Form liners are the liners used in the preparation of designs on concrete walls. The use of form liners often 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 Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane is produced from ...

and

wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to giv ...

. 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 A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...

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

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 polystyrene foam,

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

, and even

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

styrene Styrene () is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. This derivative of benzene is a colorless oily liquid, although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates easily and has a sweet smell, although high concen ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

, ABS plastic, and urethane are considered to be the industry standard, and are most often specified in plans by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

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.

Origins

Architectural elastomeric urethane form liners were pioneered in 1968 at RECKLI GmbH, Herne Germany. The inception of form liners began with fairly simple images for concrete, including cut-out 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. Image:Scott System_Morgan City 1.JPG, First use of form liner with graphic inlays in Morgan City, LA, 1972. Image:Scott_System_Morgan_City_3.JPG, Tug boats and colorful oil rigs are inlaid graphics cast in concrete using form liner.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Form Liner Architectural design Construction Structural system Concrete