General Contractor Practice Exam

What term describes the upward force placed on concrete forms when concrete enters the forms?

1. Shear

2. Camber

3. Load

4. Pressure

The correct answer is: Camber

The term that best describes the upward force placed on concrete forms when concrete enters the forms is pressure. When fresh concrete is poured into forms, it generates pressure against the walls of those forms due to its weight. This pressure results from the concrete’s fluid nature before it sets, causing it to exert a force on the surfaces it comes into contact with. This ensures that the forms are adequately designed to withstand the force created by the wet concrete to prevent collapse or deformity. Camber refers to the slight upward curve given to structural elements to counteract deflection, which is unrelated to the immediate upward force experienced by forms during the pouring process. Shear relates to forces that cause parts of a material to slide past one another, which is not the primary concern with concrete forms at the moment of filling. Load generally refers to the total weight or external forces acting upon a structure rather than specifically addressing the intrinsic pressures created during the pouring of concrete.