Causes of and Responsibilities for an Excessive Amount of Leaking Cracks in a Massive Concrete Mat Foundation
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 32, Issue 2
Abstract
Integral watertight concrete structures can be an effective and durable solution for underground facilities. The paper presents an evaluation of the major causes of and responsibilities for wide through cracks in a large mat foundation. A large number of leaking cracks with a width of up to 0.8 mm were observed in the mat foundation. Considering the importance of water leaking through the cracks in terms of the serviceability and durability of watertight concrete structures, emphasis is placed on the effect of early-age temperature rise in mat foundation. Mitigation strategies to prevent the formation and propagation of early-age through cracks are discussed. The concrete technology methods are aimed at reducing the concrete temperature by using low-heat generating concrete. In general, when assessing the risk of early-age cracking, drying and autogenous shrinkage may be ignored. The role of cement type, concrete cover and reinforcement to limit the width of cracks was analyzed.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the research project VEGA No. 1/0583/15 “Analysis of the Reliability Risks in the Design and Execution of Concrete Structures” and the University Science Park of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (ITMS: 26240220084).
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 32 • Issue 2 • April 2018
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 6, 2017
Accepted: Aug 22, 2017
Published online: Dec 16, 2017
Published in print: Apr 1, 2018
Discussion open until: May 16, 2018
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