×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Concrete Crack direction and analysis?

Concrete Crack direction and analysis?

Concrete Crack direction and analysis?

(OP)
Can someone please provide me with a general explanation as to what the direction of a crack might mean in terms of structural integrity?
 
Between a vertical, horizontal and diagonal crack on a concrete building's walls, what does each mena? whic one is more aestethic and which could signify settlement or structural danger and why?

I posted a post earlier asking on where to find the infmration but got answers referring to books that I don't currently have and I can't have access to them. So i'd appreciate an answer rather than someone to tell me what book to read.

Thank you
 

RE: Concrete Crack direction and analysis?

A crack in any direction in a RC wall could always be a shrinkage crack, and these are typically only aesthethic.
Diagonal cracks, depending on the location, are more likely to be from settlement - If a corner settles, that corner will develop a diagonal crack.

That being said, the only crack I would worry about is a wide one.  As long as the cracks are small (in width) then it typically isn't a concern - concrete is supposed to crack, remember?   

RE: Concrete Crack direction and analysis?

wal12345..I read your original post and the references given to you are excellent, particularly Neville's book.  

Most cracks in concrete are caused by drying shrinkage and most of them don't have a detrimental effect on the structure, with the exception of letting water into the concrete to attack the rebar.

Cracks that are caused by a structural deficiency or settlement can take on a variety of directions.  Cracks that occur at the bottom of the midspan of a beam are sometimes flexural cracks, but that is also a point where shrinkage cracks can develop as well.  One can be detrimental (excess flexure) and one is innocuous (shrinkage).

Settlement cracks don't always show as diagonal cracks, but that is one common form of them.  Depending on where the settlement is occurring, the crack can vary from vertical to diagonal.

StructuralEIT has given you a good rule of thumb; however, for concrete cracking in a structure, you have to look at how the structure is configured, whether the cracks are in a wall or other structural component, the orientation of the crack, and as SEIT correctly noted, the width of the crack.  Cracks are generally wider at the surface than below the surface.  If the crack is less than about 1/32 of an inch, don't worry about it unless you see muliple cracks that are diagonal and closely spaced near the end of a beam (could be shear deficiency, poorly placed rebar, lack of bond development, and a variety of other structural indications), or if closely spaced and vertical at the center of a beam (flexural deficiency).

A forum such as this cannot give you all the information you need about cracks in concrete.  Try to get the noted references in your other post.

RE: Concrete Crack direction and analysis?

In order to know what caused a crack and whether it is serious, you have to be able to think like the structural element.  Depending on rules of thumb is not good enough.  It takes experience and savvy.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources