Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
(OP)
The picture shows the building under construction, it was November 2011.
October, 2012 there was no noticeable cracks.
October 2013 there is significant random patch work and cracking of hollow block segments.
But one column on the opposite side there is a column with different kind of cracks, each floor starting 3rd floor there is symmetric pattern of cracking like a Christmas tree from left and right of the column directed upwards, starting approximately from the joint of the slab and the column.
I didn't take the picture of the cracks, I may get it later. Must those cracks will be structural (since the pattern repeats symmetrically on every floor starting 3rd, but there are no cracks noticeable on the slab of the ground floor). Or it might be just hollow block wall innocuous concrete cracking only?
The under construction picture may give the idea what kind of technique they used and what caused so many cracks in the hollow block sections and maybe the repeated pattern cracks around the column. I'll try to get more information if needed.
October, 2012 there was no noticeable cracks.
October 2013 there is significant random patch work and cracking of hollow block segments.
But one column on the opposite side there is a column with different kind of cracks, each floor starting 3rd floor there is symmetric pattern of cracking like a Christmas tree from left and right of the column directed upwards, starting approximately from the joint of the slab and the column.
I didn't take the picture of the cracks, I may get it later. Must those cracks will be structural (since the pattern repeats symmetrically on every floor starting 3rd, but there are no cracks noticeable on the slab of the ground floor). Or it might be just hollow block wall innocuous concrete cracking only?
The under construction picture may give the idea what kind of technique they used and what caused so many cracks in the hollow block sections and maybe the repeated pattern cracks around the column. I'll try to get more information if needed.






RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
Sorry for the orthographic errors, I didn't know there is no edit option.
The building is in an earthquake prone zone.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
I've attached a picture. I found a photo of the building under construction (just the opposite side with the opposite column visible) and the plan where the columns were marked as well. I marked the cracks location on the photo of the affected side from both sides of the column with red dashes.
I only don't remember whether the cracks' curvavure is convex or concave. You can see on the plan right to left until this column the building is symmetric, from bottom up it is the same design 4th-10th floor and something different beneath (commercial area), so cracks start above the 4th floor.
As far as I remember there were no reported earthquakes in the area during the one year period when the cracks has developed. The under construction picture is from about 2 years ago - likely November 2011 and it is all I have as to construction details. The building had been completed around February 2012.
It may be something superficial or likely a structural (serious) problem? If the latter what is usually the solution?
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
Also significant visible cracking at the hollow block wall like structure on the top of the building (marked red) in additon to random cracking in other upstands which is being patched when happens (not correlated around a column with the same pattern on different floors like that one).
Why all that wasn't visible 9 months after building completion, but it is prominent now after 21 months?
The bare concrete structure may move cracking hollow block sections because they are rigid? Under what forces? Temperature or ground movements? I saw even high rise buildings sometimes also using hollow blocks no such visible cracking.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
I'll get some pictures later, I could try to pass there by the end of November, what mostly alarmed me - the regular pattern cracks on every floor symmetrical from both sides on the column after I found an article stating that "Other warning signs are ... repetition of cracking at the same locations on each floor."
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
BA
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
As to the topmost floor it looks like the same pattern was present, there is a painted patch job (encircled yellow), there is other patch work visible on the building, so it is likely the topmost floor is where it appeared first and then it propagated downwards, the later cracks have not been patched yet, but then the question why the crack on the topmost floor didn't expand or the patch material may be flexible?
The adjoining column surface (encircled red) also has a (different) repeated crack pattern which doesn't present on the column to the left of it (encircled green), it might be connected to the same (could be) deflection?
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
1. On your photo 1.jpg - to the right of one of the floors, in the faded red wall portion, you can actually see efflorescence stains "dripping" down off the crack -that would immediately suggest moisture is involved. This shows up in the top right of photo 2.jpg.
2. It appears that the vast majority of the cracks are in the infill portions of the walls vs. the beam-column areas.
3. In photo 4.jpg with the vast array of cracks on the left - many of these seem to be interrupted by the structural beams - again suggesting that this is an infill wall issue and not a structural frame effect.
RE: Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.
So those are all plastering issues then.
Thanks for clarification.