While water is an essential ingredient in every concrete mix, there is such a thing as too much water. While nearly invisible, it is important to remember that plastic shrinkage cracks don’t just exist on the surface, they extend throughout the entire thickness of the slab.Īn excessively wet mix is a contributing factor to shrinkage in concrete. Plastic shrinkage cracks are typically very narrow in width and barely visible. Since concrete cannot shrink around a corner, stress will cause the concrete to crack from the point of that corner. While plastic shrinkage cracks can happen anywhere in a slab or wall, they almost always happen at reentrant corners (corners that point into the slab) or with circular objects in the middle of a slab (pipes, plumbing fixtures, drains, and manholes). This type of cracking happens frequently and is referred to as “plastic shrinkage cracking”. These empty spaces make the concrete weaker and more prone to cracking. When that water eventually leaves the slab, it leaves behind large voids between the solid particles. When concrete is still in its plastic state (before hardening), it is full of water. We explain 6 of the most common types of concrete cracks below. Consequently, every owner should be advised by both the designer and contractor that it is normal to expect some amount of cracking and curling on every project, and that such occurrences do not necessarily reflect adversely on either the adequacy of the floor’s design or the quality of its construction ” “Even with the best floor designs and proper construction, it is unrealistic to expect crack-free and curl-free floors. Actually, concrete cracks are very common, some are even inevitable.Īmerican Concrete Institute touches on the issue of cracking concrete in their American Concrete Institute manual, ACI 302. When you see a crack in your concrete slab or wall, your first assumption is typically that something has been done wrong–but that’s not always the case. Six Common Types of Cracks in your Concrete
0 kommentar(er)
