Dr. Johnston revises ACI Manual for Formwork for Concrete

Posted December 8, 2014

The eighth edition of ACI SP-4 Formwork for Concrete was released in November 2014. Dr. David W. Johnston, Edward I. Weisiger Distinguished Professor Emeritus, was tasked by the American Concrete Institute to revise and update the heavily used formwork design manual. The new 512 page edition is the first in color and involved replacing almost 500 photographs and drawings.

In the five decades since Formwork for Concrete made its first appearance in 1963, more than 130,000 copies have been printed. While most of the SP-4 manuals are used in design and construction firms, initially half are used by students in civil engineering, construction engineering, architectural engineering, engineering technology, and construction management university curriculums. Later, those copies follow the graduates into industry use as well.

The recent recommendations of ACI committees as well as OSHA safety requirements have also been considered in the manual revisions. The growing number of standards related to design of the construction process and design of temporary structures, as well as a number of formwork industry products and practices adopted since the last edition was published, have been considered during development of the revisions.

More than 25,000 Twitter users participated in a Nov. 18 Twitter chat, hosted by the American Concrete Institute, to ask questions about the revised manual. Johnston noted that “about half the cost of a concrete structure is the formwork; thus, design of the formwork for safety, quality and economy deserves engineering effort similar to the design of the structure.”