QUALITY ASSURANCE

TYPES OF CRACKS IN CONCRETE

 CAUSES OF CRACKS IN CONCRETE
STRUCTURES

1.Permeability of concrete
2. Thermal movement
3. Creep
4. Corrosion of Reinforcement
5. Moisture Movement:
6. Poor Construction practices.
7. Poor structural design and specifications
8. Poor Maintenance
9. Movement due to Chemical reactions.
10. Indiscriminate addition and alterations.
Causes of cracks in concrete can be many summarized as:

 Concrete expands and shrinks due to temperature differences

 Settlement of structure

 Due to loss of water from concrete surface shrinkage occurs

 Insufficient vibration at the time of laying the concrete

 Improper cover provided during concreting

 High water cement ratio to make the concrete workable

 Due to corrosion of reinforcement steel

 Many mixtures with rapid setting and strength gain performance

have an increased shrinkage potential.
How to Prevent Cracks in Concrete Structures?

 Reduce Water Content in Concrete

 Proper Concrete Mix Design and use of Quality Materials

 Finishing of Concrete Surface

 Proper Curing of Concrete

 Proper Placement and Vibration of Concrete

 Proper Compaction of Soil to Prevent Settlement Cracks in

Concrete

 Providing Control Joints in Concrete

Some Other Preventive Control Measures for Cracks in
Concrete:

 Applying good acrylic silicone sealer yearly to concrete works

 Avoid calcium chloride admixtures

 Prevent extreme changes in temperature.

 Consider using a shrinkage-reducing admixture

 Warm the subgrade before placing concrete on it during cold

weather

 Consider using synthetic fibers to help control plastic

shrinkage cracks.
Effects due to Chemical
• Some of the factors, which increases the
vulnerability of concrete to external chemical
attack:
• High porosity and hence high permeability
• Improper choice of cement type for the conditions of
exposure
• Inadequate curing prior to exposure
• Exposure to alternate cycles of wetting and drying
and to a lesser extent heating and cooling, with
allowance for the fact that higher temperature
increase reactivity.
 Effects due to Climate
• The lack of durability of concrete on account
of freezing and thawing action of frost is not
of great importance to Indian conditions.
• The most severe climatic attack on concrete
occurs, when concrete containing moisture is
subjected to cycle of freezing and thawing.
• The capillary pores in the cement paste are of
such a size that water in them will freeze,
when the ambient temperature is below
0degree C.
• The gel pores are so small that water in them
does freeze at normal winter temperatures.
• As water, when freezing expands by 9% of its
volume, excess water in the capillaries has to
move.
• Since the cement paste is relatively impermeable
high pressures are necessary to move the excess
water even over quite small distances
• For normal strength concrete, it has been found
that movement of the order of 0.2mm is
sufficient to require pressures which approach
the tensile strength of the paste.
• Increased fluid velocities
• Expansive reactions of any sort which may cause
cracking and any other physical
• Phenomena, which lead to greater exposure of
reactant surfaces
• Suction forces
• Unsatisfactory choice of shape and surface to volume
ratios of concrete section
 Effects due to temperature
• Temperatures of concrete, other than special
refractory concrete, have to be kept below 300
degree.
• Heat may affect concrete as result of:
• The removal of evaporable water
• The removable of combined water
• Alteration of cement paste
• Disruption from disparity of expansion and resulting
thermal stress
• Alteration of aggregate
• Change of the bond between aggregate and paste
 Effects of cover thickness & cracking

 In reinforced concrete structures, sufficient cover of

concrete has to be provided to avoid exposure of
reinforcement to aggressive environmental
conditions and consequent rusting and deterioration
of the cross sectional area in the structural elements.
 The most common construction defect, particularly
in buildings, is lack of adequate thickness of cover.
 It provides the nominal cover requirements to meet:
• The durability requirements
• Specified period of fire resistance
 Requirements of concrete cover
• The protection of the steel in concrete against
corrosion depends upon an adequate
• Thickness of good quality of concrete.
• Concrete cover for reinforcement is required to
protect the rebar against corrosion and to provide
resistance against fire.
• The thickness of cover depends on environmental
conditions and type of structural member.
• The minimum thickness of reinforcement cover is
indicated in the drawings, or shall be obtained
from the relevant code of practice.
• Below are the specifications
for reinforcement cover for different structural
members in different conditions.
a) At each end of reinforcing bar, net less that 25
mm or less than twice the diameter of the bar.
b) For a longitudinal reinforcing bar in a column,
not less than 40 mm not less than the
diameter of such bar. In case of columns of
minimum dimension of 20 cm or under, whose
reinforcing bards do no not exceed 12 mm a
cover of 25 mm to be used.
c) For longitudinal reinforcing bars in a beam, not
less than 30 mm or less than the diameter of the
bar.
d) For tensile, compressive shear or
other reinforcements in a slab or wall not less
than 15 mm, not less that the diameter of such
bar.
e) For any other reinforcement not less than 15 mm,
not less than the diameter of such bar.
f) For footings and other principal structural
members in which the concrete is deposited
directly against the ground, cover to the
bottom reinforcement shall be 75 mm. If concrete
is poured on a layer of lean concrete, the bottom
cover maybe reduced to 50 mm.
g) For concrete surfaces exposed to the weather
or the ground after removal of forms, such as
retaining walls, grade beams, footing sides and
top etc. not less than 50 mm.
h) Increased cover thickness shall be provided as
indicated on the drawings, for surfaces
exposed to the action of harmful chemicals (or
exposed to earth contaminated by such
chemicals), acid, alkali, saline atmosphere,
sulphorone, smoke etc.
i) For liquid retaining structures, the minimum
cover to all steel shall be 40 mm or the diameter
of the main bar, whichever is greater. In the
presence of sea water and oils and waters of a
corrosive character the covers, shall be increased
by 10 mm.
j) Protection to reinforcement in case of concrete
exposed to harmful surroundings may also be
given by providing a dense impermeable concrete
with approved protective coatings. In such a case
the extra cover mentioned in (b) & (i) above may
be reduced.