes of reinforced concrete members to achieve an economical design. However, the significant cost of formwork is often overlooked and can exceed the combined costs of reinforcing steel and concrete. Moreover, formwork failure is a serious safety concern and can frustrate project stakeholders. Maintaining the safety and effectiveness of formwork is essential, and site personnel should verify that it is constructed in line with design specifications.

This course equips you with cutting-edge knowledge of formwork materials and design, providing a comprehensive understanding of the latest technologies and methodologies. You will learn through a combination of theoretical instruction and practical problem-solving sessions, allowing you to apply principles directly to real-world design scenarios. Additionally, case studies and interactive discussions will help you develop the critical thinking and decision-making skills necessary to tackle complex formwork challenges.

You will gain insights into the latest industry standards and best practices, helping you to design formwork that meets safety and effectiveness criteria. The course will cover a variety of formwork systems and materials, highlighting their advantages and limitations to help you make informed decisions in your projects. By the end of the course, you will be equipped to enhance the efficiency and safety of your formwork designs, ultimately contributing to the overall success of your construction projects.

Who Should Attend
This course is ideal for professionals eager to advance their careers in the construction and engineering fields. Whether you're a construction engineer, civil engineer, materials engineer, designer, site engineer, formwork technologist or technician, construction personnel, project coordinator, or estimator, you'll find immense value in this course.

Please note: You can check other time zones here.

Syllabus

Welcome, Introduction, Course Preview, Learning Outcomes, and Assessment Methods

Economy and Cost Considerations of Formwork

• Cost of formwork in a project
• Structural design, loads, element size, member repletion
• Economy in formwork design
• Economy in formwork erection
• Economy in formwork removal

Formwork Materials

• Lumber and plywood
• Steel and aluminum forms
• Plastic forms
• Form liners
• Form nails
• Timber connectors
• Form ties and anchors

The pressure of Fresh Concrete on Formwork

• Lateral pressure of concrete on formwork
• Example: wall forms
• Example: column forms
• Effect of casting rate (form filling rate)
• Effect of member height
• Vertical loads on formwork
• The special case of self-consolidating concrete

Design of Concrete Formwork

• Design codes and provisions for formwork
• Design of formwork for columns
• Design of formwork for walls and columns
• Design of formwork for slabs and beams
• Design of formwork for bridge decks

Serviceability and Deflections in Formwork Design Shores and Scaffolding

• Deflection limits
• Loads on formwork
• Types of formwork
• Rate of construction
• Deflection calculation examples

Special Formwork Systems

• Flying deck forms
• Slip forms
• Patented formwork systems
• Top-down construction

Shoring and Scaffolding

• Shoring and scaffolding systems and design
• Excavation dewatering and support
• Cofferdams and tremie concrete

Building and Erecting Formwork

• Formwork drawings
• Formwork safety
• Building formwork for footings
• Building formwork for walls
• Building formwork for columns
• Building formwork for slabs and beams
• Shoring

Effective Use of Formwork

• Placing reinforcement and inserts
• Preparation and concreting
• Removal of formwork and shores
• Reshoring

Instructor

Majdi Flah, MSc

Majdi’s expertise is in structural design, quality control, and project management. He has led key efforts in transformative infrastructure projects, including designing and supplying precast concrete products for sewage systems in the expansion of Highway 401. He also contributed to designing retaining and noise walls for Metrolinx GO stations in the GTA and crash-tested traffic barriers for various US Departments of Transportation (DOTs) projects, addressing safety and functionality concerns across multiple states..

Majdi earned his master’s degree in Structural Engineering from Western University, where he developed advanced tools to enhance the structural integrity of concrete infrastructure. He is a PhD candidate at McMaster University, advancing methods to optimize concrete mixtures using artificial intelligence and life cycle assessment. His work bridges novel research with practical applications, delivering sustainable solutions to complex infrastructure challenges. He has served as an instructor for structural engineering courses, such as structural dynamics and steel design. His practical teaching approach earned him the Best Teaching Assistant award, recognizing his ability to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Moncef L. Nehdi, Ph.D, P.Eng., FCAE, FEIC, FACI, FCSCE, FAAIA

Dean, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Moncef received his BASc from Laval University, MASc from Sherbrooke University, and Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, all in civil engineering. He is currently dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Guelph. He was previously professor and chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University and professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Western University, where he also served as associate director for Environmental Research Western.

His industrial experience includes serving as technical manager for three different companies. He was licensed as a professional engineer in British Columbia in 1998 and in Ontario in 1999. He is the past chair of the ACI committee 555 on recycled materials, past chair of the CSCE sub-committee on cement and concrete, past chair of the CSCE Materials and Mechanics Division, is deputy chair of the RILEM committee on concrete data science, and was co-chair of the Infrastructure Division of NSERC’s Discovery Grant Committee 1509. He has provided consulting services for some world landmark projects, including some of the world's tallest buildings, the world’s largest airport, the world’s most venerated pedestrian bridge, and the world’s deepest and second-largest water treatment plant.