A CASE STUDY ON

“Critical Review Of Cracks In

Raj High and Irrigation
Department, Sangrur”

BY
RAJAT SINGLA
(SID- 17204023)
 Abstract:
Structural Cracks are a common occurrence in all types of buildings. To
ensure the longevity of the structure, engineers are often required to
look into their causes and carry out suitable repairs and remedial
measures. For repairs and remedies to be effective, it is essential that
the engineer should have a proper understanding of various causes
of occurrence of cracks. For investigating the causes it is necessary to
observe carefully the location, shape, size, depth, behaviour and
other characteristics of the cracks, and to collect information about
specifications of the job and time of construction. It is also necessary
for the engineer to keep track of when the cracks first came to
notice.
 Introduction and background study:
• Modern structures are comparatively tall and slender, have thin walls, are
designed for higher stresses and are built at a fast pace. These structures are,
therefore, more crack-prone as compared with old structures which used to be
low, had thick walls, were lightly stressed and were built at a slow pace.
Moreover, moisture from rain can easily reach the inside and spoil the finish
of a modern building which has thin walls. Thus measures for control of
cracks in buildings have assumed much greater importance on account of the
present trends in construction.
• Cracks in buildings are of common occurrence. A building component
develops cracks whenever stress in the component exceeds its strength. Stress
in a building component could be caused by externally applied forces, such as
dead, live, wind or seismic loads, or foundation settlement or it could be
induced internally due to thermal variations, moisture changes, chemical
action, etc.
 CLASSIFICATION OF CRACKS :

STRUCTURAL NON-STRUCTURAL
• INCORRECT DESIGN • INTERNAL INDUCED STRESS IN
BUILDING MATERIAL
• FAULTY CINSTRUCTION
• OVERLAODING
Structural cracks which are due to incorrect design, faulty construction or
overloading and Non-structural cracks are mostly due to internally induced
stresses in building materials and these generally do not directly result in
structural weakening. These are due to penetration of moisture or thermal
variation. Cracks may appreciably vary in width from very thin hair cracks
barely visible to naked eye (about 0.01 mm in width) to gaping cracks 5 mm or
more in width. A commonly known classification of cracks, based on their
width is:
• Thin— less than 1 mm in width,
• Medium — 1 to 2 mm in width, and
• Wide — more than 2 mm in width.
Cracks may be of uniform width throughout or may be narrow at one end,
gradually widening at the other. Cracks may be straight, toothed, stepped, map
pattern or random and may be vertical, horizontal or diagonal. Cracks may be
only at the surface or may extend to more than one layer of materials.
 Literature survey:
Some researchers already worked on related topics of causes and remedies of cracks
such as Study type of cracks in construction and its controlling done by [Kazem Reza
Kashyzadeh and Neda Aghili Kesheh 2012], it shortly describes about what every civil
engineer should know about face of the building i.e. cracking. Causes and evaluation of
cracks done in concrete structure by [Sayed Mohd Mehndi et al. 2014], they explained
about the evaluation of cracks that can be done by different technique like Crack
Compactor and by ultrasonic Testing. Building cracks-causes and remedies by
[Grishma Thagunna 2014], from this research it is found that building cracks has direct
and indirect impacts and building cracks do not cause structural problem in direct way
but it facilitates the activities which ultimately cause the problem. Prevention & repair
of cracks in concrete structures by [B.B.Gamit et al. 2014], they broadly classified
about the structural and non-structural cracks that occurs in building along with their
causes and remedy. Study on control of cracks in a structure through Visual
Identification & Inspection [Kishor Kunal and Namesh Killemsetty 2014], they talk
about how visual inspection of cracks can be helpful in order to identify and categorize
them with respect to various parameters by taking case study of an institutional
building.
 Case Study:
• For a better and thorough understanding a case study was carried out at Raj High
Public School Sangrur and Irrigation Department Sangrur. Most of the structure
have started showing deep cracks at various locations all across the building which
will lead to the decrease in the durability of structure. Most of the structures are
composite structures where columns are of structural steel slabs being RCC. This
combination has led to occurrence of cracks at all the major juncture points of steel
and concrete. The use of improper design mix, Improper curing along with many
other reasons has led to different structural and Non-structural cracks.
Subsequently remedial measures for each of those cracks have been identified and
listed. In the month of March 2018, the main building and as well as all the internal
rooms were inspected carefully and each type of cracks were photographed and
recorded for further observations. . The cracks have been categorized on the basis
of:-
• Thin— less than 1 mm in width,
• Medium — 1 to 2 mm in width,
• Wide — more than 2 mm in width.
RAJ HIGH SCHOOL ,SANGRUR

FRONT VEIW
• CRACKS AT WALL (CHEMISTRY LAB )
• CRACKS NEAR WINDOW OPENINGS
 irrigation department :

• CRACKS IN WALL (VERTICAL CRACK )

• HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL CRACK (ARISSING FROM OPENING )
• DIAGNOL CRACKS
• CRACK IN MASONARY WALL (DIAGNOL BW TWO OPENINGS )
 Causes of occurrence:

• Moisture changes
• Thermal variations
• Elastic deformations
• Shrinkage
• Foundation movement and settlement of soil
• Earthquake Forces
• Vegetation
• Poor Construction practices
• Chemical Reaction
 Moisture movement :-

• Types of cracks in concrete due to moisture change is initial shrinkage

cracks, plastic shrinkage, plastic settlement and initial expansion of
concrete.
• Building materials such as concrete, mortar, bricks, wood etc are porous in
nature and expand by absorbing moisture from atmosphere and shrink on
drying. These changes in building materials are cyclic in nature and are
caused during moisture changes.
 Initial Shrinkage in Concrete and Masonry
• Initialshrinkage of building materials which is partly irreversible, occurs in all
building materials that are cement / lime based such as concrete, mortar, masonry
units, masonry and plaster etc. This initial shrinkage is one of the main causes of
cracking in building structure.
• Initial shrinkage as the name suggests occurs only once in the lifetime of concrete
and mortar, i.e. during the time of construction when the moisture dries out during
setting process. Initial shrinkage is most significant cause for the cracks in
structures.
The effect of initial shrinkage in concrete and mortar depends on following
factors:
• Cement content – Shrinkage of concrete and mortar increases with richness of
mix.
• Water content – Increase in water quantity used in the mix increases the
shrinkage.
• Maximum size, grading and quality of aggregate –With increase in the
• Curing of concrete and masonry – Proper curing from the start of initial setting to
at least 7 to 10 days helps in reducing initial shrinkages. The moisture provided
through curing helps concrete and masonry to expand and thus, when they dry up,
the final shrinkage is less.
• Surface area of aggregates -Surface area of concrete increases with increase in
fine aggregates and this requires large water quantity for the required workability.
With increase in water quantity, the shrinkage of concrete and masonry increases
when they dry up.
•
• Chemical composition of cement – Shrinkage is less for the cement having
greater proportion of tricalcium silicate and lower proportion of alkalis i.e. rapid
hardening cement has greater shrinkage than ordinary portland cement.
• Temperatureof fresh concrete and relative humidity of surro--undings –
With reduction in the ambient temperature the requirement of water for
thesame slump/workability is reduced with subsequent reduction Concreting
done in mild winter have much less cracking tendency than the concreting
done in hot summer months.In cement concrete 1/3rd of the shrinkage take place
in the first 10 days, ½ within one month and remaining ½ within a year time.
 Plastic shrinkage of concrete

• Cracks appearing on the surface of concrete before setting of concrete is

due to plastic shrinkage of concrete. The cause of shrinkage cracks in
concrete is due to settlement of heavy aggregates at the bottom of
concrete and rise of water to the surface. This process continues till the
concrete has set and it is called as bleeding of concrete.
• As long as the rate of evaporation is lower than the rate of bleeding,
there is a continuous layer of water at the surface known as “water
sheen”, and shrinkage does not occur. When the concrete surface looses
water faster than the bleeding action bring it to the top, shrinkage of
top layer takes place, and since the concrete in plastic state can’t resist any
tension, cracks develops on the surface. These cracks are common in slabs.
 Plastic settlement cracks
• Plastic settlement cracks occurs on concrete surface due to settlement of
large aggregates. In the case of reinforced concrete, sometimes the
settlement of aggregates is obstructed by reinforcement. These
obstructions break the back of concrete above them forming the voids
under their belly.
Plastic settlement cracks are normally observed:
• Over form work tie bolts, or over reinforcement near the top of section.
• In narrow column and walls due to obstruction to sedimentation by
resulting arching action of concrete due to narrow passage.
• At change of depth of section.
 Initial expansion of concrete:

• When the clay bricks are fired during manufacturing, due to high
temperature not only the intermolecular water but also water that
forms a part of molecular structure of clay is driven out. After burning, as
the temperature of the bricks falls down, the moisture hungry bricks starts
absorbing moisture from the environment and undergoes gradual
expansion, bulk of this expansion is irreversible.
 Thermal movement:-
• Due to variation in atmospheric temperature, there will be thermal movement in
building components. When there is some restraint to movement of building
component, internal stresses are generated resulting in cracks due to tensile or
shear stresses. Thermal movement depends on Colour and Surface
Characteristics of exposed buding surfaces. Dark coloured and rough textured
materials have lower reflectivity and hence rise in temperature is more for these
surfaces. In case of concrete roof slabs, as the material has low conductivity,
thermal gradient is quite appreciable and that causes the slab to arch up and also
to move outward due to heat from the sun. This results in cracks in external walls
which support the slab and in the internal walls that are built up to the soffit of
the slab. In case of framed-structures, roof slab, beams and columns move jointly
causing diagonal cracks in walls which are located parallel to the movement, and
horizontal cracks below beams in walls which are at right angle to the
movement.
Preventive Measures :
• Joints should be constructed like construction joints, expansion joints, control
joints and slip joints. The joints should be planned at the time of design and be
 Elastic deformations
• Structural components of a building such as walls, columns, beams and
slabs, generally consisting of materials like masonry, concrete, steel etc,
undergo elastic deformation due to load in accordance with Hook's law, the
amount of deformation depending upon elastic modulus of the materials,
magnitude of loading and dimensions of the components.When two
materials (having different elastic properties) built together under the effect
of load then different shear stresses in these materials create cracks at the
junction. Dead and live loads are the main cause of elastic deformation in
any structural components of a building.
Preventive Measures:
• Create slip joints under the support of concrete slab on walls. Provide
horizontal movement joints between the top of brick panel and reinforced
cement concrete beam/slab.
 Shrinkage

• Most of the building materials expand when they absorb moisture from
atmosphere and shrink when they are dry. Shrinkage can be of plastic or dry.
The factors causing shrinkage in cement concrete and cement mortar and
their preventions are as following.
• Excessive Water: The quantity of water used in the mortar mix can cause
shrinkage. Vibrated concrete has less quantity of water and lesser
shrinkage than manually compacted concrete. Preventive Measures: Use
minimum quantity of water required for mixing cement concrete or
cements mortar according to water cement ratio. Cement concrete is never
allowed to work without mechanical mix and vibrator.
• Quantity of Cement: As a general rule, the richer the mix is, the greater the
shrinkage/drying will be.
• Preventive Measures: Do not use excessive cement in the mortar mix.
 Foundation movement and settlement of soil
• Shear cracks in buildings occur when there is large differential settlement of
foundation either due to unequal bearing pressure under different parts of
the structure or due to bearing pressure on soil being in excess of safe
bearing strength of the soil or due to low factor of safety in the design of
foundation.
Following are main reasons of this type of crack causing phenomena:
• Unequal bearing pressure under different parts of the structure
• Bearing pressure on soil being in excess of safe bearing strength of the soil
• Low factor of safety in the design of foundation
• Local variation in the nature of supporting soil
• Preventive measures
• The design of foundation should be based on sound engineering principles
and good practice.
 Earthquake AND Vegetation
• Crack may occur due to sudden shift in lower layer of the earth. The voids in
the earth might have suddenly collapsed and be filled with soil from the
above. Many geological events can trigger earth movements but is
continuous movement.
Preventive Measures: Construct the foundation of buildings on firm ground
while doing construction. Tie up the building with connecting beams at
foundation level, door level and roof level.
• Fast growing trees in the area around the walls can sometimes cause cracks
in walls due to expansive action of roots growing under the foundation. The
cracks occur in clay soil due to moisture contained by roots.
Preventive Measure: Do not grow trees too close to the building. Remove
any saplings of trees as soon as possible if they start growing in or near of
walls.
 Poor Construction practices AND Chemical Reaction :

• There is a general lack of good construction practices either due to ignorance,

carelessness, greed or negligence. For a healthy building it is absolutely
necessary for the construction agency and the owner to ensure good quality
materials selection and good construction practices.
Preventive Measure: Proper monitoring and use of good quality of materials is
required at the time of construction .
Chemical Reaction :
• Chemical reactions may occur due to the materials used to make the concrete
or materials that come into contact with the concrete after it has hardened.
Concrete may crack with time as the result of slowly developing expansive
reactions between aggregate containing active silica and alkalis derived from
cement hydration, admixtures or external sources.
Preventive Measures: If sulphate content in soil exceeds 0.2 percent or in ground
water exceed 300 ppm, use very dense concrete and either increase richness of
mix to 1:1/5:3 and to prevent cracking due to corrosion in reinforcement it is
Main Techniques to Cure Crack:
 Epoxy injection

Epoxy injection is an economical method of

repairing non-moving cracks in concrete
walls, slabs, columns and piers as it is
capable of restoring the concrete to its pre-
cracked strength. The technique generally
consists of establishing entry and venting
ports at close intervals along the cracks,
sealing the crack on exposed surfaces, and
injecting the epoxy under pressure.
 Routing and sealing:

In this method, the crack

is made wider at the
surface with a saw or
grinder, and then the
groove is filled with a
flexible sealant. This is a
common technique for
crack treatment and it is
relatively simple in
comparison to the
procedures and the
training required for
epoxy injection. It can be
done on vertical surfaces
and curved surface .
 Stitching

This method is done to provide a

permanent structural repairs
solution for masonry repairs and
cracked wall reinforcement. It is
done by drilling holes on both
sides of the crack, cleaning the
holes and anchoring the legs of
the staples in the holes with a
non-shrink grout.
 Drilling and
plugging

This technique is only

applicable when cracks
run in reasonable straight
lines and are accessible at
one end. This method is
mostly used to repair
vertical cracks in retaining
walls.
Gravity Filling

Low viscosity monomers

and resins can be used to
seal cracks with surface
widths of 0.001 to 0.08 in.
by gravity filling. High
molecular weight
methacrylates, urethanes,
and some low viscosity
epoxies have been used
successfully.
 Dry packing AND Polymer impregnation

POLYMER IMPREGNATION
• Monomer systems can be used for effective repair of some cracks. A
monomer system is a liquid consisting of monomers which will polymerize
into a solid. The most common monomer used for this purpose is methyl
methacrylate.
DRY PACKING
• It is the hand placement of a low water content mortar followed by tamping
or ramming of the mortar into place and also helps in producing intimate
contact between the mortar and the existing concrete.
 Conclusions:

• This paper is divided into three parts. First part comprises of basic
introduction about cracks and about the previous attempts which are made
by the research scholars, second part contains the case study, visual
identification of cracks and causes with preventive measures and third part
contains techniques to cure crack. The potential causes of crack can be
controlled if proper consideration is given to construction material and
technique to be used. If we focus on the major causes to cracks in our
building and take their preventive measures initially, we will able to
minimise the problem of cracking in our structure.