Building Technology

Chapter – Eleven
Causes and Prevention of Cracks in Buildings

Lecturer: Er Suman Bhattarai

[Link]. In Construction Management

1
Contents:

• Cracks in different components of buildings (walls,

roofs, floors, plasters, windows, RCC, joints).
• Causes of cracks and remedial measures to cracks.

2
CRACKS

• Occurrence of various crack patterns in the building during construction,

after completion when it is subjected to super imposed load or during the
service life, is a common phenomenon.
• A building component develops cracks whenever the stress in the
components exceeds its strength.
• Stress in the building component could be caused by externally applied
forces, such as dead, live, wind or seismic loads, foundation settlement etc.
or it could be induced internally due to thermal movements, moisture
changes, elastic deformation, chemical action etc.
• Cracks, which could be classified according to their thickness as fissures or
fractures, are serious problems in the construction industry that can
negatively affect aesthetics, durability and, most importantly, the structural
characteristics of a project.
• They can happen anywhere, but occur especially in walls, beams, columns,
and slabs, and usually, are caused by strains not considered in the design.
• Fractures are usually of lesser severity. In general, they appear more on the
surface of the structure. They are narrow and elongated, with openings less
than 0.5mm. Sometimes they are not even visible to the naked eye.
• Generally, they do not imply structural problems but can lead to more
serious consequences. It is important to note if the fracture grows over time
or remains stable, because it may be the first stage of a fissure.
• If not looked after, the next stage or a fracture could lead to deeper openings
of 0.5 to 1.5mm. They can be seen without difficulty and are much more
dangerous than the fractures because the rupture of the structural element
has already occurred and can affect the safety of the part.
• Fissures are slits with openings greater than 1.5mm, deep and well
highlighted. With this magnitude, it allows air and water to penetrate the
interior of the part, which requires immediate attention.

• They may cause corrosion of the armature or undesired chemical reactions in

the material. One should not simply close them without researching the
causes and provide the solution to the problem that caused it.
CRACKS
The main reasons that may be related to the occurrence of these cracks are the
following:

• Unplanned structural impairment: due to poorly designed calculations and

inadequately overload predictions.
• Unforeseen accommodation of constructive elements: Whenever a building is
built, there is a settlement of the ground, a settlement to a greater or lesser degree.
Thus, depending on how the foundation was made, one part of the construction can
yield more than the other and with that displacement, it could cause cracks, known in
the technical area as differential repression.
• Early removal of shoring elements: during the construction phase it is necessary to
wait for the structural parts to acquire a minimum resistance before the shoring is
removed. For example, slabs and beams should remain supported for at least 28 days.
• Thermal expansion: some parts of the building are more or less exposed to the sun
during periods of the day, thus dilate or retract more than others, which can cause
cracks, such as a slab that dilates with the sun causing the cracks;

• Material retraction: it is the loss of water by chemical reactions or evaporation in

the coating layers and in concrete pieces such as slabs, pillars, and beams. For
example, paint in the drying period, grout mortar, slab upon receiving too much sun
and chemical reactions of the cement, these occur when there is the loss of moisture
and thus the parts retract, their size is reduced and can arise cracks;
• Infiltration: when there is a leak or poor waterproofing of the slab or reservoirs of
water enter the part, in the case of concrete the water will penetrate and will gradually
reach the iron armature causing oxidation and, consequently, increasing the diameter
of the bars, which will result in the pressure of the concrete and hence the beginning
of the cracks. The consequence of this will be the fall of parts of the concrete, leaving
the ironwork exposed, accelerating the process of corrosion.
• Vibrations and tremors: poorly designed foundations along with excess traffic on
the street, elevators, nearby buildings, and subway are some reasons for continuous
vibration to cause cracks.

• Defects in the formulation of the product and errors in the application: The
concrete traces, represented by the proportion of the different materials that compose
it, must be very well dimensioned, as it is fundamental to obtain the resistance to
withstand the expected loads. A mortar with a lot of or little water, or being used
after its period of handle, can cause numerous cracks in the coating of a wall.
Introduction:
• A crack is a complete or incomplete separation of building member into two or more
parts, produced by breaking or fracturing.

• Majority of cracks occur when the building or its components or the material of which
the building is made up of is subjected to forces which are greater than those forces
which it can withstand.

• Cracks may also occur if the material used in the building is of poor quality and the
construction is not carried out in accordance with relevant drawings, prescribed job
specifications and workman like manner.

• Cracks in concrete can scar a building’s architectural appearance.

• They can be the cause of leaks from rain or groundwater. Or they can be the first
telltale signs of a potential wall collapse. Thus, no crack should go unexamined.

• The crack in concrete is an inherent feature, which cannot be completely prevented

but can only be controlled and minimized.
• Concrete being a material having very low tensile strength, readily cracks when such
tensile stress beyond the tensile strength of concrete occur in structure.
• An engineer should have a sound knowledge of all the facts of concrete technology
i.e. of the behavior of construction material, construction techniques, and types of
crack likely to occur, their causes and respective remedial measure. In short, treatment
of cracks involves detection, diagnosis and remedy.
Types of cracks:
Structural cracks
• These occur due to incorrect design, faulty construction or overloading and these may
endanger the safety of a building.
• Extensive cracks of foundations walls, beams, columns or slabs etc., are examples of
structural cracks.
Structural cracks may arise due to various reasons such as:
• Defective ductile detailing in the structures
• Incorrect load assumption
• false perception about the behavior of the structure
• Overloading of the structural components
• Overloading of the soil on which the building is constructed
• Poor constructional technique and workmanship
• Incorrect assessment of bearing capacity and soil property
 Cracks on Beams and Columns

Figure: Cracks Due to Weak Foundation Figure: Cracking Due to Tree Growing Near House
Prevention:

• Proper and correct structural design

• Correct information about the soil condition should be considered
• Using required grade of concrete
• Adequate thickness of cover for the reinforcement and quality steel bars should be used
• Proper reinforcement layout should be done
• Proper workmanship
Types of cracks:
Non-structural cracks:
These are mostly due to internally induced stresses in buildings materials and do not
endanger safety of a building but may look unsightly, or may create an impression of faulty
work or may give a feeling of instability. In some situations due to penetration of moisture
through them nonstructural cracks may spoil the internal finishes thus adding to the cost of
maintenance, or corrode the reinforcement, thereby adversely affecting the stability of the
Structure in long run.
Non-Structural cracks may arise due to various reasons such as:
• internal forces developed in the building on account of changes in the size of building
components
• due to moisture variation
• temperature variation
• growth of vegetation
• the effect of gases, liquid and solids on the building components.
Non-structural cracks(Hair cracks):

➢ Cracks may appreciably vary in width from very thin hair crack barely visible to naked
eye to gaping crack. Depending upon the crack width , the cracks are classified as :

• Thin Crack -less than 1 mm in width.

• Medium Crack -1 to 2 mm in width.
• Wide Crack -more than 2 mm in width.
• Crazing -Occurrence of closely spaced fine cracks at the surface of a material is called
crazing. Crazing is the development of a network of fine random cracks on the surface of
concrete or mortar caused by shrinkage of the surface layer.
Thin Crack

Medium Crack Wide Crack

Non-structural cracks
• Can be repaired when reasons for cracks are identified and suitable remedial measures
are taken to prevent their reoccurrence.
• Non-structural cracks give the impression that the structure is getting unsafe but does not
affect the building significantly but,
• If remedial measures are not taken, the nonstructural cracks due to penetration of
moisture in the cracks, result in;

⮚ Reducing the durability of the materials (by erosion, chemical attacks, corrosion of
reinforcement etc.) and
⮚ Ultimately, affect the stability of the structure.
METHODS TO REPAIR CRACK
1. EPOXY INJECTION
• Epoxy injection is an economical method of
repairing non-moving cracks in concrete walls,
slabs, columns and piers a sit is capable of
restoring the concrete to its pre-cracked strength.
• The technique generally consists of establishing
entry and venting ports at close intervals along
the cracks, sealing the crack on exposed
surfaces, and injecting the epoxy under pressure.
Figure: Applying Epoxy to the Cracks
Figure: Procedure for Applying Epoxy
2. GRAVITY FILLING
• Low viscosity monomers and resins can be used to seal cracks with surface widths of
0.001 to 0.08 [Link] gravity filling. High molecular weight methacrylates, urethanes, and
some low viscosity epoxies have been used successfully.
3. GROUTING AND SEALING
• In this method, the crack is made wider at the surface with a saw or grinder, and then the
groove is filled with a flexible sealant.
• This is a common technique for crack treatment and it is relatively simple in comparison
to the procedures and the training required for epoxy injection.
• Initially clean the surface; the surface should be free from paint, dirt, oil, efflorescence or
any bond inhibiting agents. Then apply epoxy.
• To prevent epoxy flowing out insert a foam breaker or rod of suitable diameter and
sealant is applied to it.
Figure: Procedure for Grouting And Sealing
4. STITCHING
• This method is done to provide a permanent structural repairs solution for masonry
repairs and cracked wall reinforcement.
• It is done by drilling holes on both sides of the crack, cleaning the holes and anchoring
the legs of the staples in the holes with a non-shrink grout.

5. DRY PACKING
• It is the hand placement of a low water content mortar followed by tamping or ramming
of the mortar into place and also helps in producing intimate contact between the mortar
and the existing concrete.
6. POLYMER IMPREGNATION
• Monomer systems can be used for effective repair of some cracks.
• A monomer system is a liquid consisting of monomers which will polymerize into a
solid.
• The most common monomer used for this purpose is methyl methacrylate.

7. UNDERPINNING
• This is the best solution whereby the footings of the building are underpinned with
either concrete, masonry or piles to carry the load of the building down to a more
stable stratum (e.g. rock or soils below the reactive zone).
• This solution is usually the most costly, particularly if there are access difficulties or if
internal walls require underpinning, which may require lifting internal floors.
Classification of Cracks:
➢ Cracks can be broadly classified as:

• Vertical cracks
• Horizontal cracks
• Diagonal cracks
• Toothed cracks
• Irregular cracks or random cracks.
• Closely spaced fine cracks on surface of the material are known as crazing.

➢ From the examination of the portion in which the cracks appear, it is possible to have
an idea of the possible factors responsible for the formation of cracks.
Cracks on Walls

Figure: Different Types of Cracks on Walls

THANK YOU

26