B U ILD IN G C O N S TR U C TIO N

VI
SLIP FORM CONSTRUCTION

SUBMITTED TOSUBMITTED BYAR. MINAKSHI MEHTA

KRITI MODI (1210463007)
AR. SHUBHPREET KAUR

PARUL
BHYAN(1210463011)

INTRODUCTION
Slip form construction, or continuously formed construction, is a
construction method in which concrete is poured into a continuously
moving form.
KAFD, Riyadh, KSA

Basically, this method involves the continuous placing of concrete in a

shallow mold having the same plan as the building to be constructed.
This rigid mold, or "slip-form" as it is called, forms the working deck
which is jacked slowly upwards at a controlled rate until the required
elevation is reached.

 Slip-form Technique is one of the most productive techniques for

construction of High-rise structures like communication towers, chimneys,
bridge piers, silos etc.
Vertical Slip forming allows concrete to be erected as a monolithic or a
joint-less structure, while reducing overall project duration.
Slip-form paving has enabled concrete road pavements, airport aprons,
taxiways, runways, canal lining etc.
Slip-form Technique has also been successfully applied to various
structures including offshore drilling platforms and nuclear facilities etc.

HISTORICAL BRIEF
The slip forming technique was in use by the early 20th century for
building silos and grain elevators.
James MacDonald, of MacDonald Engineering of Chicago was the
pioneer in utilizing slip form concrete for construction.
His concept of placing circular bins in clusters was patented, with
photographs and illustrations, contained in a 1907 book, The Design
Of Walls, Bins, And Grain Elevators.
Skylon Tower, 1965

Sheraton Waikiki, 1969

 The technique was introduced to residential and commercial buildings

in the late 1960s.
One of Its first uses in high-rise buildings the United States was on the
shear wall supported apartment building at Turk & Eddy Streets in San
Francisco, CA, in 1962, built by the San Francisco office of MacDonald
Engineering.
The first notable use of the method in a residential/retail business was
the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which was completed in
1965.
Another unusual structure was the tapered buttress structures for the
Sheraton Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1969.
Another shear wall supported structure was the Casa Del Mar
Condominium on Key Biscayne, Miami, FL in 1970.

Casa Del Mar, 1970

Types of Slip-form
Construction
1- Vertical Slip-form

In vertical slip forming, the concrete form may

be surrounded by a platform on which workers
stand, placing steel reinforcing rods into the
concrete and ensuring a smooth pour.
Together, the concrete form and working
platform
are raised by means of hydraulic jacks.
Generally, the slip-form rises at a rate which
permits the concrete to harden by the time
it emerges from the bottom of the form.

2- Horizontal Slip-form
In horizontal slip forming for pavement and traffic separation walls,
concrete is cast, vibrated, worked, and settled in place while the form itself
slowly moves ahead.
This method was initially devised and utilized in Interstate Highway
construction initiated during the 1950s

Factor

Description

1. Time

High production rates can be

achieved by careful planning of
construction process

2. Durability

Better concrete; a joint less and

watertight structure

3. Cost

Slip forms showed cost advantages

for more than 20 stories and larger
than 600 m2 formed area per floor.

4. Maintenance

Availability of the different working

platforms in the formwork system
allows the exposed concrete at the
bottom of the rising formwork to be
finished, making it an integral part of
the construction process

5. Flexibility

Certain formwork systems permit

construction of tapered cores and
towers.

6. Labor

Slip form systems require a few but

highly skilled workers. 7. Machinery
Slip form construction minimizes
crane use.

Applications of Slip-form
Construction
Slip-form construction is used for tall structures, such as towers,
buildings, and dams, as well as horizontal structures, such as
roadway barriers.
It enables continuous, non-interrupted, cast-in-place joint-less
concrete structures which have superior performance
characteristics over construction methods using discrete form
elements.
Slip forming relies on the quick- setting properties of concrete, and
requires a balance between quick-setting capacity and workability.

Capital Gate Tower, Abu Dha

nn Canal, Germany

King Abdul-Aziz A

The Slip-form Rig

The slip form rig includes three
working levels, or decks as follows:
1. The uppermost deck is used to
install vertical reinforcing steel and
to facilitate placement of the
concrete .
2. The middle deck is the main
working platform. It provides the
locations where gates, ladder
platforms, and maintenance decks
are formed. Usually ,the middle
deck supports the hydraulic lifting
system as well as provides an area
where reinforcing steel is
assembled and concrete is poured
and vibrated .
3. The lower deck provides access to
the newly exposed concrete so
that surface finishing processes
can be completed and design
specifications can be met.

Structural Concerns
It is necessary to use a low slump concrete in slip forming processes
where the formwork is moved horizontally in order for the slab or
pavement to retain its shape as the paving machine advances.
Presently, slip form pavements use "high early strength" concrete,
which achieves the required strength in approximately 12 hours, as
compared to conventional concrete which requires 5-14 days.
The water content of this type of concrete is lower than it is for
standard material, resulting in improved strength as well as improved
resistance to the permeation of salt, thereby increasing the finished
concrete's resistance to deterioration from chloride ions.

Construction
Sequence
1. The formwork and the access
platform are assembled on the
ground.
2. The assembly is raised using
hydraulic jacks which are mounted
on strategically located steel
frames to lift the formwork as the
concrete is poured into the forms.
3. As the formwork rises continuously,
continuous concrete and rebar
supply are needed until the
operation is finished.
4. As the formwork is raised,
reinforcement is held in the correct
position using guides, horizontal
reinforcement is tied to the vertical
reinforcement.

5.Concrete is poured into the forms in

layers of approximately 200 mm. The
setting rates of concrete are constantly
monitored to ensure that it is matched
with the speed at which the forms are
raised. The jacks lift the form
approximately 25mm per stroke
generally producing a slip-forming rate
of 300 mm per hour.
6.Slipforming can be performed on
either a continuous basis (i.e. 24 hours
per day), or a discontinuous basis (i.e.
pouring to a predetermined height
usually within one working day) .
7.Blockouts for doors and windows can
be formed with either timber or steel.
These are in-stalled as the slipform
proceeds and can be stripped from the
trailing decks .

8. Recesses are made to host the connections between the beams,

slabs and the slipform walls
9. When the formed concrete is exposed from the bottom of the steel
form panels it can be sponged or treated if required .
10. At the end of the operation the formwork is removed using a crane,
the entire process is thoroughly inspected and highly controlled.

Construction Sequence
Slip forming relies on the quick-setting properties of concrete, and
requires a balance between quick-setting capacity and workability.
Concrete needs to be workable enough to be placed into the form and
consolidated via vibration.
This strength is needed because the freshly set concrete must not only
permit the form to "slip" passed the concrete without disturbing it, but
also support the pressure of the new concrete as well as resist collapse
caused by the vibration of the compaction machinery.

Tapered Slip-forming
Slip-forming is also used in the construction of conical chimneys, cooling
towers, piers and other tall concrete structures involving constant or
changing thicknesses in walls, diameters and/or shapes A form is used
with sections which overlap so that one gradually slides over the other.
This is commonly done in chimney construction but it is not satisfactory
for architectural concrete because the lap shows.
While the tapered slip-forming process is similar to that used on the
standard slip-forming, it requires greater attention, contractor
experience and expertise ensures the success of such projects.

 Jump Form
Another but similar method that
is in use for this type of
construction is the jump form
method. In this method the
form work jumps up to the next
layer after the bottom layer is
cast. The concrete pouring is
not continuous as in the slipform method. Jump forms climb
in steps following each concrete
pour.
This type of construction is
more suited to high rise building
cores where there are regular
floors and joints will not be
seen.

 Another jump form system

consists of either fixed
diameter or adjustable
diameter form sets. Our form
set permits diameters from 9
ft. to 110 ft. and varying wall
thickness. The jump form is a
fully decked work platform
which is self-contained and sets
up in days.

In this jump form construction

each ring of forms is 4 ft. tall.
Three rings of forms are
stacked on top of each other.
After the top 4 feet of form is
poured, the bottom section is
removed and vertically jumped
to the new top and then
prepared for the next pour. This
repetitive process of pouring
and jumping up the lower set
of forms continues until the

SUMMARY
Slip form construction is a construction method in which concrete
is poured into a continuously moving form.
There are two types of slip-forms; vertical and horizontal.
Slip-form construction consumes very less time but requires careful
planning of construction process to achieve high production rates.
Due to continuous concrete pouring in slip-form construction it
produces better concrete joint less and watertight structures.
Slip form systems require a few but highly skilled workforce.
Slip-forming is also used in the construction of tapered structures
involving changing thicknesses in walls, diameters and/or shapes.
Another but similar method that is in use for this type of
construction is the jump form method. In this method the form
work jumps up to the next layer after the bottom layer is cast. The
concrete pouring is not continuous as in the slipform method.