CET456 REPAIR AND REHABILITATION OF BUILDINGS

Module 1
Introduction - Maintenance, rehabilitation, repair, retrofit and strengthening, need for
rehabilitation of structures. Cracks in R.C. buildings - Various cracks in R.C. buildings, causes
and effects Damages to masonry structures - Various damages to masonry structures and causes

Maintenance;

Maintenance refers to routine activities done on assets or building to prevent damage and
prolong the life expectancy.

Activities include inspection and works necessary to fulfill the intended function or to
sustain original standard of service. The maintenance of structure is done to meet the following
objectives such as Prevention of damages due to natural agencies and to keep them in good
appearance and working condition.

The Maintenance work is broadly classifies as

a) Preventive Maintenance

b) Remedial Maintenance

c) Routine Maintenance

d) Special Maintenance

a) Preventive Maintenance

The maintenance work done before the defects occurred or damage developed in the
structure is called preventive maintenance.

It includes thorough inspection, planning the programs of maintenance and executing the
work

It depends upon the specifications, condition and use of structure.

 b) Remedial Maintenance

It is the maintenance done after the defects or damage occurs in the structure. It involves the
following basic steps.

- Finding the deterioration

- Determining the causes

- Evaluating the strength of the existing structure
- Evaluating the need of the structure
- Selecting and implementing the repair procedure

c) Routine Maintenance It is the service maintenance attended to the structure periodically. The
nature of work done and interval of time at which it is done depends upon specifications and
materials of structure, purpose, intensity and condition of use. It includes white washing, parch
repair to plaster, replacement of fittings and fixtures, binding of road surface.

d) Special Maintenance It is the work done under special condition and requires sanction and
performed to rectify heavy damage. It may be done for strengthening and updating of the
structure to meet the new condition of usage or to increase its serviceability. It may include
particular or complete renewal occurring at long interval, such as floors, roofs etc.

e) Emergency Repair: This type of maintenance is done in rare cases. It is done when there is a
sign of settlement or destruction of the structure. It is very important in order to safety of living
beings

Maintenance of Structure is done to meet the following purposes:

o To keep the structure in a Good Appearance and working condition at all weathering
conditions.
o To increase the service life of structure & maintain its value.
o To ensure the safety of Occupants & reduce outgoing expenses.
o For early identification of defects in the structure.
o For smooth & Efficient working of the Buildings.
Rehabilitation;
Rehabilitation is the process of restoring the structure to its design strength.

Or

Rehabilitation is the process of improving an existing structure for new conditions of use. It aims
at restoring the structure to its original service level it once had and has now lost

Need for rehabilitation of structures

The need of structural repairs can arise from any of the following:

 Ageing of the structure

 Structural deficiency arising out of faulty design and detailing as well as wrong
assumptions in the loading criteria.

 Structural deficiency due to defects in construction, use of inferior and substandard

materials,
 poor workmanship, and negligence in quality control and supervision.
 Damages caused due to fire, floods, earthquakes, etc.
 Chemical deterioration and marine environments.
 Damages caused due to abrasion, wear and tear, impact, dampness etc.
 Movement of concrete caused due to settlement of foundation, thermal expansion etc.

Repair, Retrofit and strengthening

Repair means to bring back the structure to its previous condition. So it gives performance same
as previously. It does not cover the strength aspect of the structure.

Eg; checking plumbing, checking wiring, changing broken tiles.

Retrofit and strengthening

Retrofitting is the process of adding new elements to the existing structure which is damaged, or
expected to take more loads in future, so that it is strengthened more than its design strength.

Some examples of retrofitting;

  Increasing the lateral strength in one or both directions, by reinforcement or by increasing
wall areas or the numbers of walls and columns

 Giving unity to the structure by providing a proper connection between resisting

elements.

 Eliminating features that are sources of weakness, asymmetrical plan distribution of

resisting members, abrupt changes of stiffness from one floor to the other.

 Avoiding the possibility of brittle modes of failure by proper reinforcement and

connection of resisting members.

Repair is the process of restoring something that is damaged or deteriorated or broken, to

good condition.

Cracks in R.C. buildings - Various cracks in R.C. buildings

Depending upon the crack width cracks are classified as :

(a) Thin Crack - less than 1 mm in width,

(b) Medium Crack - 1 to 2 mm in width,
(c) Wide Crack - more than 2 mm in width.
(d) Crazing - Occurrence of closely spaced fine cracks at the surface of a material is called
crazing.

Cracks are broadly classified in to two types

 Non Structural Cracks

 Structural Cracks

Non Structural Cracks

These type of cracks occur mostly due to internally induced stresses in building materials.
These type of cracks are not very danger but may look unsightly, create an impression of faulty
work .
 Structural Cracks
These type of cracks occur because of incorrect design, faulty construction or
overloading and these may effect the structural stability and weaken the structure .

due to incorrect design

faulty construction

overloading Extensive cracks of Foundations walls, beams,

columns or slabs particularly due to displacement.
structural crack
differential settlement – Structure become unsafe due to partial or
due poor bearing capacity complete collapse of building
– Continuous horizontal cracks which appear on
walls indicating signs of displacement.
differential settlement – Vertical cracks which are significantly wider at
due poor bearing capacity the top or bottom could indicate heaving or
settlement
Building materials expand on absorbing moisture
Moisture change and shrinkage on drying.
Thermal movement These are generally reversible
The cracks are superficial or cosmetic and are
usually foundation the plaster or mortar
Elastic deformation renderings of buildings

Non-structural The cracks tend to be thin hairline cracks,

crack Creep mostly 1-2mm wide.
Cracks appear at corners of doors and window
frames where inherent weaknesses within the
structure are present. The
Chemical reaction cracks are most often
Foundation movement &
settlement of soil
Growth of vegetation

Some of cracks and its prevention’s

 Plastic shrinkage cracks

 Crazing & Crusting Cracks
 Settling cracks
 Expansion cracks
 Heaving cracks
 Overloading cracks
 Corrosion of Reinforcement
 Vegetation
 Plastic shrinkage cracks;
 These type of cracks occurs when slab or structural member subjected to a very rapid loss
of moisture. When concrete is still in its plastic state ( time after pouring the concrete
before hardening ) it is full of water. water start Evaporating or leaves the slab, it leaves
behind large voids between the solid particles. These empty spaces make the concrete
weaker and more prone to cracking.

 Plastic shrinkage cracks are very narrow in width and barely visible. plastic shrinkage
cracks don’t just exist on the surface, they extend throughout the entire thickness of the
slab.

Measures to prevent plastic shrinkage in the concrete structure are as follow :

1. By providing Control joints prevent shrinkage cracking.

2. By use of fog nozzles to saturate the air above the surface
3. Plan pouring of concrete in morning or Evening
4. By use of plastic sheeting to cover the surface between finishing operations.
5. Choose Water ratio according the Is code or according the temperature

Crazing & Crusting Cracks

Crazing :
 These type of cracks occur due to premature drying ( the top of a concrete slab loses
moisture too quickly ).

 Crazing is the development of a network of fine random cracks or fissures on the surface
of concrete or mortar caused by shrinkage of surface layer.
 These cracks are rarely more than 1/8 inch ( 3 mm ) deep. The irregular hexagonal area
enclosed by the cracks are typically not more than 40 mm across and may be small as 12
– 20 mm .

 These are very fine, surface cracks that resemble spider webs or shattered glass.

Crusting :
 When it occurs, it can lead to large numbers of surface cracks that compromise the
appearance of the decorative finish.
 On windy days where the top of the slab dries out quicker than the bottom, the top of the
concrete surface can become crusty . These can be prevented by deciding that it’s best not
to place concrete that day, add an accelerating admixture to the concrete to encourage
“bottom set” to occur before “top set” does, or find a way to protect your work from
sunlight or other heat source.

Settling cracks
 These type of cracks occur when soil below the structure settle down .
  These type of cracks occur when void is created in the ground below the concrete surface.
when soil below the foundation or footing is not compacted properly.

Expansion cracks
 In very hot weather a concrete slab, will expand as it gets hotter. This can cause great
stress on a slab. As the concrete expands, it pushes against any object in its path, such as
a brick wall or an adjacent slab of concrete. If neither has the ability to flex, the resulting
force will cause something to crack.

 An expansion joint is a point of separation, or isolation joint, between two static surfaces.
Its entire depth is filled with some type of compressible material such as tar-impregnated
cellulose fibre, closed-cell poly foam, or even timber. Whatever the compressible
material, it acts as a shock absorber. This relieves stress on the concrete and can prevent
cracking.

Heaving cracks
 Slab heaving is caused by clay soils expanding when they absorb moisture.

 The source of moisture can be rainwater, broken sewer pipes, ground water, poor surface
drainage and garden irrigation. The amount of water in the ground is often uneven and so
the movement in the house is uneven.

 Another factor which contributes to cracking is ground movement brought on by

freeze/thaw cycles. During such cycles, the frozen ground can lift as much as several
inches, and then settle again when the ground thaws. If the slab is not free to move with
the soil, the slab will crack. The presence of large tree roots can also cause concrete to
heave. If a tree is located too close to a concrete slab, the growing roots can lift and crack
the concrete

Overloading cracks
 Placing excessive amounts of weight on top of a concrete slab can cause cracking.

 Precast members, such as beams and panels, are most frequently subject to this. but cast-
in-place concrete can also be affected.

 A common error occurs when precast members are not properly supported during
transport and erection.

Corrosion of Reinforcement

 These type of cracks also appear due to corrosion of reinforcement.

 if cracks happen, reinforcement can hold the different sections together.

Various damages to masonry structures and causes

Masonry structures are prone to fractures. They can happen as a result of settlement or
moisture penetration.

Moisture Penetration

 Masonry walls exposed to the elements can easily absorb water, and this compromises
their structural integrity.
 Water leaking into a brick or stone wall will also freeze and thaw, thus exerting pressure
on the entire structure.
 Water penetration poses a danger not only to the masonry materials but the adjacent
assemblage including wood, metal, doors, and windows. For these reasons, moisture
control is one of the most common masonry restoration projects.

Cracking

 Cracks can occur when a building settles or because of moisture penetration.

 Poor preparation of mortar can also cause cracking in the joints.

 Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods can also exert pressure on a masonry
wall or foundation, leading to cracks.

Staining

 Staining is a big problem for exterior-facing masonry walls. It poses a costly problem for
property owners conscious of their home’s curb appeal.

 Staining occurs when masonry materials or mortar come into contact with the elements.
Water seepage and aging walls are the main causes of masonry staining.

Bond Failure

 Bricks and stones in masonry have to stay intact to guarantee the strength of a masonry
structure. However, the loss of adhesion between these materials is a common problem in
construction. It leads to bulging or peeling, hollow patches, and flaking top layers.

Displacement

 It is a structural problem that occurs due to corrosion of steel systems, inadequate anchors
for lateral support, and freezing/thawing action.

 Displacement results in the shifting of the masonry materials.

Spalling

 When bricks or building stones fall from the masonry wall, this is known as spalling.

 It is a problem caused by moisture penetration, freezing, and thawing over a long period.

 It can also result due to structural stress to the masonry wall.

Failures caused by masonry as a construction material

Increase in the moisture content makes the masonry structure to expand and lesser moisture
content makes it to contract. This is the case with brick masonry and this deformation is not
reversible in nature.

In the case of concrete masonry units, shrinkage is a major issue.

Failure observed in the masonry units are resulted from the following problems:
 Freezing of the water present in the joints results in the cracking
 The metal ties and the structural steel members are subjected to corrosion
 Cracking due to settlement issues
 Shrinkage and bending process result in the curling of the concrete floor
 Movement of the masonry units induces cracks extremely
 Thermal expansion of the masonry units will result in the tension in the masonry.

This will lead to cracks.

The wall that is running in the same direction may undergo shortening and resulting in cracking
of the walls. Most of the issues mentioned is due to the lack of proper consideration of design
and detailing of the expansion and the control joint.