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Capillary Break and slab THickness

Capillary Break and slab THickness

Capillary Break and slab THickness

(OP)
Hi,

Some geotech consultant recommend omitting capillary break under a slab with thickness of 10 inch or greater. They still recommend using vapor barrier/retarder.

Is there any kind of publication which talk about this elimination of capillary break?

Thanks

RE: Capillary Break and slab THickness

10-inch thick concrete, well placed and consolidated, will not "wick" a lot of water....it will; however, contain a lot of water that will come out at the surface with time.  That would occur regardless of the use of a capillary barrier or vapor barrier.

Think of a 10-inch thick concrete tank holding water...even uncoated, it isn't likely going to leak.

RE: Capillary Break and slab THickness

By capillary rise, if the underside of the slab is in contact with water, the slab will carry the moisture upwards.  Capillary rise can wick moisture up several feet.

I would still use PEVB btw the slab and fill; I don't like to rely on free draining aggregate.

Have to minimize moisture and temperature differences btw top of slab and bot of slab.  Using the PEVB, there is a bit of a tendency for the slab to 'curl' and if you are looking for a fairly flat slab, you might want to do a bit of research on this.

Dik

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