Concrete Forms

EPS was utilized as buried form for a large concrete abutment (Yoshihara and Kawasaki, 1996). The traditional and alternative method to build such abutment is to use a sand form and the concrete was than placed. Finally the sand has to be with-drawn using a sand pump and the hole provided in the footing was filled with con-crete to complete the structure. Saving construction time as a result of reduced mate-rial and labor required for form was one of the advantages of using geofoam instead of sand or wood forms.

Another application for EPS as a concrete form is reported by Miyamoto, et., al., 1996. Continuous footings made of EPS geofoam forms are studied. A shortened construction period, heat retention improvement and work saving was achieved.