CRACKS

IN BRICK
WALLS
• Elastic Deformation
• Thermal Movement
• Chemical Reaction
• Shrinkage
• Foundation movement & settlement of soil
• Earthquake
• Vegetation
ELASTIC DEFORMATION
When the walls are unevenly loaded,
due to variation in stresses in different
parts of wall the cracks are formed in
walls. When two materials having wide
different elastic properties are built
together under the effect of load,
different shear stresses in these
materials create cracks at the junction.
Dead and live loads cause elastic
deformation in structural components
of a building.
• Create slip joints under the
support of RCC slab on walls.
• Masonry work on RCC slabs and
beams should not be started before
drying RCC slab and beam.
• Provide horizontal movement joints
between the top of brick panel and
RCC beam/slab.
All materials expand on heat and contract
on cool. Thermal movement in components
of structure creates cracks due to tensile of
shear stresses. It is one of the most potent
causes of cracking in buildings and needs
attention

Construct joints such as construction

joints, expansion joints, control joints and
slip joints. The joints should be planned at
the time of design and be constructed
carefully.
Chemical reactions in building materials
increase their volume and internal stress
causes cracks. The components of
structure also weaken due to chemical
reactions. Some common instances of
chemical reactions are following.
• Sulphate attack on cement products
• Carbonation in cement based materials
• Corrosion of reinforcement in concrete
• Alkali aggregate reaction
• Use dense and good quality concrete i.e.
richer mix of cement concrete 1:1.5:3 to
prevent cracks.
• Repair corrosive cement concrete surface by
‘guniting’/ injecting technique after removing all
loose and damaged concrete and cleaning
reinforcement from all rust also.
The factors causing shrinkage in cement concrete and
cement mortar and their preventions are following.
Excessive Water
Prevention
Use minimum quantity of water required for mixing cement concrete
or cements mortar according to water cement ratio. Never allow
cement concrete work without mechanical mix and vibrator.
Quantity of Cement
The richer the mix is, the greater the shrinkage will be.
Prevention
Do not use excessive cement in the mortar mix.
Un-graded Aggregate
If un-graded and fine material is used in cement mortar it can cause
greater shrinkage.
Prevention
Use largest possible aggregate.
Curing
After laying cement concrete mix, the hardening of cement takes place,
causes reduction in moisture and creates shrinkage. This causes cracks
in concrete work.
Prevention
Proper curing should be started as soon as initial setting has taken place
and be continued for at least seven to ten days. When hardening of
concrete takes place under moist environment, the shrinkage due to
drying is comparatively less.
Excessive Fine materials
Fine materials take more surface area and require more water for mix.
The use of excessive fine materials i.e. silts; clay and dust in aggregate
create more shrinkage.
Prevention
Do not use fine materials containing silt, clay and dust. Use coarse
sand/fine aggregate in cement concrete and cement mortar mix which
has silt and clay less than 4%. Use coarse aggregate and fine aggregate
after washing to reduce silt contents.
Shear cracks occur in buildings when there is large
differential settlement of foundation due to any of following
causes.
Unequal bearing pressure under different parts of the
structure
Bearing pressure being in excess of safe bearing strength of
the soil
Low factor of safety in the design of foundations
Local variation in the nature of supporting soil

Prevention
The design of foundation must be based on sound
engineering principles and good practice.
Crack may occur due to sudden shift in lower layer of
the earth. The voids in the earth might have suddenly
collapsed and be filled with soil from the above. Many
geological events can trigger earth movements but is
continuous movement. This results in cracks.
Prevention
Construct the foundation of buildings on firm ground
while doing construction. Tie up the building with
connecting beams at foundation level, door level and
roof level
The roots of trees located in the vicinity of a wall
can create cracks in walls due to growth of roots
under foundation. The cracks occur in clay soil
due to moisture contained by roots.
Prevention
Do not let trees grow too close to the buildings,
compound walls etc. Remove any saplings of trees
as soon as possible if they start growing in or near
of walls etc.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
•
 Reasons for cracks in brickwork
• Soluble salts
• Impurities present in brickwork
• Elastic deformation
• Foundation movement and settlement of soil
• Corrosion of iron or steel in reinforced
brickwork
• Due to weather conditions
• earthquake
 Solube salts
Use of hard water during manufacture of bricks
Brickwork in contact with subsoil water containing soluble salts

• Presence of salts like sulphates in mortars causes

expansion of mortar joints
• Sulphate salts present in the bricks also reacts
with aluminium salts of portland cement or
hydraulic lime in mortar causing failure of
brickwork
• Disintegration also occurs due to crystallization of
salts like magnesium sulphate
Due to impurities present in bricks
• Nodules of quicklime in the bricks when they
get hydrated due to soaking in water during
construction or subsequent dampness,
expands in volume setting up disruptive
effects.
 Elastic deformation
• Walls are unevenly loaded
• Variation in stresses in different parts of wall
• When two materials having wide different
elastic properties are built together under the
effect of load, different shear stresses in
these materials create cracks at the junction.
• Shear cracks occur in buildings when there is large differential
settlement of foundation due to any of following causes.
• Unequal bearing pressure under different parts of the structure
• Bearing pressure being in excess of safe bearing strength of
the soil
• Low factor of safety in the design of foundations
• Local variation in the nature of supporting soil

• Prevention
• The design of foundation must be based on sound
engineering principles and good practice.
 Defects due to corossion
• In case of reinforced brickwork, the
reinforcement of iron and steel gets corroded
in presence of moisture, which results in
increased volume of masonry
 Due to weather conditions
 Defects due to shrinkage on drying :
• After first long spell of dry weather , shrinkage cracks
may appear allowing rain water to seep in, resulting in
deterioration.
 Defects due to snow
• In snow bound areas, water presents in brickwork
causes freezing, resulting in increase in volume
 Thermal stress
• Variation of temperature tends to produce linear
changes in walls which, when restrained may lead to
internal stress resulting in cracks especially when walls
exceed 30 m
 Earthquake
• Crack may occur due to sudden shift in lower layer of
the earth. The voids in the earth might have suddenly
collapsed and be filled with soil from the above. Many
geological events can trigger earth movements but is
continuous movement. This results in cracks.
• Prevention
• Construct the foundation of buildings on firm ground
while doing construction. Tie up the building with
connecting beams at foundation level, door level and
roof level