Non-structural

cracking of concrete
 Concrete can withstand very large compressive stresses but only small tensile
stresses, particularly at an early age. Cracking in concrete occurs when the tensile
stress within the concrete becomes greater than it can withstand.

The causes of cracking in concrete may be divided
into two distinct groups:
• Those which produce structural cracking
• Those which produce non-structural cracking
Plastic settlement and shrinkage cracks are
usually associated with some form of constraint
which prevents the concrete from moving freely.
Restraint is generally a function of design and/or
construction details, never the concrete mix itself.

The causes of structural cracking

The different types of non-
Structural cracking in concrete may be caused by a
structural cracking
number of factors including:-
The cause of cracking may not be easily identified,
• Overloading of the concrete element.
because a particular type may be caused by a
• Failure of the support under the concrete
combination of several different factors. Cracks
element.
initially produced by one factor may be enlarged
• Creep of the concrete, which is caused by long due to the influence of additional factors.
term loading of the hardening concrete.
The causes of non-structural cracking may be
This Topic Brief describes the causes, effects and identified by:-
remedy of non-structural cracking. It does not
• The time when the crack occurred.
consider structural cracking.
• The crack shape and pattern.
• The position of the crack in the concrete element.
The causes of non-structural See diagram below and table opposite.
cracking
The time that a crack occurs after the concrete has
Non-structural cracking in concrete may be caused been poured is a good indicator of its cause, as
by any one or a combination of:- this knowledge eliminates many other reasons why
• Plastic settlement of the fresh concrete. cracking has taken place.
• Shrinkage of the concrete due to:
• Plastic shrinkage of the fresh concrete.
• Early age thermal contraction.
• Long term drying shrinkage aggravated by
moisture movement.
• Seasonal thermal movement.
• Surface crazing of the concrete.
• Cracking due to expansive forces within the
concrete caused by:-
A J
• Reinforcement corrosion due to chloride
moisture attack.
A
I B E
• Alkali-silica reaction. K
• Early frost damage.
C
• Freeze/thaw damage. Shear
cracks F
• Sulphate attack on the N Map
cracking
cement in the mix. G ker
H Top
of k
ic

‘Bad’, i.e.
B
H ineffective, joint
B Tension bending
cracks
Cracks at

I L
kicker points

Q P
M
Scaling

D Plus rust stains

2
Non-structural cracking of concrete
Most Time of
Diagram Secondary Causes/ How Prevention or
Type of cracking Common Primary Cause Appearance Comments
Letter Factors Common Remedy
Location After Pour

Settlement

Over Deep
A Rapid early drying Revibrate (if
reinforcement sections
conditions e.g. concrete still Cracks generally
Water bleeding to
sunny, windy, plastic) follow lines of
the surface and
Top of exposed location restraint to equal
Plastic

Arching B evaporating 10 minutes Fairly Protect from drying

columns Slow setting settlement
Settlement of to 3 hours common weather conditions
due to retarding e.g. reinforcement
heavier particles Reduce bleeding
admixtures bars, changes in
Trough in the mix Use air-entrained
Change of or cement section depth
C and waffle concrete
depth characteristics
slabs

Shrinkage

Roads and Rapid early drying conditions

Diagonal D
floor slabs As above, plus
e.g. sun, wind, causing water to Cracks rarely run
improve early curing
evaporate from the surface of the to edge of element
(maintain high
concrete faster than it is replaced by or are longer than
Plastic

30 minutes Very humidity)

Random E bleed water causing a volume reduction 1 metre
Reinforced of the concrete at the surface to 6 hours common Include
Cracks do not go
concrete polypropylene
through aggregate
slabs fibres in the
particles
Over As above, plus steel near the surface concrete
F
reinforcement orientating the cracks

Excessive The thermal

Insulate
Early age thermal

External temperature properties of the

G Thick walls Concrete allowed
constraint generated by the Reduce the heat concrete should be
to cool too rapidly
cement hydrating generated by taken into account
Excessive joint 1 day to Fairly
using a low heat or by the designer to
spacing 2-3 weeks common
Excessive blended cement control cracking,
Insufficient particularly joint
Internal temperature Include steel fibre
H Thick slabs reinforcement spacing on paving,
restraint gradient within reinforcement
the concrete slabs and walls

Reduce water
Excessive content of the
Long-term

shrinkage Several Usually caused by a

drying

Thin slabs Insufficient joints concrete

I (shrinkable weeks or Rare fundamental design
and walls Incorrect design aggregates) Improve curing
months or construction fault
Insufficient curing Use of low shrinkage
aggregates

Crazing

Against Fair faced Impermeable Change formwork Appears as fine map

J Cement rich Fairly
framework concrete formwork finish cracking
surface
Surface

1-7 days,
Generally looks
Poor curing sometimes
better with time
Floated Over-vibration near much later Improve finishing
K Slabs Over-troweling Very Rarely more than a
concrete formwork and curing
cosmetic problem

Expansion

Columns Do not use

Natural L Lack of cover
Reinforcement

and beams accelerator Reinforcement

Permeable
corrosion

Common containing calcium corrodes, expands

concrete 2 years or
in older chloride bursting concrete
Concrete Poor workmanship more
exposed to Excess chlorides concrete Can be effectively Cracks usually show
Chloride M and/or completion
de-icing or Chloride migration repaired by rust staining
sea salts specialist contractor

Impossible to repair
Alkali-silica

but not as serious as Appears as map

Alkalis in the cement react in the
reaction

it appears cracking, sometimes

Damp presence of water with a component 5 years or
N Very rare with a white gel
locations of some aggregates to produce a gel more Refer to concrete extruding from the
which absorbs water and expands supplier for advice cracks
on prevention

Frost damaged
Early frost

Keep concrete
damage

Thin concrete may

Water in fresh concrete freezes and Fairly above 5°C until
P sections 1-24 hours have no structural
expands common curing is completed,
and slabs strength and will
use insulation
require replacement
Freeze/thaw

Anytime Use good quality,

damage

Water soaks into the surface of air-entrained

after the Fairly Aggrevated by de-
Q Paving hardened concrete, freezes and concrete
concrete has common icing salts
expands causing the surface to crumble
hardened Cure well

3
Prevention of non-structural
cracking
Good practice in structural design, selection of the
constituent materials, concrete mix design and on-
site workmanship aims to reduce the occurrence of
non-structural cracking in concrete to a minimum.
It is particularly important that the concrete is
correctly cured after placing and protected from
extremes of temperature.
However, it should be remembered that concrete is
not a dimensionally stable material and is, therefore,
inherently liable to crack. This fact is recognised by
designers who include steel or fibre reinforcement
to eliminate or control certain types of non-
structural cracking.
Guidance on the prevention of non­-structural
cracking is given in the table on page 3.
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Repair of non-structural cracks
Not all non-structural cracks need to be repaired,
as many are simply a cosmetic problem. If they
do need repairing it must be determined if they
are dormant or live. Some cracks, such as those
caused by plastic shrinkage, are generally dormant
almost as soon as they occur. Where there is
thermal contraction any subsequent cracking may
follow the lines of weakness induced by the plastic
shrinkage cracks. This will render the cracks live
once again.
Dormant cracks are normally simply sealed by the
injection of an epoxy resin or cementitious sealer
into the cracks.
Live cracks should be treated as movement joints
and should be capable of accommodating any
anticipated movement. They will need to be sealed
with a material which permits sufficient movement
without cracking the seal and they may require to
be grooved to provide a sufficient slot width for the
sealer to perform correctly.
If non-structural cracks require repairing, specialist
advice should be sought.
SBN/0419
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