No Tall Order!

Want to build high structures in a hurry? Slip-form equipment makes it possible,

explains Engineer JAGVIR GOYAL

With increasing pressure on construction engineers to build structures in the shortest

possible time, slip-form equipment has proved to be a boon. Ideally suited for the
construction of high-rise reinforced concrete structures quickly, slip-form equipment
builds a structure on a continuous basis, involves operations of a highly sophisticated
nature and facilitates round-the-clock concreting. Slip forms primarily consist of
shuttering panels that envelop the structure along its designed shape and are then
moved upwards continuously, leaving below the structure in its final form.

The advantages
The main advantage of slip-form equipment is the considerable reduction in
construction time. For a vertical structure like an RCC chimney, an average progress
of 3 to 4 m per day can easily be achieved with slip-form equipment - such a rate of
progress would be impossible to achieve with conventional formwork or jump-form
equipment. A height of as much as 8 m can be achieved on a particular day if weather
conditions and other factors permit, though it may not be recommendable to achieve
such high progress everyday.
Another big advantage is that the construction joints get eliminated as slip-form
equipment works on a round-the-clock basis. Only in exceptional cases are
interruptions planned for extraction of jack rods. When conventional forms or jump
forms are used, construction joints occur after every lift of 1.2 m to 1.5 m, but with
slip forms, construction joints may be planned after every 50 m. For a 220-m-high
RCC chimney, while jump forms will provide 140 to 150 joints, slip forms will give
you only four to five joints.

The prerequisites
The construction of high-rise structures is a high-risk operation as speed of
construction is very high while using slip-form equipment. The slip-forming process
therefore demands meticulous planning to control each and every aspect during actual
execution. All errors and deviations are to be corrected without any loss of time.
Otherwise, by the time we prepare ourselves to rectify the errors, the slip forms would
have moved much above.
All design and drawings, preparatory works, data charts, checklists, materials,
manpower, staff, concrete properties, tolerances to be allowed and rate of slip forming
should therefore be pre-planned and implemented at site before the operation starts. A
detailed step-by-step programme is to be prepared. Nothing is to be left to the
imagination. Even all contingencies are to be reviewed and preparations to deal with
such situations are to be completed in advance. Factors such as human fatigue are also
to be kept in mind.

The components
Slip-form equipment consists of forms attached to walers that stiffen the form panels
and transfer the load to the yokes. Hanging scaffolds and working deck are also
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