Whenever home and commercial owners notice cracks on concrete slabs, pavements, and even walls, their first assumption, in most cases, is the job hasn’t been done properly. But that’s not always the case. The appearance of cracks on concrete is extremely common.
To make things clear, we have listed the types of concrete cracks and their formation here.
Plastic Shrinkage Cracks
The concrete is full of water when it’s in the plastic state, the stage before hardening. When water retreats, it leaves behind barely visible voids that make the concrete weaker. These empty spaces further develop crackings all over the solid surface. These plastic shrinkage cracks not only exist on the surface but extend throughout the slab thickness. Another contributing factor is hot weather that widens the cracks further.
Expansion Cracks
Heat causes expansion in concrete. This makes concrete to push against other things in its way. For instance- an adjacent slab or a brick wall. When there is no possibility to expand further, the expanding force creates cracks in between concrete. To avoid such cracks formation, it’s suggested to use a compressible material such as rubber or asphalt as a point of separation between the two surfaces. Such points absorb the shock and relieve the stress caused due to expansion.
Heaving Cracks
Sometimes ground slab lifts a few inches when it freezes before settling back down. This movement caused due to freezing and thawing cycle contributes to the formation of concrete cracks. Similarly, tree roots located near the slab cause lift and crack movement on the concrete surface.
Cracks form due to overload
Though concrete is a strong material, it also has a certain resistance limit. Putting an excessive weight on the top of concrete sometimes causes cracks formation. Such cracks aren’t common at residential places, but most commercial spaces that receive heavy traffic are more likely to experience concrete cracks due to overloading.
These were some types of concrete cracks that appear many times on a surface. If your industry’s old decorative concrete surface needs preservation or enhancement, get in touch with Extreme IFC, the best contractor for industrial concrete flooring and restoration.
