What Are the Primary Reasons That Cause Concrete Cracks?

Concrete is by far the most widely used building material on an international scale. Since the inception of modern cement in 1817, numerous research and development measures take to improve the material’s properties. These improvements include expanding cement’s applications, increasing mechanical strength and chemical resistance, and creating new materials such as pre-stressed concrete.

When we look closely at the concrete structures surrounding us, including the newest ones, we notice that just a few of these structures entirely require restoration. This illustrates that concrete has a natural propensity to crack, which is inevitable. The quality that made concrete so famous in the first place—its compatibility with steel and reinforced concrete’s capacity to fulfil the requirements for advanced building material—makes cracking far more likely. But do all cracks have the same characteristics? Cracks may result from several phenomena, including deformation, hydraulic shrinkage, thermal shrinkage, or swelling. However, with the constant advancement in the sphere of construction technology, damage to concrete structures can be repaired without the need to rebuild the concrete structure altogether with the help of concrete restoration.

The primary reasons that cause concrete cracks are discussed in more detail below.

Thermal Shrinkage

For the most part, this problem affects more significant buildings and living room. As an exothermic reaction, cement hydration releases heat that naturally dissipates over time. Not only is the temperature not uniform throughout the structure, but this also causes differential deformation, which can cause cracks.

Shrinkage 

When it comes to concrete, shrinkage cracks are by far the most common, especially in the initial phases. Concrete is a combination of water and cement. Some water escapes through evaporation. Because of the chemical bonds formed between the adhesive and water, some water evaporates from the concrete as it hardens. Because concrete is dense and compact, the volume loss significantly affects the material’s strength in the face of the resulting stress. Cracks in the concrete may appear as a result of the strain.

Swelling

Concrete can expand for several reasons. Salts, such as sulphates present in the soil, come into contact with the concrete and can cause it to flow. As a result, a chemical reaction takes place in the cement, and an expanding substance is produced from the aluminate. Free water in the concrete can freeze and expand into ice, which can also cause swelling.

Corrosion Due to Steel Reinforcement

Concrete’s high alkalinity shields the steel reinforcing it, making reinforced concrete an exceptionally long-lasting material. But in some circumstances, the rebars may rust because of corrosion. The concrete is stressed to its breaking point because the volume of rust and corrosion by-products is greater than that of the original rebar. Extreme corrosion can cause concrete to delaminate and crack.

Excess Water in the Mix

Most concrete recipes call for only a few cups of water to achieve their desired strength. But many residential concrete pours have less water added to the concrete at the job site. Including this water helps the concrete flow more smoothly during placement. On the other hand, adding so much water will drastically diminish the concrete’s strength.

Concrete Drying Too Fast

A higher risk of cracking is also associated with fast slab drying time. The chemical reaction turns concrete from a liquid or plastic state (or a solid-state) and requires water. For several weeks after concrete is poured, a chemical reaction known as hydration will still occur.

Settlement

Such problems concrete has been poured onto poorly prepared soil; these problems often arise. The soil where a tree was cut down recently and the roots are decomposing is one example, as is soil that was refilled into a utility trench without being sufficiently compacted.

Excessive Weight

Concrete, like any other material, has its own weight capacity, no matter how great. Excessive loads on concrete will cause it to crack. This isn’t usually an issue in private homes, but if you work with heavy machinery or other objects, you should check the concrete’s strength.

Now let’s have a look at the types of concrete cracks on concrete structures.

Types of Concrete Cracks

Concrete cracking is one of the most prevalent issues that can arise with this material, and it should be avoided at all costs. Following is a list of the various factors that can lead to cracks in concrete.

Re-Entrant Corner Cracks

When concrete is rush around a column with corners, it can end up causing a special kind of crack called a “re-entrant corner crack.” A maintenance hole or other rounded object can cause them when concrete is pour around it. When concrete shrinks, it does not do so uniformly around the object. In its place, long cracks may spread outward from the affected object. The standard method for preventing this problem is using control joints that have been cut properly.

Expansion Cracks

Heat can cause concrete to expand, weakening the bonds within the material and leading to stress. Without adequate expansion joints, concrete will crack. To avoid this, an expansion joint made from a compressible material, such as tar-impregnator cellulose fibre, can be install in the concrete.

Heaving Cracks

In extremely cold climates, the cycle of freezing and thawing can cause the concrete to lift and heave, ultimately leading to cracks. This can avoid by pouring the concrete too far from any large tree roots and instead on well-drain, yielding soil.

Settling

In contrast, if a large tree is cut down and remove from its location near a concrete slab, the buried roots will eventually decompose. When there’s a gap there, it can cause the ground to sink and the concrete to crack. Subsidence is a synonym for settlement. Trenches are prone to subsidence because they contain buried pipes and utility lines. Subsidence creates a void, and if the concrete is pour on top of it, it can cause a crack across an unsupport concrete slab if the trench isn’t adequately compact.

Bridge

Cracking in bridge decks accelerates the penetration of water, sulfates, chloride, and other corrosive agents through the concrete, where they can damage the steel reinforcement, which leads to the deterioration of the concrete structure as a whole, requiring costly maintenance and repair. Though cracking is a long-standing and notoriously difficult problem, in recent years, more bridges are developing cracks almost immediately after being put into service rather than later as a result of traffic loads. A recent NCHRP study found more than 100,000 bridges in the United States suffer from early-age transverse cracks, and Wisconsin is no exception.

Chemical Reaction

Cement’s alkaline composition reacts with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), causing the materials’ volume to increase significantly and, eventually, to crack.

Poor Construction Practices

Poor construction practices, such as adding an excessive amount of water to the mix, failing to cure the concrete, failing to compact the concrete properly, using low-grade materials, placing construction joints in an unreasonable location, and other such practices, are also directly to blame for cracking in concrete.

Methods to Repair Concrete Cracks

The phrase “concrete restoration” directs to the technique of replacing old, worn-out concrete with brand-new, undamaged material. If concrete is restore, a building’s structure and solidity are restore as well. Driveways and sidewalks can also be treat in this manner.

Epoxy Injections

Epoxy Injection can be used to repair cracks with a width of at least 0.05 mm. Active cracks, a high number of cracks, or uncontrollable water leakage are not good candidates for this method.

Dry Packing

Dry packing is placing low-water-content mortar by hand and then tamping or ramming it into place. This results in the mortar making close contact with the concrete already there. Dry packing can fill in narrow slots that have cut to repair dormant cracks or cracks that have experience minimal shrinkage.

Routing and Sealing

Instead of using a complicate patching method, cracks are typically repair by routing them and sealing them. In this technique, a V-shaped groove with a minimum width of 6 mm and a depth of 6 to 25 mm is form by widening the crack along its expose face. Sealing material is inserted into this V-shaped groove. It is an increasingly common method of fixing concrete cracks.

Stitching Cracks 

The best and most reliable method for fixing concrete cracks is “Stitching the Cracks.” Many holes are drill along the surface of the crack, and then the gap is stitch together using metal wire. The metallic U-shaped wire is then thread through holes and firmly secure in the gaps with sealant or an epoxy-base system after thread through the holes.

Drilling and Plugging

The method involves drilling vertical holes into the crevices and using the grout to create a key. Leaks can be stop using the grout key drilled into the concrete. Various methods, such as Gravity Filling, dry packing, overlay, surface treatments, etc., can use to fix a crack in concrete; whether a crack needs structural or cosmetic repair dictates which method of concrete repair is chosen.

Conclusion

Depending on the extent of the damage, concrete restoration can make an object look better than new. Nevertheless, concrete repair still gives the impression that the concrete on your building is fresh. It not only fixes the cracks that were a structural issue but also makes the whole thing look better. When damage concrete is restore, however, the damage is repaire, and the appearance is improve. Concrete restoration is a good option if you want your final product to look better.