Case 1
- Introduction
- Causes of Defects
- Good Practices
- Standards
- Maintenance and Diagnostics
- Remedial
- Similar Cases
- References
Water Leakage Through RC Internal Slab
Introduction
Type of building: Residential
In this case, a portion of a reinforced concrete internal floor slab near the abutment of the wall and floor was found to have cracked. In general, reinforced concrete is a durable material under tropical conditions. However, aging and deterioration of concrete structures or many other external factors, such as settlement, can cause cracking and spalling. Nevertheless, not all the cracks present would affect the durability of the concrete structure. Excessive drying shrinkage of the slab could be one possible cause of the crack in this situation since drying shrinkage cracks appeared to propagate perpendicularly along the long dimension of the slab.
White-coloured calthermite stalactite :
as well as efflorescence :
has appeared along the crack. Calthermite stalactite is a deposit of calcite which is the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate. Efflorescence is the term used to describe the white deposit of salts or stains on the surface of stones, ceramic tiles, concrete, or bricks with cementitious backings or joints as an external crystallization. It covers a number of different deposits, which vary significantly in terms of chemical composition, and the method of formation.