CRACKS IN

BUILDINGS
ASAD AHMAD
REG NO: FA15-BCV-090
4B

Department of Civil Engineering COMSATS Abbottabad Campus

 Presentation Outlines: 3
Introduction
What is crack
Classification of cracks
Causes of cracks
Remedial measures
Repair of cracks
References
 Is that crack serious? 4

Simplest question to ask

One of the most difficult to answer
Prof. Malcolm Hollis- Surveying building is
an art, verifying the cause of the failure is
science
 Introduction: 5

Building have a unique place in area of

engineering
Time taken and construction cost
Slow reactions inside buildings
Climatic conditions and environmental
stress
Wrong method and bad quality
 What is crack? 6

A crack is a complete or incomplete

separation of concrete into two or more parts,
produced by breaking and fracturing.
 Classification of cracks: 7

1)Structural cracks:
Those cracks which result from
Faulty construction
Overloading
Incorrect design
2)Non-structural cracks:
Those cracks which result from internal
induced stress in building materials.
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TYPES OF CRACKS CAUSES SIGN
STRUCTURAL CRACK due to incorrect design Extensive cracks of
Foundations walls, 9
beams, columns
or slabs particularly
due to displacement.

faulty construction Structure become

unsafe due to partial or
complete collapse of
building

Overloading Continuous horizontal

cracks which appear on
walls indicating signs of
displacement.

Differential Settlement Vertical cracks which

are significantly
wider at the top or
bottom could
indicate settlement
Type of Crack Causes Character/Signs
10
Non-Structural Crack Moisture changes Building materials
expand on absorbing
moisture and shrink on
drying

Thermal movement The cracks are

superficial or cosmetic
and are usually found
on the plaster or mortar
renderings of buildings

Foundation movement The cracks tend to be

and settlement of soil thin hairline cracks,
mostly 1-2mm wide.

Chemical reaction These are generally

reversible

Elastic deformation
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STRUCTURAL CRACKS
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NON STRUCTURAL CRACKS:

CLASSIFICATION OF CRACKS: 14

BASED ON WIDTH:

a)Thin : less then 1mm width

b)Medium: 1 to 2mm width
c)Wide : more then 2mm width
MEASURMENT OF CRACKS: 15
CAUSES OF CRACKS IN 16

BUILDINGS:
Moisture change
Thermal variation
Elastic deformation
Creep
Chemical reaction
Foundation movement and settlement of soil
Permeability of concrete
Corrosion of reinforcement
Vegetation
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REMEDIAL MEASURES : 20
Controlling shrinkage cracks.
Shrinkage cracks in masonry could be minimized by avoiding use of
rich cement mortar in masonry and by delaying plaster work till
masonry has dried after proper curing and undergone most of its initial
shrinkage.
REMEDIAL MEASURES: 21

Thermal joints can be avoided by introducing

expansion joints, control joints and slip joints.
The best control measure against corrosion is the use
of concrete with low permeability.
Use dense and good quality concrete i.e. richer mix of
cement concrete 1:1.5:3 to prevent cracks.
Do not let trees grow too close to the buildings,
compound walls etc.
Soil should be well compacted.
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Expansion joints:
REPAIR OF CRACKS: 23

TECHNIQUES TO CURE CRACKS:

1)Epoxy injection:
Cracks as narrow as 0.002 in or 0.05mm can be bounded
by the injection of epoxy.
REPAIR OF CRACKS: 24

2) Routing and Sealing:

This method involves enlarging the cracks along its
exposed face and filling and sealing it with suitable joint
sealant.
REPAIR OF CRACKS: 25

3)STITCHING:
The stitching procedure consist of drilling
holes on both sides of the crack, cleaning the holes and
anchoring the leg of the staples into the holes, with either a
non shrink grout or an epoxy resin.
REPAIR OF CRACKS: 26

4) DRILLING AND PLUGGING:

Drilling and plugging a crack consists of drilling down the
length of the crack and grouting it from a crack.
REPAIR OF CRACKS: 27

5)GRAVITY FILLING:
Low viscosity monomers and resins can be used to seal
cracks with surface width of 0.001 in to 0.08 in by gravity
filling.
CONCLUSION: 28

Though it is impossible to guarantee against cracking

yet attempts can be made to minimize development of
crack.

In case of existing cracks, after detail study and analysis

of crack parameter, most appropriate method correction
should be adopted for effective and efficient repair of
crack.
REFERENCES: 29

www.collegelib.com

www.myfoundation.com

www.Theconstruction.org

www.basharesearch.com
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