COMMON CONCRETE

DEFECTS & REMEDIES

Quality Awareness Training-02

Concrete defects, what are the issues?

Reasons for their development of Concrete defects

may be.
Poor Materials
Poor Construction Practice/Construction faults

Bug holes/Pinholes
Honeycombing
Exposed Reinforcing steel / Concrete Cover
Cold joints
Irregular surface
Popouts /Bulges

Poor Supervision or a Combination

Surface Cracks (shrinkage/Plastic before hardening)
Dimensional Deviations
Chip off and Damages

Poor Construction Practice/Construction

faults Bug holes/Pinholes
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Poor Construction Practice/ Construction

faults Cement Slurry Leakages
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Poor Construction Practice/ Construction

faults Honeycombing
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Poor Construction Practice/Construction

faults Rebar exposed & Concrete Cover
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Poor Construction Practice/Construction

faults Cold Joints
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Poor Construction Practice/Construction

faults Top Surface Finish and Defects
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Perfect Repair of Pinhole/Bug Holes

Cosmetics Repairing Materials & Tools
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Perfect Repair of Pinhole/Bug Holes

Cosmetics Repairing Materials Sample Finish
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Possible Causes
Poor Concrete compaction due to ineffective vibration or
Rebar congestion.
Concrete slurry leakage along the perimeter side forms due
to:
*Loose or missing supports /fixing bolts
* Damaged Rubber gasket seal.
* Defective formwork/Mould
Inadequate concrete vibrator and negligence to vibrate
Less concrete cover and spacing between the reinforcement
Inadequate supervision and no hammering the side surface to
remove the voids/Bubbles .

Remedial Measures
Honeycombing and pin holes must be rectified immediate
after stripping of sides with approved repairing Material.
Excessive Honeycombing & loose partials must be cleaned

Vibration
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Proper Vibration will avoid the Honey Comb, Pin hole Defects

Formwork / Mould
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Proper form Work / Mould will avoid the Concrete Slurry Defects

Concrete Cover Spacing

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Proper Covering Block will avoid the Rebar Exposed Defects and Design
Failure

Supervision or a Combination
Dimensional Deviations, Chip off & Damages

Damages occurring mainly due to Inadequate

Supervision & Negligence.

Supervision or a Combination
Dimensional & Formwork Deviations

Possible Causes
Mould of forms may not be sufficiently rigid to maintain
specified tolerance during concrete pouring
Precast elements may not have gained sufficient concrete
strength when demoulded.
Train Operators and Riggers for Safe Lifting Operation
Top surface finish of precast elements may not be properly
leveled and troweled during production which result in
different levels & surface undulation.

Remedial Measures
For minor deviation, corrective measures such as surface
grinding. Trimming/hacking and skim coat application can be
appropriately used to remedy the situation.
Strictly follow the approved Method Statement .
Stripping and Lifting strictly follow the Cube results.

Supervision or a Combination
Surface Cracks

Supervision or a Combination
Surface Cracks

Possible Causes
Lifting and Stripping of Precast units before concrete mature
Cracks may have accrued during initial lifting due to friction
between the elements and casting Mould forms.
Inadequate supervision & Improper curing method; curing
time &temperature variations leads cracks on the surface
Uncontrolled concrete mix and Negligence while pumping
concrete, such as excess water and excess floating
Inadequate handling Techniques
Insufficient lifting points; No appropriate tools & method
while lifting precast units.
Type of Cracks
A. Before Hardening:
B. After Hardening:
Early frost damage
Physical reactivity
Plastic
Chemical reactivity
Construction Movement Thermal contraction/reactivity
Structural impact/Design loads

Remedial Measures & Acceptance Tolerance

All the cracks should be examined by a qualified engineer to
determine the Types & Acceptance.
Depends on the location and seriousness of the cracks,
different repairs method can be used to correct the cracks.
Proper curing system and covering with Polythene sheets
must be improved for the fresh concrete to control Early
frost damage & Plastic cracks
Surface cracks and Hairline cracks (not more than 0.3mm
width) can be repaired by cutting a V groove of specified
minimum depth along the crack lines, followed by patching.
Material used for the cracks repair
Gravity flow material, Injunction based Epoxy,
PVA based polymer grout, Cementations grout , etc.

Test Paper
1. Which will avoid the Honey Comb, Pin hole Defects ?
a. Leveling b. Vibrator c. Shuttering oil
2. Which will avoid the Concrete Slurry Defects ?
a. Proper Form Work b. Steel Work c. Cover Block
3. Which will avoid the Rebar Exposed Defects and Design Failure ?
a. Block Work b. Cover Block c. Form Work
4. What are the damages occurred due to Inadequate Supervision?
a. Dimensional deviation b. Pin hole c. Honey Comb
5. What type of crack Observed Before Hardening ?

a. Physical reactivity b. Chemical reactivity c. Construction

Movement

Thank you