CRACKS

What are Construction Defects?

Normally it is grouped into three categories.

a). ARCITECTURAL DEFECT: Defects that occur in the building due

to poor designing, bad workmanship or use of materials of inferior quality, that
deteriorate the aesthetics or appearance of the building, are known as
architectural defects. E.g. flaking of paint.

b). CIVIL DEFECT: Defects that occur due to poor structural details which
leads to deformation of the building or its complete breakdown.

c). SERVICE DEFECT:Defects that occur in the building due to services

like- plumbing, electrical fittings, etc.

1) CRACKS IN THE BUILDING

Occurrence of various crack patterns in the building during
construction, after completion when it is subjected to super imposed load or
during the service life, is a common phenomenon. A building component
develops cracks whenever the stress in the components exceeds its strength.
Stress in the building component could be caused by externally applied
forces, such as dead, live, wind or seismic loads; foundation settlement etc
Cracks in buildings could be broadly classified as structural and non –
structural cracks.

 STRUCTURAL CRACKS:These occur due to incorrect design, faulty

construction or overloading and these may endanger the safety of a building.
e.g.Extensive cracking in wall and beams.
  NON - STRUCTURAL CRACKS:These are mostly due to internally
inducedstresses in buildings materials and do not endanger safety of a
building butmay look unsightly, or may create an impression of faulty
work or may givea feeling of instability. In some situations due to
penetration of moisturethrough them non structural cracks may spoil the
internal finishes thusadding to the cost of maintenance, or corrode the
reinforcement, therebyadversely affecting the stability of the Structural in
long run.
e.g. Plastering cracks, Vertical crack in a long compound wall due to
shrinkage or thermal movement etc.

PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF CRACKS

The principal mechanism causingnon-structural cracks in the building are:
a). Moisture change b). Thermal movement
c). Elastic deformation d). Creep
e). Chemical reaction f). Foundation movement & settlement of soil
g). Growth of vegetation

COMMON CRACK PATTERNS IN BUILDINGS

The commonly observed crack pattern in building can be group as, cracks in:
a). Walls.
b). RCC members.
c). Renderings and plasters.
d). Concrete and terrazzo floors.
e). Roof terrace.

CRACKS ON JOINTS CRACKS ON WALL

CRACKS ON EXPOSED SURFACE

REASONS

2) IMPROPER LEVELLING

It may cause:
i).improper squaring of building corner.
ii). uneven thickness of courses in building.
iii).improper alignment of wall
iv).Improper Gradient of the sewage line.
vi). Improper Gradient of road and connection to the main road

REMEDIAL MEASURES
(i.Levelling instrument and theodolite should be invariably used for out of
buildings, surface drainage, sewage disposal or water supply works.

(ii. The survey instruments should be kept in proper adjustment. The

instruments including the optical parts should be kept clean.

3) IMPROPER ORIENTATION& SETBACKS

Orientation of a building is defined as a method of fixing the

direction of the building in such a way that it derives maximum benefit from
sun air and nature. Where possible a house or buildings facing south
direction is regarded to have a best orientation as sun is at low attitude in
winter days. Otherwise a house should be oriented in such a direction in
which wind blows for most of time during the year. Generally in hot regions.
The building facing east direction is preferred to safe guard against westerly
wind.
In railway very casual approach is taken for orientation FAR
& set backs of the building. We are simply constructing our building parallel
to otherwise perpendicular railway line without giving proper attention to
the orientation, FAR and set backs.

REMEDIAL MEASURES
Provide proper orientation, far & setbacks based direction of sun, and
wind direction.
4) DEFECTS IN PAINTING & DISTAMPERING

SURFACE PREPARATION FAULTS:Paint failures can result

from many causes. Some of the most common defects caused byfaults in
surface preparation.

 Alligatoring:Alligatoring refers to a coating pattern that looks like the

hide
of an alligator. It is caused by uneven expansion and contraction of the
undercoat. Alligatoring can have several causes: applying an enamel over an
oil primer; painting over bituminous paint, asphalt, pitch, or shellac; and
painting over grease or wax.

 Peeling: Peeling results from inadequate bonding of the topcoat with the
undercoat or the underlying surface. It is nearly always caused by inadequate
surface preparation. A topcoat peels when applied to a wet, dirty, oily or
waxy, or glossy surface. All glossy surfaces must be sanded before painting.
Also, the use of incompatible paints can cause the loss of adhesion. The
stresses in the hardening film can then cause the two coatings to separate and
the topcoat to flake and peel.

 Blistering: Blistering is caused by the development of gas or liquid

pressureunder the paint. The root cause of most blistering, other than that
caused by
caused by excessive heat is inadequate ventilation plus some structural
defect allowing moisture to accumulate under the paint. A prime source of
this problem, therefore, is the use of essentially porous major construction
materials that allow moisture to pass through. Insufficient drying time
between coats is another prime reason for blistering.

PAINT DEFECTS:
Not all painting defects are caused by the individual doing the job. It
sometimes happens that the coating itself is at fault. Chalking, checking, and
cracking are the most common types of product defects.

 Chalking: Chalking is the result of paint weathering at the surface of the

coating. The vehicle is broken down by sunlight and other destructive forces,
leaving behind loose, powdery pigment that can easily be rubbed off with
the finger. Chalking takes place rapidly with soft paints, such as those based
on linseed oil. Chalking is most rapid in areas exposed to sunshine.

5)IMPROPER CONSTRUCTION OF WALL

-
CAUSES:
(i. Improper ratio of opening.
(ii.Improper sequence of material used in masonry work as in stone
masonry bigger size stones in lower courses and smaller in upper courses
(iii. Not providing leveling course/ bed blocks under lintels, slabs.
(iv. Not staggering of joints at a particular point.
(v. No proper mixing of mortar.

REMEDIAL MEASURES:
(i. Properpositioning the door andwindow frame
(ii. If a wall between are junctions has openings at
window level totaling to more than 50 to 60% of its length,
engineering of wall by RCC pillars is necessary.
6)CONSTRUCTION JOINT BETWEEN OLD/NEW
WALL AND DISSIMILAR STRUCTURE

(i.Casual approach is being taken for joining of masonry of new

work with the old work resulted cracks in between both the work.

(ii.If we are constructing the main building along with the compound
wall etc. (i.e. dissimilar work) and taking the work continuously
without providing construction joints the cracks will be developed
due to different loading on the work.

(iii.Construction joint must be provided in between dissimilar works right from

the bottom.

7)DEFECTIVE RCC WORK

(i.HONECOMBING- Ifsegregation takes places during concreting

and mortar is separated from Grit than honeycomb may be seen and
there may be leakage problem at these points. It is very harmful as the
rusting on reinforcement bars may takes place.

(ii. EXPOSE OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT BARS- If the

cover in bottom surface is not properly provided or cover Block has
disturbed during concreting of slab or concreting not properly poured
around the reinforcement bars. Than these bars can be seen from
bottom side . Exposed reinforcement bars may be rusted.
(iii. POOR WORKABLITY –If water cement ratio is not kept proper
than it is harmful to concreting work. If it is less than concreting will
not be workable and concreting will not flow around the
reinforcement bars. If it is more than segregation takes place than
there may be chances of honeycombing and reinforcement exposition.

(iv.IMPROPER SLOPE- Generally No slope is provided in RCC slab and

if there is any sag at centre or any other place than water is filled in
these pocket resulted seepage in the Slab.

(v. IMPROPER SHUTTERING- Shuttering not done with proper care

and level props are supported in inclined manner without any lateral
and horizontal bracing. To adjust the height of props bricks are used
.Shutteringjoints are not water tight.

REMEDIAL MEASURES
(i. Without using concrete mixer and vibrator no concreting should be
done.
(ii. Curing of concrete and mortar works should be ensured as
stipulated in code.
(iii. All slabs should be cast dense, particularly roof slab. Cover below
reinforcement rods should be ensured at all places, by providing
ample cover blocks in a reliable manner.
8)BREAKAGE OF WALL& PLASTERING BY
INSTALLATION OF ELECTRICALINSULATION

Sometimes electrical department damage the Plastering and rectifies the

same by applying Cement mortar by hand without using a trowel and
finishing tools. Which gives shabby appearance.

REMEDIAL MEASURES
(i. For Electrical installations should be got prepared by Electrical
branch. Concealed wiring should be planned. Casing and capping may
be the next optionelectric supply line enters in the building

9)IMPROPER DRAINAGE AND SEWAGE LINE

CAUSES
Generally we see the chocking of Drainage and sewage
line. It may be because of not consideration of following points –

(i. No consideration of self cleaning velocity

(ii. No watching of sewage disposal points before starting of work.
(iii. Not providing the required slope in sewage line

REMEDIAL MEASURES
(i. Any hole or patchwork done subsequently for water supply ,sewerage
or electrical work should be properly finished and cured, so that these
location don’t form source for ingress of water.
(ii. Sunken slabs should invariably provide for bathrooms and toilets in
framed structures, the beam of outer wall of toilets through which the
sewer pipes emerge must be cased at lower or higher level so that there
is no need to make holes in the beam to pass the pipes.