3rd Semester Construction Techniques CODE: 20CE33P

INTRODUCTION
All the building components start deteriorating after certain period due to action of
various natural forces like rain, sunlight, wind etc. Sometimes there may be problem
in the buildings due to use of poor construction material, due to poor workmanship or
faulty design etc. This deterioration, if left unchecked can cause serious defects in
buildings and these defects can become the source of building failures. This adverse
situation can be avoided or at least reduced considerably if are able to understand the
reason of these defects.

In that situation, necessary remedial measures can be taken in time. It is, therefore,
most important that actual cause of defect is known by thorough investigation. Hence
investigation of defects is the most important aspect in order to minimise the adverse
effects of defects.

Defect: An identifiable, unwanted condition that was not part of the original intent of
design.

Deterioration: A Defect that has occurred over a period of time

MAIN CAUSES OF CONCRETE DETERIORATION:

1. Corrosion of Rebars or Other Embedded Metals

• Exposure of R.C concrete to chloride ions

• Exposure to Acidic Environment

Department of Collegiate and Technical Education Page 1
3rd Semester Construction Techniques CODE: 20CE33P

• Exposure to Carbonation

• Contact between two dissimilar Metals within concrete

2. Freezing and Thawing

• Expansion of Aggregates

• Scaling of concrete due to deicer chemicals used for snow and ice removals.

3. Chemical Attack

• Exposure to Acid Attack

• Exposure to Salts and Alkalis

• Exposure to Sulphates

4. Alkali-Aggregate Action

• Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR)

• Alkali-Carbonate Reaction (ACR)

5. Abrasion or Erosion of Concrete Surfaces

• Abrasion of concrete pavements and floors

• Abrasion of hydraulic structures due to effects of silt, gravel, rock, ice etc
movement.

6. Fire and Heat Action

7. Volume Changes

• Plastic Shrinkage Cracks

• Drying Shrinkage Cracks

Department of Collegiate and Technical Education Page 2

3rd Semester Construction Techniques CODE: 20CE33P

• Thermal Crack

INVESTIGATION

Investigation is the process of examining and inspecting the structure or its

components to collect information on the basis of which the exact cause of defects can
be known so that effective remedial strategy can be adopted accordingly.

DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis is the interpretation of the results obtained from investigation. The general
approach to diagnose the defects in a structure is to critically probable causes of
defects and ultimately identify the true cause.

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

Deterioration of a building structure means certain element of the building has

become incapable of serving the expected use due to some damages in the element
The main consideration of such investigation is to find the source and root cause the
damaging force. For this purpose, it is very important to collect all the relevant data
related to the affected structure.

The following steps are taken in the preliminary investigation of the defects in
buildings:

(i) The deteriorated building is kept undisturbed.

(ii) During the first visit to the site, photographic data of the deteriorated building is
collected.

(iii) All symptoms at the site are carefully recorded for further analysis.

(iv) All the concerned persons are interviewed to elicit informations about the
probable cause of defect.

Department of Collegiate and Technical Education Page 3

3rd Semester Construction Techniques CODE: 20CE33P

SYMPTOMS OF DETERIORATION IN CONCRETE AND THEIR

PROBABLE CAUSES

SYMPTOMS CAUSES OF DETAILS

DETERIORATION

1. Cracking buckling Errors in design Incorrect joint, wrong

load calculations,
slender design
improper spacing of
bars

2.Cracking, Thermal stresses Temperature change

reinforcement freezing and thawing
corrosion, surface cycles
shrinkage

3.Disintegration, Chemical effects Corrosive soils or

carbonation, water. effects of acids,
reinforcement salts, CO2. SO₂
corrosion, surface

4.Disintegration, Excessive mechanical Overloading, collision,

cracking, shrinkage, stresses impact, vibration,
wornout surface abrasion

5.Cracking, increase in Poor concrete mix Poor grading of

permeability, surface design aggregates. incorrect
shrinkage, increased water cement ratio, too

carbonation, porous high or two low cement

concrete, spalling, content

corrosion

Department of Collegiate and Technical Education Page 4

3rd Semester Construction Techniques CODE: 20CE33P

6. Pores, voids, cracks, Poor workmanship Incorrect water cement

exposed reinforcement, ratio, poor compaction.
surface shrinkage, inadequate cover to
corrosion. reinforcement, poor
shuttering, insufficient
curing.

DETAILED STEPS FOR DIAGNOSIS OF DEFECTS

Diagnosis of defects is a very challenging task which plays key role in the assessment
of damage to structures. Assessment of damage is necessarily an interactive procedure
based on the data obtained, from investigations. To minimize the likelihood of error,
damage assessment must be carried out carefully in a scientific manner.

Diagnosis of defects can be done on the basis of documents, interviews with the
stakeholders etc. Sometimes, symptoms of damage in buildings are common but the
causes responsible for such damage may be different. Hence diagnosing the event
cause of damage, out of a large number of possible causes, is actually and demanding
task.

Systematic steps of diagnosis of defects.

1. Physical Inspection
2. Problem Identification
3. Estimation of Actual Loads
4. Estimation of Original construction

One of the experimental investigation regarding diagnosis of defect in

cracking

Cracking

➢ Cracks are formed in concrete due to many reasons but when these cracks are
very deep, it is unsafe to use that concrete structure.
➢ Various reasons for cracking are improper mix design, insufficient curing,
omission of expansion and contraction joints, use of high slump concrete mix,
unsuitable sub-grade etc.

Department of Collegiate and Technical Education Page 5

3rd Semester Construction Techniques CODE: 20CE33P

➢ Linear fracture in concrete which partly or completely through the member.

➢ Leads to restraint forces, internal restraint forces, differential movements,
settlements or corrosion.
➢ Cracks initially appear as hairline cracks which are harmless
➢ Progressively spread into numerous wider cracks

EVALUATING DEFECTS

❑ Systematic assessment often starts with detailed close up visual

inspection of the element.
❑ The cracks and other surface defects are identified and marked .
❑ For each crack two pieces of information are collected
➢ Crack width
➢ Crack depth
❑ Crack width provide identification of severity of the cracks.
❑ It is measured with crack ruler
❑ One of the modern simple NDT methods for estimating the crack
width is the ultra sonic pulse velocity.

Non destructive tests can be made to determine the presence of internal cracks and
voids and the depth of penetration of cracks visible at the surface.

Department of Collegiate and Technical Education Page 6

3rd Semester Construction Techniques CODE: 20CE33P

NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTS

Non-destructive tests of concrete is a method to obtain the compressive strength and

other properties of concrete from the existing structures. This test provides immediate
results and actual strength and properties of concrete structure.

Methods of Non-Destructive Testing of Concrete

Following are different methods of NDT on concrete:

1. Penetration method
2. Rebound hammer method
3. Pull out test method
4. Ultrasonic pulse velocity method
5. Radioactive methods

Here we have discussed one of the experimental investigation method using NDT

ULTRASONIC PULSE VELOCITY METHOD

➢ In this particular application the sending transducer is placed on one side of

the crack.

➢ While the receiving transducer is placed on the other side of the crack.

➢ First the sensors are placed at a distance D, and the transmit time is measured.

➢ Later the distance is increased to 2*D and test is repeated.

➢ Results are used to estimate the crack depth

Department of Collegiate and Technical Education Page 7

3rd Semester Construction Techniques CODE: 20CE33P

➢ Crack depth can show if the surface defects propogate deep into the element or
limited to the surface .

➢ This helps engineer in evaluating structural integrity.

References

⮚ Manfredd RH, “Engineering Principles of Ground Modification”, McGraw Hill

⮚ B C Punmia, “Building Construction”, Laxmi Publications

Department of Collegiate and Technical Education Page 8