Case 2

Water Leakage Through RC Internal Floor Slab

Introduction

Type of Building: Public

In this case, a reinforced concrete internal floor slab in a wet area of a public building has been shown to crack. Reinforced concrete appears to be a durable material under tropical conditions. However, aging, deterioration of concrete structures and many other external factors such as structural movement, may cause cracking which can be further classified into pre-hardening and post-hardening cracks.

In this case, corrosion of the concealed pipe in the slab was found as one other possible cause, since crack line and rust stains together with water seepage were observed along the pipeline. The formation of rust in general, with an increase in volume would cause stresses in the concrete structures and may lead to the formation of cracks in the concrete.