Causes of Cracks in Concrete Structures

CAUSES OF CRACKS IN CONCRETE STRUCTURES
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

Question one
Photograph showing the crack on a concrete pavement.
Fig 1: showing a cracked concrete pavement
Possible causes of cracks in concrete buildings of the cracks in concrete buildings include;
Too much water in the mix
In order to make concrete to be installed easily, some builders may pour excess water on the
concrete. This water will have great effects in reducing the concrete’s strength (Delatte, 2016).
As the concrete hardens, it dries up and shrinks as a result of evaporation of extra water. The
shrinkage leads to cracks on the concrete.
Rapid drying of concrete
Too fast drying of concrete increases the possibility of concrete cracking.
Winter poured foundations
During cold months, foundations that are poured or those ones which are not heated are likely to
have many cracks. A foundation which is poured on the base that is not properly compacted is
also likely to have cracks (El-Reedy, 2014).

Other causes of cracks in concrete buildings include;
 Inappropriate concrete strength poured on the concrete
 Unavailability of control joints
The figure below shows one of the images which has a crack on a concrete.
Fig 2: showing a crack on a concrete
Possible ways of avoiding cracks in concrete buildings include;
 Reducing content of water in concrete
 Appropriate concrete mix design and applying materials of good quality
 Finishing the surface of concrete
 Avoid risky temperature changes
Question two
Possible types of reasons that caused cracks on the water tank include;
Overloading