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CURVED CORNER FRACTURES IN CONCRETE TILE

Research · August 1990

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18598.22083

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CURVED CORNER FRACTURES IN CONCRETE TILE
Timothy P. Marshall, P.E.
Haag Engineering Company
August 1990
ABSTRACT
Engineers at Haag Engineering Company have studied
the causes of curved corner fractures in concrete tile.
During the past decade, over one hundred cases have
been encountered where concrete tile in the field of a
roof has numerous broken lower right and/or lower left
corners. The problem has been most evident on flat
interlocking and some rolled interlocking tiles. Refer
to Figure 1. Hip and rake tiles are not effected.
Typically, a single fracture originates at the juncture
between the thin interlocking strip and the thicker
portion of the tile. The problem has been traced to
how the tiles are manufactured and dried.
Furthermore, the number of broken tile corners appears
governed by how well the tiles are installed.
Figure 1. Single right corner cracks in flat concrete
tiles.
1. INTRODUCTION
Concrete tile is composed of Portland cement, sand,
and water mixed in varying proportions. These
materials are mixed and extruded on individual molds
under high pressure to form the tile product. The
exposed surface of the tile is sometimes finished with
cementitious material with synthetic oxides giving a
shiny appearance and/or they are colored with
pigments mixed with the concrete. Surfaces of the tile
can be textured or smooth. Tiles are placed in
chambers under controlled humidity and temperature
to hydrate them reaching a specified strength before
shipment.
Concrete tiles come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and
colors. Most tiles are thick at the top and bottom and
have reinforcing ribs in between. The top portion of
the tile that bears against the wooden batten is called a
"head lug". "Nose lugs" are that portion of the tile
base that bears against the lower course of tiles. When
walking on a tile roof, it is best to place your feet along
the base of the tile, where nose lugs provide firm
underlying support. In contrast, never place your feet
in the center of the tile as this area has little underlying
support and you will probably break the tile.
Many flat and rolled tiles currently manufactured have
interlocking joints that contain ribs and grooves. The
ribs and grooves mate together providing uniform
contact with the adjacent tile. The strip containing the
ribs and grooves is approximately one inch wide on
each side of the tile and is one-half the thickness of the
tile. Thus, when the tile joints are interlocked, the tile
surfaces remain even. Refer to Figure 2.
Figure 2. Profiles of flat and S-shaped interlocking
tiles.
2. TILE DRYING AND SHRINKAGE
Water is necessary for the cement within the tile to
hydrate. The tile actually becomes stronger with time
as it subjected to water. Hydration is a chemical
bonding process between the cement and the water that
strengthens the tile while it gives off heat. An excess
of water is typically used to insure complete hydration.
The larger the surface area-to- volume ratio of the
concrete, the quicker the hydration process is
completed.
Flat and S-shaped tiles with interlocking joints do not
have a uniform thickness in cross section. Thus, as
these tiles dry, the thin, outer edges of the tile dry first
and the thicker portions of the tile dry last. In
particular, the interlocking joints complete the
hydration process first since this area has the greatest
surface area-to-volume ratio. In contrast, the thick
portion of the tile, containing head and nose lugs, dries
last since this area has the smallest surface area-to-
volume ratio. The relative time differences in
drying/hydration can create internal stresses that can
lead to shrinkage cracks. Refer to Figure 3.
Figure 3. Surface area-to-volume ratios in flat tile. In
general, the higher the area-to-volume ratio, the
quicker the tile dries.
We also noticed that many of the interlocking joints
have 90 degree corners where the interlocking strip
intersects the main body of the tile. This corner
represents a stress concentration point where a
shrinkage cracks can originate. Initially, shrinkage
cracks are usually small enough not to be detected with
the naked eye. Such a crack usually does not extend
up the tile very far, so the interlocking strip remains
attached to the tile, and it is shipped. We have found
one way to detect a shrinkage crack is to briefly wet
the tile and watch it dry. The tile will dry last along
the crack. Refer to Figure 4.
Figure 4. Shrinkage crack evident in right corner of
tile becomes more visible as wetted tile dries.
3. TILE EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION
Tiles need room to expand and contract with varying
temperature. Concrete expands when heated and
contracts when cooled. Tests conducted at Haag
Engineering indicate an average tile expansion rate of
.000228 inch per one degree Fahrenheit increase in
temperature. Thus, one-half inch in lateral movement
is reasonable over a distance of 45 feet with a
temperature change of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Since
tiles with interlocking strips are normally butted
against each other when installed on a roof, they are
restrained from lateral movement. As a result,
compression stresses occur and increase as tile
temperatures increase. Over many cycles of expansion
and contraction, any weak points in the tile can be
exploited.
4. THE FORMATION OF THE CURVED
CORNER FRACTURE
As compression stresses within the laterally restrained
tiles increases, the tiles will eventually fracture at their
weakest point. Tile corners are weak points. If a
shrinkage crack is already present, the fracture will
continue upslope and curve toward the outer edge of
the tile as the concrete fails in shear. The shear failure
propagates from cyclic lateral compression forces.
Secondary fractures can also extend along the right
edge of the tile. Refer to Figure 5.

Figure 5. Primary and secondary fractures in
concrete tile from lateral expansion.
There are a variety of factors that can effect the
frequency of curved corner fractures on a roof.
Nipples and splays have been found on tile corners.
When installed, butted tiles will only have the lower
corners bearing against the adjacent tiles. Such
defects can localize compression stresses to the point
where the pre-existing shrinkage crack grows causing
tile corner fracture. The nipples and splays are created
when the tiles are manufactured, in particular, when
wet tiles are cut. A certain amount of friction occurs
between the cutter and the wet tile causing a slight
deformation of the tile corners. Refer to Figures 6 and
7.
Figure 6. Nipple or splay projecting from bottom left
corner of concrete tile will produce a stress
concentration point on the right corner of the adjacent
tile.
Figure 7. Uneven bearing condition enhanced right
corner fracture.
The number of tile corner fractures is also associated
with how well the tiles are installed. A higher
incidence of tile corner fractures were found on roofs
where the joints between tiles were not uniform spaced
and where the course lines were not straight. Some tile
roofers familiar with this problem have told us they put
a nail shank in the joint during installation to allow for
a small gap between the main body of the tiles.
However, the interlocking joints may not mate fully
since the tiles are normally designed for full bearing on
each other.
It is important to keep the interlocking joints clear of
debris. Small pieces of debris can wedge in between
the interlocking joint causing a localized bearing
situation. In addition, foot traffic on the roof can cause
additional right corner fractures. Refer to Figure 8.
Figure 8. Concentration of right corner fractures near
second story sidewall where foot traffic was
concentrated.
 5. HAIL IMPACT TESTING installed unevenly. Such fractures are not the result of
hailstone impact.
Curved corner fractures were studied to see whether
they could be caused by hailstone impact. Impact tests
were conducted using hailstones driven by a calibrated
pneumatic gun. Hard ice-spheres were propelled at
terminal velocity at various concrete tile samples.
Impacts were perpendicular to the tile surfaces (in
contrast to the direction of lateral compression forces).
In general, the concrete tiles tested resisted breaking
with ice stones up to golfball-size (1.75 inches in
diameter) traveling at 60 mph. Tiles did break when
two inch icestones were propelled at between 70 and
80 mph. In these instances, the tiles broke into
multiple irregular pieces. In no instance could we
duplicate curved corner fractures routinely by ice-
sphere impact. These test results were consistent with
the hail damaged tile roofs we have observed. Refer to
Figure 9.

Figure 9. Shattering of right corner on tile from

hailstone impact.

6. CONCLUSIONS

Curved corner fractures have been observed with flat

and rolled tiles with interlocking strips. The fractures
are unsightly and can lead to water infiltration,
especially if the crack extends above the headlap
region. The root of the fracture problem has been
traced to how the tiles are formed and dried during
manufacture. Thick portions of the tile dry more
slowly than thin portions of the tile. As a result, a
small shrinkage crack can develop at the boundary
where the tile thickness changes. When butted
together, the tiles expand during the heat of the day
creating large compressive stresses. Eventually the
fracture evolves in a curved manner. Curved corner
fractures occur more frequently on roofs where tile
corners bear against the adjacent tiles, nipple or splay
defects are present on tile corners, debris accumulates
in joints between tiles, and where tile courses are

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