Formliner
Encyclopedia
Form liners are the liners used in the preparation of designs on concrete walls. The use of form liners oftentimes results in more attractive walls for highways, neighborhoods, beaches and parks . Form liners come in many different shapes and designs, and can produce a variety of different results on concrete.
The process typically begins with a determination that an aesthetically interesting barrier is needed. Then concept drawings are made by the design team and presented for approval. Once the design is accepted by the surrounding neighborhood and building team, the drawings evolve into sculptured creations. The sculptor can create the original work using a variety of mediums, such as clay
, polyurethane
and wax
. When the masterwork is finished, a cast is made using synthetic liquid rubber, and from this cast, form liners are produced in the reverse image of the original.
A form liner panel is placed on the inside of a concrete forming system before the concrete has been poured and acts as a mold for the concrete to be formed against. Once the concrete has set, the forming system can be removed and the form liner can be stripped from the hardened concrete surface. The resulting concrete surface is permanently textured with the pattern of the form liner..
foam, fiberglass
, and even aluminum-- styrene plastic
, ABS
plastic, and urethane
are considered to be the industry standard, and are most often specified in plans by architect
s and engineer
s.
The form liners are attached to forms and concrete is placed against the liner. The liner pattern is transferred into the wet concrete. After the concrete has cured, the liner is stripped and the unique sculpture is exposed.
shapes and silhouettes resting on a background texture. As time passed, these designs grew in complexity, and creative artists and sculptors began to work with form liner manufactures to produce and design anything imaginable in concrete walls, and on a grand scale.
Form liner textures were popularized in the early 1970s with graphic inlays. In 1972, form liner manufacturers created a fluted form liner with graphic inlays of shrimp boats
, a famous crawfish wrapped around an oil bearing, tug boats and race boats. This sound/retaining wall, located in Morgan City, LA
, was to be the first use ever of graphic inlays in form liner.
The process typically begins with a determination that an aesthetically interesting barrier is needed. Then concept drawings are made by the design team and presented for approval. Once the design is accepted by the surrounding neighborhood and building team, the drawings evolve into sculptured creations. The sculptor can create the original work using a variety of mediums, such as clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
and wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
. When the masterwork is finished, a cast is made using synthetic liquid rubber, and from this cast, form liners are produced in the reverse image of the original.
A form liner panel is placed on the inside of a concrete forming system before the concrete has been poured and acts as a mold for the concrete to be formed against. Once the concrete has set, the forming system can be removed and the form liner can be stripped from the hardened concrete surface. The resulting concrete surface is permanently textured with the pattern of the form liner..
Types of Form liners
There are several different types of form liners, which vary based on the application. Single-use form liners are usually made of styrene plastic and are normally discarded after the first use. Multi-use form liners are usually made of ABS plastic and range in number of uses from 2 to 10 or more. Multiple-reuse form liners are usually made of polyurethane, a heavy rubber material known for its reusability and used frequently by departments of transportation on sound walls, bridges and other applications. Other form liner materials used can include polystyrenePolystyrene
Polystyrene ) also known as Thermocole, abbreviated following ISO Standard PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
foam, fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, and even aluminum-- styrene plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, ABS
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a common thermoplastic. Its melting point is approximately 105 °C ....
plastic, and urethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
are considered to be the industry standard, and are most often specified in plans by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s.
The form liners are attached to forms and concrete is placed against the liner. The liner pattern is transferred into the wet concrete. After the concrete has cured, the liner is stripped and the unique sculpture is exposed.
Pioneering of Form liners
Architectural elastomeric urethane form liners were pioneered in 1969 . The inception of form liners began with fairly simple images for concrete, including cut-outCut-out
Cut-out may refer to:*Cutout animation*Cutout , a combination fuse and knife switch used on power poles*Cut-out , a mechanism used to pass information...
shapes and silhouettes resting on a background texture. As time passed, these designs grew in complexity, and creative artists and sculptors began to work with form liner manufactures to produce and design anything imaginable in concrete walls, and on a grand scale.
Form liner textures were popularized in the early 1970s with graphic inlays. In 1972, form liner manufacturers created a fluted form liner with graphic inlays of shrimp boats
Shrimp Boats
"Shrimp Boats" was a popular song in the 1950s.It was written by Paul Mason Howard and Paul Weston and published in 1951.Charting versions were recorded by Jo Stafford and Dolores Gray. It was also recorded by Claude Gray in 1963, and by Pete Fountain, Abdullah Ibrahim, The Orioles, and Buddy Tate...
, a famous crawfish wrapped around an oil bearing, tug boats and race boats. This sound/retaining wall, located in Morgan City, LA
Morgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census....
, was to be the first use ever of graphic inlays in form liner.