JOINTING AND CRACK CONTROL

FOR CONCRETE SLABS ON GROUND

IN WAREHOUSES AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
CONCRETE SLAB
TECHNOLOGY

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 CONCRETE SLABS ON GROUND

CRACKS
1. Concrete shrinkage restraint
2. Use of steel reinforcement for crack width
control how effective is it?

JOINTS
3. New problems for joints caused by use of:-
Laser screeds
Hard-wheeled forklifts

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION - CRACK CONTROL

- JOINT OPENING CONTROL
4. Mechanical cracking of sawcut joints

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 CONCRETE SHRINKAGE RESTRAINT

All concrete shrinks as it cures (even with admixtures)

To avoid cracking, must avoid restraining concrete
shrinkage

Restrained Shrinkage Minimising

Restraint

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 SOURCES OF RESTRAINT

Slab Tied to
Slab Penetrations Walls

Subgrade
Set-downs Friction

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DETAILING FOR STRESS RELIEF

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 SUBGRADE RESTRAINT

Stress due to subgrade restraint

depends on
Subgrade material
Length of pour

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 SUBGRADE RESTRAINT

Stress is maximum in the centre of the slab

Crack usually occurs in centre of slab first

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SUBGRADE FRICTION AND CRACK DEVELOPMENT

Sawcuts

48
m

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 CONCRETE SLABS ON GROUND

CRACKS
1.Concrete shrinkage restraint
2.Use of steel reinforcement for crack width
control how effective is it?

JOINTS
3.New problems for joints caused by :-
Laser screeds
Hard-wheeled forklifts

ALETERNATIVE SOLUTION FOR CRACK

CONTROL
4.Mechanical cracking of sawcut joints

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 USE OF STEEL MESH

Steel mesh in concrete slabs on

ground:-
Does not prevent cracks
Does not increase load carrying
capacity
Steel is used to control crack width

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 USE OF STEEL MESH

Continuously Reinforced Concrete

Pavements
0.6% - 0.7% steel
Tight cracks at close centres
Works fairly well
Expensive

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 USE OF STEEL MESH

Industrial Building slabs on ground

Much less steel - 0.1% - 0.15% steel
Poor crack width control for large pours
Sawcut joints open wide at mesh
discontinuities
Poor control of sawcut joint widths

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 USE OF STEEL MESH

DESIGN CONSIDERATION

Steel quantity required depends

on:-
Length of pavement with
STEEL MESH reinforcement
continuous DESIGN IS
Subgrade friction
COMPLICATED!
Magnitude of thermal shrinkage
Magnitude of drying shrinkage
Required crack width
Required crack spacing
Use of stress concentrators (e.g.
sawcuts)
Pavement thickness
Concretes tensile strength
Diameter of steel reinforcement
Yield stress of steel reinforcement

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 PROBLEMS CAUSED BY STEEL MESH

Restricts cracks opening

Limits cracks ability to
accommodate shrinkage
Creates more cracks

Concrete pump required for

accurate mesh positioning
Increased fines in concrete mix
design
Leads to increased concrete
shrinkage
Leads to increased joint widths
Increased cost of construction

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 PROBLEMS CAUSED BY STEEL MESH

Creates residual tensile stress in the slab

Adds to other stresses from
Applied loads
Shrinkage stresses
to increase risk of cracking

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 PROBLEMS CAUSED BY STEEL MESH

Can create plastic settlement cracks

Grid of cracks mirroring bars in mesh
below

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 PROBLEMS CAUSED BY STEEL MESH

Difficult to place and compact

concrete
Poor compaction reduces concrete
strength

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 PROBLEMS CAUSED BY STEEL MESH

Steel manufacture creates greenhouse gas

emissions
Mass of CO2 emissions from steel manufacture
and distribution is approx. twice the weight of
steel
e.g. 1500m2 of SL92 mesh 12 tonnes of CO2

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 CONCRETE SLABS ON GROUND

CRACKS
1. Concrete shrinkage restraint
2. Use of steel reinforcement for crack width control
how effective is it?
Use of steel mesh in slabs on ground to
control cracking is far from ideal

JOINTS
3. New problems for joints caused by :-
Hard-wheeled forklifts
Laser screeds

ALETERNATIVE SOLUTION FOR CRACK CONTROL

4. Mechanical cracking of sawcut joints

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 PROBLEMS CAUSED BY HARD-WHEELED FORKLIFTS

Hard-wheeled forklifts
Are here to stay (improved forklift stability)
Cause damage to unprotected joint edges
Joint armouring of construction joints
Difficult to accurately install
Expensive

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 PROBLEMS CAUSED BY LASER SCREEDS

Increasing use of laser screeds

Economies with large pours up to 3000m 2 per day.

Large pours lead to

Wide openings at construction joints Easily
Dominant sawcut joints at centre of pour
damaged by
hard wheeled
forklifts

11mm wide sawcut, 3 months after concrete

placement
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 CONCRETE SLABS ON GROUND

CRACKS
1.Concrete shrinkage restraint
2.Use of steel reinforcement for crack width
control how effective is it?

JOINTS
3.New problems for joints caused by :-
Laser screeds
Hard-wheeled forklifts

ALETERNATIVE SOLUTION FOR CRACK

CONTROL
4.Mechanical cracking of sawcut joints

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CONVENTIONAL METHOD - SAWCUT JOINTS CRACKING OVER TIME

NEW METHOD -MECHANICALLY CRACKED JOINTS

Sawcut joints cracked early.

Tensile stress never accumulates.
Stresses insufficient to cause unplanned
cracks
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MECHANICALLY INDUCING A CRACK

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www.getcracking.com.au
JOINT CRACKING MACHINE

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 MECHANICAL CRACKING OF SAWCUT JOINTS

Use of steel mesh in slabs on ground to control cracking is far from

ideal

By mechanically cracking sawcut joints, soon after concrete

placement
Random shrinkage cracks eliminated
Joints open more evenly

With shrinkage cracks controlled to sawcut joints the following can be

eliminated
Steel reinforcing mesh and its associated problems
Concrete Pumps

With joints opening relatively evenly

Semi-rigid sealants can be used to protect joints
No need for joint-edge armouring

Without steel reinforcing mesh

Greenhouse gas emissions are greatly reduced

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 CONCLUSION

For more information visit

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