IJSART - Volume 4 Issue 12 –DECEMBER 2018 ISSN [ONLINE]: 2395-1052

Study on Causes & Control of Cracks In A

Structure
Mulla Fayaz
Department of Civil Engineering
Asst. Professor, Holymary Institute Of Science & Technology,Hyderbad,501301

Abstract- Our main aim of the project is to know the causes cracks. Keeping above in view, in the subsequent chapters the
and preventive measures of cracks in buildings. A crack is a various precautions and the preventive measures for mitigating
complete or incomplete separation of concrete in two or more the non-structural cracks, or containing them in less damaging
parts by breaking or fracturing. It is a inherent feature in fine cracks has been enumerated in detail.
concrete which cannot be prevented but controlled and
reduced. Structural Cracks are a common occurrence in all II. LITERATURE REVIEW
types of buildings. To ensure the longevity of the structure,
engineers are often required to look into their causes and Some researchers already worked on related topics of
carry out suitable repairs and remedial measures. For repairs causes and remedies of cracks such as Study type of cracks in
and remedies to be effective, it is essential that the engineer construction and its controlling done by [Kazem Reza
should have a proper understanding of various causes of Kashyzadeh and Neda Aghili Kesheh 2012], it shortly
occurrence of cracks. For investigating the causes it is describes about what every civil engineer should know about
necessary to observe carefully the location, shape, size, depth, face of the building i.e. cracking. Causes and evaluation of
behavior and other characteristics of the cracks, and to collect cracks done in concrete structure by [Sayed Mohd Mehndi et
information about specifications of the job and time of al. 2014], they explained about the evaluation of cracks that
construction. It is also necessary for the engineer to keep track can be done by different technique like Crack Compactor and
of when the cracks first came to notice. by ultrasonic Testing.

Keywords- Cracks, Shrinkage, Structural Failure, Stresses, Building cracks-causes and remedies by [Grishma
Grouting Thagunna 2014], from this research it is found that building
cracks has direct and indirect impacts and building cracks do
I. INTRODUCTION not cause structural problem in direct way but it facilitates the
activities which ultimately cause the problem. Prevention &
The cracks in building components which are not due repair of cracks in concrete structures by [B.B.Gamit et al.
to structural inadequacy, faulty construction & overloading. 2014], they broadly classified about the structural and non
The commonly used building material namely masonry, structural cracks that occurs in building along with their
concrete, mortar etc. are weak in tension and shear. Therefore causes and remedy.
the stresses of even small magnitude causing tension and shear
stresses can lead to cracking. Internal Stresses are induced in Study on control of cracks in a structure through
the building components on account of thermal movements, Visual Identification & Inspection [Kishor Kunal and Namesh
moisture change, elastic deformation, chemical reactions etc. Killemsetty 2014], they talk about how visual inspection of
All these phenomenon causes dimensional changes in the cracks can be helpful in order to identify and categorize them
building components, and whenever this movement is restraint with respect to various parameters by taking case study of an
due to interconnectivity of various member, resistance institutional building.
between the different layers of the components etc., stresses
are induced and whenever these stresses (tensile or shear) Confined masonry is one of the most widely used
exceed the strength of material cracking occurs.Depending construction systems in Latin America, Europe and Asia.
upon the cause and certain physical properties of building Where, the masonry system performed satisfactorily during
material these cracks may be wide but further apart or may be past earthquakes. The system has been in use for decades;
thin but more closely space. As a general rule, thin cracks however, not much experimental work has been done for the
even though closely spaced and greater in number, are less evaluation of behavior of confined masonry. In Pakistan,
damaging to the structures and are not so objectionable from confined masonry construction is popularly used after October
aesthetic and other considerations as fewer number of wider 08, 2005 Kashmir earthquake through the affected area. In this

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IJSART - Volume 4 Issue 12 –DECEMBER 2018 ISSN [ONLINE]: 2395-1052

chapter an attempt has been made to present typical properties b) The slab should either project for some length from
of masonry materials used in Pakistan in section the supporting wall or the slab should bear only on
The data presented here represent mainly N-W.F.P. However, part width of the wall (fig. 18 & 23). On the inside,
data of bricks and steel bars is collected from Material wall plaster and ceiling plaster should be made
Laboratory of Department of Civil Engineering and is discontinuous by a groove about 10 mm in width.
supposed to cover much larger area than N-W.F.P. The failure
mechanism of the confined masonry is discussed in section (ii) Cracks at the base of a parapet wall: An instance of very
2.3. The behavior of confined masonry buildings during past frequent occurrence of thermal cracks in buildings is the
earthquakes in Latin American and Asian countries is formation of horizontal crack at the support of a brick parapet
presented wall or brick-cum-iron railing over an RCC cantilevered
balcony. Factors, which contribute to this type of cracking,
III. METHODOLOGY are:

The commonly observed crack pattern in building can be a) Thermal coefficient of concrete is twice that of brickwork
group as, cracks in: and thus differential expansion and contraction cause of
 Walls, horizontal shear stress at the junction of the two materials.
 RCC members,
 Renderings and plasters, b) Drying shrinkage of concrete is 3 to 4 times that of brick
 Concrete and terrazzo floors, and masonry.
 Roof terrace
c) Parapets are generally built over the concrete slab before
Each of these has been covered in this chapter along with the latter undergone its drying shrinkage fully, and
preventive measures and feasibility of repairs in specific cases.
However, main emphasis is given on prevention of cracks, as d) Parapet or railing does not have much self-weight to resist
in many cases there may be no satisfactory method of horizontal shear force at its support caused by differential
repairing the cracks after they have appeared. thermal movement and differential drying shrinkage.

3.1 Cracks in walls The following measures may be adopted to reduce the severity
of such cracking.
Cracks in walls can be further grouped as:
a) Concrete for slab should be of low shrinkage and low
 In masonry structure slump.
b) Construction of masonry over the slab should be
 In RCC frame structure
deferred as much as possible (at least one month) so
 In free standing walls
that concrete undergoes some drying shrinkage
before construction of parapet.
3.1.1 In masonry structure:
c) Mortar for parapet masonry should be 1 cement: 1
lime: 6 sand and a good bond should be ensured
Commonly observed cracks in masonry structures are :
between masonry and concrete.
d) Plastering on masonry and RCC work should be
(i) Cracks at ceiling level in cross walls: In load
deferred as much as possible (at least one month) and
bearing structures, where a roof slab undergoes
made discontinuous at the junction by providing V
alternate expansion and contraction due to
groove in plaster. This way the cracks if they occur,
temperature variation, horizontal cracks may
will get concealed behind the groove and will not be
occur (shear cracks) in cross walls, due to
conspicuous. Alternatively, a 10 cm. Wide strip of
inadequate thermal insulation or protective cover
metal mess or lathing may be fixed over the
on the roof slab. To prevent such cracks, the
junction to act as reinforcement for plaster.
following measures may be adopted

e) .In case of brick-cum-iron railing, cracks could be

a) Slip joint (Para 3.4.9) should be introduced between
avoided by substituting the brickwork (of which there
slab and its supporting wall, as well as between slab
are only a few courses) with a low RCC wall,
and cross walls.
supporting RCC railing.

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IJSART - Volume 4 Issue 12 –DECEMBER 2018 ISSN [ONLINE]: 2395-1052

aluminum or some plastic material at close intervals in a

grid pattern, so as to render the shrinkage cracks
imperceptibly small.

V.TECHNIQUES TO CURE CRACK

A. Epoxy injection

Epoxy injection is an economical method of repairing

non-moving cracks in concrete walls, slabs, columns and
piers as it is capable of restoring the concrete to its pre-
cracked strength. The technique generally consists of
establishing entry and venting ports at close intervals
Horizontal cracks at the base of brick masonry parapet (or
along the cracks, sealing the crack on exposed surfaces,
masonry cum iron railing) supported on a projecting RCC
and injecting the epoxy under pressure.
slab.
iii) Horizontal cracks in the topmost story below slab level:
These cracks are due to deflection of slab and lifting up of
B. Routing and sealing
edge of the slab, combined with horizontal movement in the
In this method, the crack is made wider at the surface
slab due to shrinkage. These cracks appear a few months after
with a saw or grinder, and then the groove is filled
construction and are more prominent if the span is large.
with a flexible sealant. This is a common technique
These cracks are mostly confined to the top most storey
for crack treatment and it is relatively simple in
because of light vertical load on the wall due to which, end of
comparison to the procedures and the training
slab lifts up without encountering much restraint. In the lower
required for epoxy injection. It can be done on
stories, lifting of the corners is prevented by the vertical load
vertical surfaces and curved surface
of the upper stories. Sometimes horizontal cracks develop in
the topmost storey of a building at the corners, due to lifting of
C. Stitching
the slab at corners on account of deflection of slab in both
directions. These cracks could be avoided by providing This method is done to provide a permanent structural
adequate corner reinforcement in the slabs. When large spans repairs solution for masonry repairs and cracked wall
cannot be avoided, defection of slabs or beams could be reinforcement. It is done by drilling holes on both sides of
reduced by increasing depth of slabs and beams so as to the crack, cleaning the holes and anchoring the legs of the
increase their stiffness. Adoption of special bearing staples in the holes with a non-shrink grout.
arrangement (fig. 18 & 23) and provision of groove in plaster
at the junction of wall and ceiling will be of some help in
D. Drilling and plugging
mitigating the cracks.
This technique is only applicable when cracks run in
IV. CONTROLLING MEASURES reasonable straight lines and are accessible at one end.
This method is mostly used to repair vertical cracks in
To avoid cracks in brickwork on account of initial expansion, retaining walls.
a minimum period varying from 1 week to 2 weeks is
recommended by authorities for storage of bricks after these
E. Gravity Filling
are removed from Kilns.
Low viscosity monomers and resins can be used to seal
 Shrinkage cracks in masonry could be minimized by cracks with surface widths of 0.001 to 0.08 in. by gravity
avoiding use of rich cement mortar in masonry and by filling. High molecular weight methacrylates, urethanes,
delaying plaster work till masonry has dried after proper and some low viscosity epoxies have been used
curing and has undergone most of its initial shrinkage. successfully.
 Use of precast tiles in case of terrazo flooring is an
example of this measure. In case of in-situ/terrazo F. Dry packing
flooring, cracks are controlled by laying the floor in small
alternate panels or by introducing strips of glass,

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IJSART - Volume 4 Issue 12 –DECEMBER 2018 ISSN [ONLINE]: 2395-1052

It is the hand placement of a low water content mortar [7] Syed Mohd Mehndi, Prof. Meraj Ahmad Khan & Prof.
followed by tamping or ramming of the mortar into place Sabih Ahmad. Causes and evaluation of cracks in
and also helps in producing intimate contact between the concrete structures. Volume 2, Issue 5 (Sep-Oct 2014).
mortar and the existing concrete.
G.Polymer impregnation
Monomer systems can be used for effective repair of
some cracks. A monomer system is a liquid consisting of
monomers which will polymerize into a solid. The most
common monomer used for this purpose is methyl
methacrylate.

VI.CONCLUSIONS

This paper is divided into four parts. First part

comprises of basic introduction about cracks and about the
previous attempts which are made by the research scholars,
second part contains the case study, visual identification of
cracks and causes with preventive measures and third part
contains techniques to cure crack. The potential causes of
crack can be controlled if proper consideration is given to
construction material and technique to be used. If we focus on
the major causes to cracks in our building and take their
preventive measures initially, we will able to minimize the
problem of cracking in our structure.

From the above case study we have concluded that

some preventions could be taken care of during the
construction process itself. Any lack of attentiveness can lead
to a cause for damage in the building in its future, which can
also lead to the failure of structure. Cracks may occur due to
various reasons, as discussed earlier. The occurrence of cracks
cannot be stopped but particular measures can be taken to
restrict them to reduce the level and degree of consequences

REFERENCES

[1] Concrete bridges by Shri V.K.Raina.

[2] Concrete for construction by Shri V.K.Raina.
[3] Handbook of building construction by Shri M.M.Goyal.
[4] Gresham Thagunna. Building cracks – causes and
remedies. 3rd World Conference on Applied Sciences,
Engineering & Technology at Basha Research Centre.
[5] Kareem Reza Kashyzadeh, Neda Aghili Kesheh. Study
type of Cracks in construction and its controlling. Volume
2, Issue 8, August 2012, PP 528-531.
[6] Kishor Kunal, Namesh Killemsetty. Study on control of
cracks in a Structure through Visual Identification &
Inspection. Volume 11, Issue 5 Ver. VI (Sep-Oct. 2014),
PP 64- 72. [4] Rytis Skominas, Vincas Gurskis,
Algimantas Patasius. Research of material suitability for
crack repair in reinforced concrete structures. 4th
International Conference CIVIL ENGINEERING`13.

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