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STRUCTURAL/NON STRUCTURAL CRACKS

STRUCTURAL CRACKS ARE DUE TO

- INCORRECT DESIGN

- FAULTY CONSTRUCTION

- OVERLOADING

NON STRUCTURAL CRACKS ARE DUE TO

-INTERNALLY INDUCED STRESS IN BUILDING MATERIALS

AND DO NOT DIRECTLY RESULT IN STRUCTURAL WEAKENING.

 CLASSIFICATION OF CRACKS

- THIN - LESS THAN 1 MM IN WIDTH

- MEDIUM 1 TO 2 MM IN WIDTH

- WIDE - MORE THAN 2 MM IN WIDTH

CRACKS MAY BE
- OF UNIFORM WIDTH THROUGH OUT

- NARROW AT ONE END, GRADUALLY WIDENING AT THE CORNER

- STRAIGHT

- STEPPED

- RANDOM

- VERTICAL

- HORIZONTAL

- DIAGONAL

- SURFACE
PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF CRACKS IN BUILDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS
- MOISTURE CHANGES
- THERMAL VARIATIONS
- WEATHERING
- CORROSION OF REINFORCEMENT
- CHEMICAL REACTION
- FOUNDATION MOVEMENT AND SETTLEMENT OF SOIL
- VEGETATION
 DIAGNOSIS OF CRACKS
FOR INVESTIGATION OF CAUSES OF CRACKS IT IS NECESSARY TO OBSERVE
-- LOCATION
-- SHAPE
-- SIZE
-- DEPTH
-- BEHAVIOUR
- SPECIFICATION
-- TIME OF CONSTRUCTION
-- PAST HISTORY OF CONSTRUCTION
-- WHEN FIRST CAME TO NOTICE
-- CRACKS ARE ACTIVE OR STATIC
--- SOIL CONDITION
--- WEATHER DURING WHICH STRUCTURE WAS CONSTRUCTED
EXPANSION JOINTS IN SLABS SUPPORTED ON TWIN WALLS
EXPANSION JOINTS IN RCC SLABS WITH TWIN BEAMS
MEASURES FOR PREVENTION OF CRACKS COULD BE BROADLY
CLASSIFIED UNDER THE FOLLOWING MAIN SUB-HEADS

1. CHOICE OF MATERIALS- USE WELL BURNT BRICKS

- NOT MORE THAN 3% CLAY OR SILT IN FINE
AGGREGATE
-WELL GRADED COARSE AGGREGATE
2. SPECIFICATIONS FOR MORTAR AND CONCRETE
- DO NOT USE RICH CEMENT MORTARS CAUSING HIGH
SHRINKAGE CRACKS
- MORTAR FOR PLASTER SHOULD CONTAIN COARSE
SAND
- CAREFUL CONCRETE MIX DESIGN
- CONTROLLED WATER CEMENT RATIO
3. ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN OF BUILDINGS
- AVOID LARGE SPAN ROOMS
- AVOID LARGE WINDOWS ON EXTERNAL
 4. STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF BUILDINGS

STRUCTURAL DESIGN WHICH HAVE INFLUENCE ON CRACKING

ARE

- SLABS AND BEAMS SHOULD HAVE ADEQUATE STIFFNESS SO AS

TO LIMIT DEFLECTION

- STRESS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF MASONRY WALLS SHOULD BE

MORE OR LESS UNIFORM.

- THERMAL AND SHRINKAGE STRESSES SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE

OF IN DESIGN

- BEARING PRESSURE ON FOUNDATION SOIL SHOULD BE UNIFORM

SO AS TO AVOID DIFFENTIAL SETTLEMENT
 5. CONSTRUCTION PRACTIES AND THCHNIQUES

a) FILLING IN PLINTH
- FILLING OF SOIL IN PLINTH SHOULD BE DONE WITH GOOD SOIL
FREE FROM ORGANIC MATTER, BRICKBATS AND DEBRIS
- SHOULD BE LAID IN 25 CM THICK LAYERS, WELL WATERED AND
COMPACTED.
 (b) MASONRY WORK

- MASONRY WORK SHOULD PROCEED AT UNIFORM LEVEL ALL

AROUND SO AS TO AVOID DIFFERENTIAL LOADING ON
FOUNDATION

-MASONRY WORK ON RCC SLABS AND BEAMS SHOULD NOT BE

STARTED TILL AT LEAST 2 WEEKS HAVE ELAPSED AFTER
STRIKING OF CENTERING.
 (c) CONCRETE WORK

-FOR CANTILEVER BEAMS AND SLABS, REMOVAL OF

CENTERING AND IMPOSITION OF LOAD SHOULD BE DEFERRED
AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE SO THAT CONCRETE ATTAINS
SUFFICIENT STRENGTH.
 (d) RCC FRAMED CONSTUECTION
- WORK OF CONSTRUCTION OF PANEL WALLS AND
PARTITIONS SHOULD BE DEFERRED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
AND IT SHOULD BE PROCEEDED WITH FROM TOP TO DOWN
WARD.
- PLASTER WORK ON PANELS AND PARTIONS SHOULD BE
DEFERRED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
- TO MINIMISE CRACKING THE GAP BETWEEN TOP OF
PARTITION WALL AND SOFFIT OF BEAM/SLAB TO BE FILLED
BY SOME COMPRESSIBLE JOINTING MATERIAL i.e MASTIC
COMPOUND.
 (e) PLASTERING
- WHEN PLASTERING ON MASONRYY BACKGROUND, MORTAR
JOINTS IN MASONRY SHOULD BE RAKED WHILE MORTAR IS
GREEN
- PLASTERING WORK SHOULD BE DONE AFTER MASONRY HAS
BEEN PROPERLY CURED AND ALLOWED TO DRY SO AS TO
UNDER GO INTIAL SHRINKAGE BEFORE TAKING UP PLASTER
WORK
- WHEN RCC WORK AND MASONRY ABUTT EACH OTHER,
PLASTER WORK SHOULD BE DEFERRED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
 (f) FINISH ON WALLS

- ITEMS OF FINISH ON WALLS, NAMELY, DISTEMPER AND

PAINTING etc SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT AFTER PLASTER HAS
COMPLETELY DRIED AND UNDER GONE DRYING SHRINKAGE

(j) RCC ROOF SLAB

- PROVIDE ADEQUATE THERMAL INSULATION TO CHECK THERMAL

MOVEMENT OF SLAB
 6. ENVIRONMENTS
(a) VEGITATION
FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONS ARE NECESSARY IN GROWING AND
REMOVAL OF TREES IN CLOSE VICINITY OF STRUCTURES
-WHEN A BUILDING IS FOUNDED ON SHRINKABLE SOIL, TREES OF
FAST GROWING TREES SHOULD NOT BE GROWN WITHIN A
DISTANCE OF HEIGHT OF TREES
-IF OLD TREES EXIST CLOSE TO AN OLD BUILDING THESE TREES
SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED ALL AT ONCE IN ONE OPERATION. IF
REMOVAL OF TREES IS UN AVOIDABLE, IT SHOULD BE DONE IN
STAGES.
.

(b) AMBIENT TEMPERATURE

- CONCRETE WORK DONE IN HOT WEATHER IS CRACK PRONE

DUE TO HIGH SHRINKAGE HENCE PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN

- CONCRETING DONE IN DRY WEATHER IS LIKELY TO WE DRIED

QUICKLY AFTER LAYING, WHICH WOULD RESULT IN PLASTIC
CRACKING.
 REPAIR OF CRACKS ALREADY OCCURRED IN A STRUCTURE

- CRACKS WHICH ARE STRUCTURAL OR ARE IN A

STRUCTURAL MEMBER SHOULD BE FILLED WITH

PRESSURE GROUTING OR GUNITING.

- CRACKS WHICH ARE NON STRUCTURAL BUT LIABLE TO

MOVEMENT DUE TO TEMPERATURE VARIATION AND WHERE
WATER TIGHTNESS IS A CONSIDERATION CAN BE FILLED WITH
FLEXIBLE SEALANTS.
 FLEXIBLE SEALING
USED FOR REPAIRING AN ACTIVE CRACK

REPAIR OF AN ACTIVE CRACK BY FLEXIBLE SEALING

 COMMON TYPES OF REPAIRS

SEALING OF CRACKS
- FIRST ENLARGE THE CRACK ALONG ITS LENGTH CUTTING A
GROOVE.
- A MINIMUM WIDTH OF 6 MM IS DESIRABLE
- GROOVE TO BE CLEANED AND DRIED
- IT SHOULD BE SEALED WITH JOINT SEALANT LIKE EPOXY
COMPOUND.
CRACK REPAIR BY ROUTING AND SEALING
 STICHING OF CRACKS

DRILL HOLES ON BOTH SIDES OF CRACK

- CLEAN IT AND DRY IT
- PLACE STICHING DOGS (U SHAPED METAL UNITS)
- PUT NON SHRINK GROUT OR EPOXY RESIN BASED BONDING
SYSTEM.
REPAIR BY STITCHING THE CRACKS
 STICHING BLOCKS
- USED TO REPAIR DIAGONAL CRACKS
- REMOVE ALL CRACKED BRICKS
- PLACE RCC STICHING BLOCKS IN HALF METER VERTICAL
DISTANCE
- STICHING BLOCKS SIZES
- LENGTH – TWO BRICK SIZE
WIDTH – THICKNESS OF WALL
THICKNESS - ONE TO TWO BRICKS
- USE MORTAR OF 1 CEMENT : 1 LIME : 6 SAND
 DIAGONAL CRACK IN THE CORNER OF A BUILDING DUE TO FOUNDATION
SETTLEMENT; CRACK HAS BEEN REPAIRED BY PROVIDING RCC STITCHING
BLOCKS
 JACKETING

JACKETING IS A PROCESS OF FASTENING A DURABLE

MATERIAL OVER THE EXISTING CONCRETE AND FILLING THE
GAP WITH GROUT THAT PROVIDE THE NEEDED PERFORMANCE
CHARACTERISTICS.
PREPACKED CONCRETE REPAIR OF THE RETAINING WALL
Let us Construct Healthy &
Durable structures

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