CONCRETE CRACKING –

WHO IS TO BLAME?

By
Christopher Stanley
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
UNIBETON READY MIX
 CRACKING FACTS
(Concrete Society Technical Report Number 22, non-structural cracks in concrete)

“If a concrete is either cooled or dried, then provided it is free

from restraint, it will reduce in length and no cracks will
develop”
“Cracks will not form unless there is some form of restraint”
“Because it acts as a form of internal restraint, reinforcement
governs the spacing and width of cracks in hardened concrete
but reinforcement does not have the same effect in plastic
concrete”
 CRACK ASSESSMENT
Usually based on:

Critical viewing distance and personal viewpoint

Type of structure, often using an arbitrary or “prestige”

scale (e.g monumental or public buildings, commercial buildings and car
parks, public paving, driveways, private housing)

Cracks can be classified thus

Fine cracks - up to 1mm wide

Wide cracks - from 1mm to 6mm wide
Fractures - over 6mm wide

It is sometimes specified or implied that crack widths of

up to 0.3mm are aesthetically acceptable
All concrete cracks but some can be prevented

•
 CRACK CLASSIFICATION
CRACKS OCCURING CRACKS OCCURING AFTER HARDENING
BEFORE HARDENING

THERMAL
PLASTIC CRACKS STRUCTURAL CRACKS PHYSICAL
CRACKS CRACKS
EARLY AGE
PLASTIC SHRINKAGE DESIGN LOADS THERMAL
PLASTIC SETTLEMENT CONTRACTION DRYING
SHRINKAGE
CREEP
EXTERNAL
CONSTRUCTION
RESTRAINT CRAZING
MOVEMENT ACCIDENTAL
OVERLOAD
INTERNAL
TEMPERATURE SHRINKABLE
FORMWORK MOVEMENT
CHEMICAL GRADIENTS AGGREGATE

SUB-GRADE MOVEMENT CEMENT

CARBONATION EXTERNAL SEASONAL
TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS
ALKALI-AGGREGATE
REACTIONS
FREEZE/THAW CYCLES

CORROSION OF
REINFORCEMENT
 TYPE OF CRACK - PRIMARY/SECONDARY
time of appearance
FORM, LOCATION, etc.
CAUSES REMEDY * *
REF *
PLASTIC Cracks over reinforcement Reduce
TYPE A Excess bleeding (PC)
SETTLEMENT in deep sections bleeding
10 minutes to “Arching” cracks in
TYPE B
three hours columns Re-vibrate
Cracks at change of depth Rapid early drying Add Air
TYPE C
in slab/beam sections conditions entrainment
PLASTIC Diagonal cracks in roads
TYPE D Rapid early drying (PC)
SHRINKAGE and slabs
30 minutes to Random cracks in Improve early
TYPE E Low rate of bleeding
six hours reinforced slabs curing
Cracks over reinforcement Ditto and steel near
TYPE F
in slabs surface
EARLY THERMAL External restraint cracks Excess heat generation Reduce heat
CONTRACTION TYPE G
in thick walls or columns (PC) rapid cooling and/or insulate
One day to three Internal restraint cracks in Excess temperature
TYPE H
weeks thick slabs gradients, rapid cooling
LONG TERM Inefficient joints (PC) Reduce water
Cracking in thin slabs
DRYING SHRINKAGE TYPE I Excess shrinkage and content
and walls inefficient curing Improve curing
weeks - months
CRAZING Cracks “off the form” in Impermeable formwork, Improve curing
TYPE J
fair-faced concrete rich mixes, poor curing and finishing
1 - 7 days Cracks in power- floated over-trowelling.
TYPE K
sometimes much later slabs
 SIMPLE CRACK MODEL

Initial state after pouring

Contraction
without stress
no restraint

restraint
If dried out or
cooled with partial Free to shrink
or no restraint
Crack relieves
tension
Restraint - short
restraint

restraint
term effects

Restraint
Medium/long
term effects Tension!
 Common crack types – Plastic shrinkage cracking (Type A)

Caused by BLEEDING (“A special case of sedimentation” - T.C.Powers,

1939)

The phenomenon of water rising to the surface of plastic

concrete, caused by gravity pulling heavier particles
downward, the latter being known as sedimentation
bleed water evaporates - volume change - shrinkage - tension - restraint - crack?

Sedimentation

Bleeding is not a result of poor compaction, and it cannot be

eliminated by improved compaction
 PLASTIC SETTLEMENT CRACKS
Type A cracks
Water void formed under
steel – desiccation - water
evaporates leaving dry void
 PLASTIC SETTLEMENT CRACKS
Type C cracks Settlement cracks occurring at
changes in slab depth
 PLASTIC SHRINKAGE CRACKS

Tension

Item cast into slab

acts as crack
inducement - crack Uneven sub base
follows line of least acts as crack
resistance inducement - crack
follows line of least Type E - random
resistance
 PLASTIC SHRINKAGE CRACKS
Type F – over reinforcement

Tension

Insufficient reinforcement cover ? Differentiated from plastic settlement

(cracks induced by steel proximity cracks because plastic shrinkage cracks
to surface which is in tension tend to pass through slab depth
due to rapid drying)
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
 Thermal cracking - specification
Question - Why 70°C max. temperature?
Past experience with mass concrete and accelerated curing e.g. in precasting
suggests that the quality of the cement hydrate at elevated temperatures >70°C is
inferior to that in a normally cured concrete so mechanical strength tends to be
lower - in addition a phenomenon known as Delayed Ettringite Formation (DEF)
may affect durability
Question - why require a maximum temperature differential of 20°C?
Raw materials for concrete expand at different rates when heated up - this
may lead to “micro-cracking” when the respective coefficients of expansion
of cement paste and aggregates are significantly different in some cases
Most aggregates can absorb a degree of strain from temperature
movements (“tensile strain capacity”) therefore it does not automatically
follow that aggregates with significantly different E. coef.are going to cause
or influence cracking.
20°C taken as a conservative limit on differentials due to lack of knowledge
of local aggregate expansion coefficients
 EARLY THERMAL CONTRACTION CRACKS

Core
temperature
Temperature °C

≤20°C? 20°C
>20°C?

Higher
Temperature Surface Temperature
differential temperature differential -
Possibility of
cracks?

Time after casting - hours

 EARLY THERMAL CHANGES - 24 HOURS
Formwork temperature say 55°C
Ambient Cover to Insulate?
temperature
say 35°C?

Insulation provided by formwork?

No edge
Insulation provided by formwork?

restraint
Free to shrink?

Sections > 0.5m

Heat and thick considered
Expansion “Self-Insulating”
75°C?

Maybe base
restraint from
mature concrete or
sub base material
 EARLY REMOVAL OF FORMWORK - THERMAL SHOCK

Tension - Plastic shrinkage

Rapid cooling to ambient

Rapid cooling to ambient

temperature – say 35°C?

temperature – say 35°C?

Core Heat

Tension!
Tension!

say 75°C
Remove Remove
forms early? Expansion forms early?

BASE RESTRAINT
 METHODS EMPLOYED TO REDUCE EARLY AGE THERMAL CRACKING

METHOD CONTRIBUTION DISADVANTAGE

Pour concrete Improves uniformity of Places additional demands
continuously pouring temperatures on production and
handling
Negligible.Depends on
Pour concrete at night speed and volume placed Extra logistical
and nature of hydration of considerations for night
cement working
Significant contribution
Delay removal of formwork Prevents thermal shock Formwork re-use delayed
Allows uniform controlled
cooling to take place

Use insulated curing Significant reduction in Large scale use of

methods temperature differentials. insulation materials may be
Enables more uniform expensive
temperature rise and fall
 METHODS EMPLOYED TO REDUCE EARLY AGE THERMAL CRACKING

METHOD CONTRIBUTION DISADVANTAGE

Install sacrificial cooling Very wasteful.
system in the concrete in Depends on efficiency of Durability problems from
the concrete mass cooling system embedded pipes

Reduce design strength Significance based on 28 day requirements?

margin or observe 60 or 90 amount of cement reduced Durability may be
day compliance compromised

Can significantly reduce

Use superplastisizing cement content. Extra cost of
admixtures Significance dependant on superplasticizer over
amount of reduction normal admixture cost
achieved
Use admixtures formulated Can significantly reduce Extra cost of admixture
for hydration control cement content ,delay over normal admixture
and/or significantly hydration and reduce peak Setting times extended
increase dosage temperatures Formwork removal may be
delayed
 METHODS EMPLOYED TO REDUCE EARLY AGE THERMAL CRACKING

METHOD CONTRIBUTION DISADVANTAGE

Significant Plant equipment expensive.
Use chilled water to partly - 4oC water temperature = Consumption usually
or wholly replace mixing Approx - 1oC concrete exceeds supply capacity.
water temperature Storage tanks usually
required

Significant Usually expensive.

Use ice to partly or wholly 50% ice = approximately Handling difficult, must be
replace mixing water - 10oC concrete temperature weighed.
100% ice = May not be available in
approximately - 17oC remote areas.

Expensive
Handling difficult in remote
Nitrogen gas injection Depends on quantity of areas. Difficult to control.
Nitrogen gas injected Efficiency lost due to gas
leakage to atmosphere
during injection
METHODS EMPLOYED TO REDUCE EARLY AGE THERMAL CRACKING

METHOD CONTRIBUTION DISADVANTAGE

Significant Extensive shading required
Shade stockpiles Exposed stockpile - combination of shading
temperatures can reach and fresh deliveries of
>50°C in mid day direct aggregates to manage
sunlight temperatures effectively

Some difficulty in
Water spraying of Depends on requirements maintaining uniform,
stockpiles of pour and aggregate effective, large scale
demand spraying for mass pours -
moisture uniformity can be
compromised

Influence of cement Logistical difficulties as

Control temperature of temperature not significant large pour cement demand
fresh cement as volume of cement is only maximizes available silage
about 12% of concrete
mass
STOCKPILE TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
 EARLY THERMAL CONTRACTION CRACKS

No edge restraint
Free to shrink?
Sections > 0.5m
Less “Self-insulation”
Thermal thick considered
from lower section
contraction of “Self-Insulating”
thickness
concrete after
hardening

Base restraint Internal

Type H cracks from mature restraint
concrete
LONG TERM DRYING SHRINKAGE CRACKS

Type I cracks
 CRAZING
Primary causes - Impermeable form-face materials
- Over-trowelling
Secondary causes
- Rich, pasty mixes
- Poor curing
- Thermal shock (application of cool water on hot surfaces)
Time of appearance - 1 - 7 days, sometimes much later
Remedial measures
Improve curing
Avoid over-trowelling
CRAZING

Type J cracks (crazing)

 Plastic Heat of hydration
cling film
wrap

Plastic cling
film wrap
creates cells
Heat of hydration

Cell heats up
to higher
temperature

SIMPLE INSULATION OF FORMWORK for CONCRETE

BREAKWATERS – GUAM 1998
 CRACK FIELD REPORT
Site Location
Date concrete placed
Grade/type of concrete/slump
Weather/site conditions at time of pouring e.g dry, wet, sunny,changeable,cloudy, sunlight,
shaded, exposed
Temperature range ºC, (check met.reports?)
Wind conditions/speed (check met.reports?)
Relative humidity (check met.reports?)
Curing system used
Type of structure
Approximate dimensions
Immediate sub-base
Details of reinforcement especially top steel
When was cracking first noted – hours/days

Cement type Coarse aggregate Fine aggregate Admixture

kg/m³ 20mm kg/m³ (1) kg/m³ (1) mls/100kg

Fly Ash kg/m³ 10mm kg/m³ (2) kg/m³ (2) mls/100kg