Different kind of defects in Concrete

• 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.
• To prevent cracking, use low water – cement
ratio and maximize the coarse aggregate in
concrete mix, admixtures containing calcium
chloride must be avoided. Surface should be
prevented against rapid evaporation of
moisture content. Loads must be applied on
the concrete surface only after gaining its
maximum strength.
Crazing
• Crazing also called as pattern cracking
or map cracking, is the formation of
closely spaced shallow cracks in an
uneven manner. Crazing occurs due to
rapid hardening of top surface of
concrete due to high temperatures or if
the mix contains excess water content
or due to insufficient curing.
• Pattern cracking can be avoided by
proper curing, by dampening the sub-
grade to resist absorption of water
from concrete, by providing protection
to the surface from rapid temperature
changes.
Blistering
• Blistering is the formation of hollow
bumps of different sizes on concrete
surface due to entrapped air under the
finished concrete surface. It may cause
due to excessive vibration of concrete
mix or presence of excess entrapped
air in mix or due to improper finishing.
Excessive evaporation of water on the
top surface of concrete will also cause
blistering.
• It can be prevented by using good
proportion of ingredients in concrete
mix, by covering the top surface which
reduces evaporation and using
appropriate techniques for placing and
finishing.
Delamination
• Delamination is also similar to
blistering. In this case also, top surface
of concrete gets separated from
underlying concrete. Hardening of top
layer of concrete before the hardening
of underlying concrete will lead to
delamination. It is because the water
and air bleeding from underlying
concrete are struck between these two
surfaces, hence space will be formed.
• Like blistering, delamination can also
be prevented by using proper finishing
techniques. It is better to start the
finishing after bleeding process has
run its course.
Dusting
• Dusting, also called as chalking is the
formation of fine and loose powdered concrete
on the hardened concrete by disintegration.
This happens due to the presence of excess
amount of water in concrete. It causes
bleeding of water from concrete, with this fine
particles like cement or sand will rise to the
top and consequent wear causes dust at the top
surface.
• To avoid dusting, use low slump concrete mix
to obtain hard concrete surface with good wear
resistance. Use water reducing admixtures to
obtain adequate slump. It is also recommended
to use better finishing techniques and finishing
should be started after removing the bleed
water from concrete surface.
Efflorescence
• Efflorescence is the formation of deposits
of salts on the concrete surface. Formed
salts generally white in color. It is due to
the presence of soluble salts in the water
which is used in making concrete mix.
• When concrete is hardening, these soluble
salts gets lifted to the top surface by hydro
static pressure and after complete drying
salt deposits are formed on the surface.
• It can be prevented by using clean and
pure water for mixing, using chemically
ineffective aggregates etc. And make sure
that cement should not contain alkalis
more than 1% of its weight.
Spalling and Scaling
Spalling and Scaling
• Scaling and spalling, in both the cases concrete surface gets
deteriorated and flaking of concrete occurs. The main cause for this
type of cases is penetration of water through concrete surface. This
makes steel gets corroded and spalling or scaling may occurs.
• Some other causes are use of non-air entrained concrete mix,
inadequate curing and use of lo strength concrete etc. This type of
defects can be prevented by, using well designed concrete mixes, by
adding air entrainment admixtures, proper finishing and curing,
providing good slope to drain water coming on to the surface etc.
Carbonation of concrete
• Carbonation of concrete is a
process by which carbon dioxide
from the air penetrates into
concrete through pores and
reacts with calcium hydroxide to
form calcium carbonates. It has
seen that the conversion of
Ca(OH)2 into CaCO3 by the
action of CO2 results in a small
shrinkage.
MATERIALS FOR REPAIR, MAINTENANCE
AND PROTECTION
• State the characteristics of :-
• Anticorrosive coatings
• Bonding agents
• Repair mortars
• Curing compounds
• Sealants
• Grouts
• Water proofing materials
• Special concretes
• Protective coatings
DURABILITY
• It is the property of a structure to give a satisfactory performance and service for
the design life with minimum maintenance
• ACI (American concrete Institute defines durability of concrete as ability to resist
weathering, chemical attack, abrasion under service conditions
• Factors affecting the durability:-
• Physical and mechanical
• Internal
• External
• Chemical
• Biological and environmental
• Non structural/construction workmanship
COMPATIBILITY OF CONCRETE REPAIR
MATERIALS
• Strength
• Porosity
• Durability
• Corrosion
• Other parameters and aspects
CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPERTIES
• Anti corrosive coatings
• Cement mortar slurry
• Polymer modified cement slurry
• Passivating epoxy
• Zinc rich epoxy
• They are tough, resistant to moisture and water and have extremely good adhesive pro-
perties.
• Interpenetrating polymer network system
CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPERTIES
• BONDING AIDS
• Solvent free adhesives
Cure by polymerization of monomeric resins.
• Epoxy
• Polyester
• Acrylic
• Polysulphide
• Polyurethane
• Silicon
• Water borne adhesive
Type 1-used without further formulation
Type 2-used in slurry
• Polyvinyl acetate
• Vinyl acetate copolymers
• Poly acrylic esters
CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPERTIES
• Repair mortars and concrete
• Cementitious mortars
• Gunite mortars
• Curing compounds
• Water immersion
• Water spray
• Wet hessian
• Wet sand
• Tenting
• Keeping form and shutters
• Curing membranes
SEALANTS AND JOINTS
• Sealant is a substance used to block the passage of fluids through the surface or
joints or openings in materials, a type of mechanical seal. In building construction
sealant is sometimes synonymous with caulking and also serve the purposes of
blocking dust, sound and heat transmission.
• TYPES OF JOINTS:-
• Expansion joints
• Contraction joints
• Construction joints
• Building joints
• Fillet joints
• Functions of sealants
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEALANT AND
ADHESIVE
• The main difference between adhesives
and sealants is that sealants typically
have lower strength and higher
elongation than adhesives do.
• When sealants are used between
substrates having different thermal
coefficients of expansion or differing
elongation under stress, they need to
have adequate flexibility and elongation.
• Sealants generally contain inert filler
material and are usually formulated with
an elastomer to give the required
flexibility and elongation.
• They usually have a paste consistency to
allow filling of gaps between substrates.
Low shrinkage after application is often
required. Many adhesive technologies
can be formulated into sealants.
GROUTS
• It is a fluid material which is designed to be introduced into the cavity
for the purpose of filling and subsequently hardening to give specific
physical properties
• Cementitious
• Cement grout
• Cement sand grout
• Cement sand grout with additives
• Polymer modified cement grout
GROUTS

Polymer modified grout Cement sand grout

WATER PROOFING MATERIALS FOR
ROOF
• Butyl rubber sheeting
• Glass fibre reinforced plastics
• Bitumen and bituminous emulsions
• Polymeric modified bituminous membranes
MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS AND ROOT
CAUSES
UNIT 3 PART 2
CLASSIFICATION OF DEFECTS
• The defects can be categorized based on the two approaches:-
• Elemental
• Characteristics performance
Elemental approach Characteristics performance approach

Components Structural
Materials Hygrothermal
Comfort and environmental performance

Main causes of defects in building are:-

• lack of careful design
• Lack of sound construction
• Lack of suitable construction practices
Hygrothermal

• Hygrothermal pertains to the

movement of heat and
moisture through
buildings. Computer-based
modeling offers highly
accurate predictions of
Hygrothermal performance
for preventing early
degradation and reduced
service life
The defects can be classified according to the
elemental approach
• Foundation, basement and DPC
• Walls
• Wall finishes
• Chimney stack and shafts
• Columns and beams
• Roof and roof terraces
• Floor and floor finishes
• Joinery work
• Decorative and protective finishes
• Services
• Materials
• Dampness in various building elements
CAUSES OF DEFECTS
• WATER OR DAMPNESS
• Construction water
• Intruding water
• Condensation
• Occupational
• PHYSICAL MOVEMENTS DUE TO FORCES
• Externally applied forces
• Vibrations
• Temperature changes
• Physical changes
• EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
• Solar radiation
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Biological agencies
• Air pollutants
• Ground salts