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SpinDistribute.com Article Directory

The following article was published in our article directory on May 27, 2013.
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The Thing about Concrete Cracks

Article Category: Advice

Author Name: Dennis Graziano

There is that common understanding where concrete normally presents two guarantees: the first (which is ideal in every way) is that it is hard and strong, and the other one is that it will simply crack anytime it wants to. No one for certain would want to be troubled with concrete cracks at all. It's a simple nuisance that can lead to serious effects that would compromise any structure if left unattended.

Cracking is a common thing within the concrete industry. Efforts have been mounted from time to time to educate customers about the usual causes of these cracks, and especially in determining when the right time for showing concern is.

Concrete cracks happen because of certain factors or a combination of other factors, like the following:
- Thermal contraction
- Drying shrinkage instances
- Internal/external restraint to shortening agents
- Applied loads, and
- Subgrade settlements.

It must be noted that cracking cannot be stopped; it can only controlled or reduced in significant ways, that is if the causes of the cracks are already accounted for, and that steps are already taken to prevent it from happening.

Public perception is another issue that must be addressed here. Cracks may be unsightly but most customers feel alarmed at it right away, or they go about specifically diagnosing the presence of cracks on the floors/walls as a strong message that the concrete product has totally failed. In the case of cracks running up walls that are not considered too wide (from 1/16th to 1/4th of an inch) or structural, or if water is not leaking through them, then it is fully acceptable. The best way to address such awkward situation is to educate customers of real reasons why concrete walls crack, and when the crack should concern them.

Cracks that manifests just before the hardening phase is simply the result of the settlement happening inside the concrete mass, or surface shrinkage caused by water loss while the plastic component was still applied to the concrete. Settlement cracks develop over any embedded item on the cement, such as the reinforcing steel, or anything adjacent to various forms along its proximity (like hardened concrete) where concrete can settle in. Insufficient consolidation, high slumps (a direct result from having overly wet concrete), and a lack of adequate covers are seen as culprits to the settlement effect.

Cracks due to plastic shrinkage are a common item in slabs. Short cracks are relatively known to occur before the final finishing process. Low humidity, wind, and high outdoor temperatures are also known to cause such cracks. Surface moisture evaporates much faster than the rising bleed water, which only causes the concrete surface to shrink significantly.

Other instances of concrete cracks, often manifesting after the hardening process, can be attributed to drying shrinkage, subgrade settlement, or thermal contraction. During the drying process, hardened concrete normally shrinks to about 1/16th of an inch, to a length of 10 ft. A good way to address this is by placing construction joints positioned at regular intervals.

Keywords: reinforcing concrete, concrete admixtures, welded wire, synthetic mesh, concrete cracks, concrete slump, pouring a concrete slab

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