BUILDING DEFECTS Group 1`

GROUP MEMBERS
Ananya Kandalla
Chindam Manideep
Jella Pranav
Hajare Suhas
Debojyoti Sarkar
Sahal kabeer
Vaibhav khillari
Vaibhav Hireraddi
Vanga goutham reddy
Yerramreddy Siva ramreddy
INTRODUCTION
In construction defects are mainly categorized into three categories:
•Pre construction
•During construction
•Post construction (after construction)
The common defects in the buildings are:
•Cracks
•Dampness
CRACKS
Cracks in building are a common occurrence and it is important to understand the
causes and the measures to be taken for their prevention.
Tensile stress are produced due to restraint to contraction movements.
If these stresses exceed the tensile or shear strength of the material cracks develop.
In a tropical country like India, there is a large variation of atmospheric temperature
and humidity, hence it would necessary to avoid materials which expand or contract
considerably due to thermal and moisture movements.
And design of the structure is so that to minimize restraint to contraction or expansion
of the material.
CRACKS TYPES
STRUCTURAL CRACKS- These occur due to incorrect design, faulty construction or
overloading.
NON-STRUCTURAL CRACKS- These are mostly due to internally induced stresses in
building materials.
Structural cracks that are formed in slab, column and slab

Beam Column slab

Flexural Cracks Horizontal Cracks Flexural Cracks
Shear Flexural Cracks Diagonal Cracks Top Flexural Cracks
Torsional Cracks Corrosion/Bond Cracks Shrinkage Cracks
Bond slip Cracks
Disturbance Cracks
Tension Cracks
PRINCIPLE CAUSES OF CRACKS
Main causes of occurrence of cracks in buildings are as follows:
• Drying shrinkage
• Thermal movement
• Elastic deformation
• Creep
• Chemical reaction
• Foundation movement and settlement of soil
• Growth of vegetation.
DRYING SHRINKAGE
Drying shrinkage is defined as the contracting of a hardened concrete mixture due to
capillary water, this causes an increase in tensile stress which may lead to cracking
and warping.
Factor causing drying shrinkage
•Cement and water content,
•Maximum size, grading and quality of aggregates,
•Presence of excessive fine in aggregates,
•Chemical composition of cement,
•Temperature of fresh concrete and relative humidity of surroundings.
THERMAL MOVEMENT
•All materials more or less expand on heating and contract on cooling .
•The thermal movement depends on a number of factors such as temperature
variations, dimensions, coefficient of thermal expansion and some other physical
properties of materials..
•It is mainly the external walls especially thin walls exposed to direct solar radiation.
•It can be avoided by introducing expansion joint, control joints and slip joints.
ELASTIC DEFORMATION
•The temporary change in length, volume or shape produced in a elastic substance by
a stress
•Structural components of a building undergo elastic deformation due to dead load
and the live loads.
•When the walls are unevenly loaded with wide variations in stresses in different
parts, excessive shear stress is developed which causes cracking in walls.
CREEP
•Creep is the tendency of a solid material to move slowly or deform permanently
under the influence of mechanical stresses.
•It can occur as a result of long term exposure to high levels of stress that are still
below the yield strength of the material.
•Factor affecting creep:
• Influence of aggregate.
• Relative humidity.
• Size of member.
• Applied stresses

•Effects of creep:
• Increasing the deflection in larger span beams.
• Buckling of slander columns
• Buckling of cladding in tall buildings
CHEMICAL REACTION
•Certain chemical reactions in building materials results in appreciable increase in
volume of materials. The materials taking part in reaction also become weak and lose
strength .
•Common instances of chemical reaction are:
• Sulphate attack on cement products.
• Carbonation of reinforcement and brickwork, and
• Alkali-aggregate reaction.
FOUNDATION MOVEMENT AND SETTLEMENT OF
SOIL.
Shear cracks in buildings occur when there is large diffferential settlement of
foundation due to one of the following causes:
•Unequal bearing pressure under different parts of the structure,
•Bearing pressure being in excess of bearing strength of the soil,
•Low factor of safety in the design of foundations,
•Local variations in the nature of supporting soil, which remained undetected and
could not be taken care of in the foundation design at the construction.
GROWTH OF VEGETATION.
•Roots of a tree generally spread horizontally on all sides to the extent of height of
the tree above the ground and when trees are located in the vicinity of a wall, these
should be viewed with suspicion
•They can cause cracks in walls due to expansive action of roots growing under the
foundation.
General measures to avoid cracks due to vegetation
• Do not let trees grow too close to buildings, compounds walls, etc. If any saplings of
trees start growing in fissures of walls etc. remove them at the earliest opportunity.
• If some large trees exist close to a building and these are not causing any problem,
as far as possible, do not disturb these trees if soil under the foundation happens to
be shrinkable clay.
• If from any site intended for new construction, vegetation including trees have been
removed and the soil is shrinkable clay, do not commence construction activity on that
soil until it undergone expansion and stabilized after absorbing moisture in at least
one rainy season.
General measures for protection of cracks.
The measures for prevention of cracks could be broadly grouped under the following
main sub heads :
a) Selection of materials:
Good quality of building materials according to the specification if used that will
minimize the cracks in the building
b) Specifications for mortar and concrete:
The ratio of the mortar and concrete should be according to the prescribed design.
Care should be taken that the coarse aggregate, fine aggregate should be free from
silt suspended impurities and the mix should be homogeneous, well mixed and contain
no excessive of water.
c) Drawing and Design of the building:
While doing the construction work care should be taken that foundation of the
building should not be laid on loose /muddy soil. The mortar, M S steel reinforcement
should be according to the design.
d) Good Construction practices:
It is necessary that work proceed uniformly in all part of building. The workmanship
should be according to the prescribed norms and best practice in the building
construction.
e) Weather Effect:
•The construction work should be avoided in very hot and dry weather, and during
very low temperature also.
•In general quality of water, sand ,Bajri , mixing of mortar ,quantity of water in mix ,
socking of bricks and workmanship have great effect on construction work. If possible
the subsequent items of construction should be done after the drying of work
previously done
CRACKS IN WALLS
•Cracks in masonry walls- Cracks in walls generally get localized at weak sections,
such as door and window openings or staircase walls.
•In external walls of buildings, shrinkage cracks generally run downward from window
sill to plinth level an from window sill on an upper story to the lintel of a lower story.
•Preventive measures- Shrinkage cracks in masonry could be minimized by avoiding
use of rich cement mortar in masonry and by delaying plaster work till masonry has
dried after proper curing and has undergone most of its initial shrinkage.
•Masonry work done with composite cement-lime-sand mortar ([Link], [Link] or [Link]),
which are weak, will have lesser tendency to develop cracks because shrinkage in
individual masonry units gets accommodated to a great extent in the mortar itself.
Crack defect have classified of visible damage to walls.

Type Width
Very slight < 1 mm
Slight Up to 5 mm
Moderate 5 to 15 mm ( or several of 3mm)

Severe 15 to 25 mm

Very severe Usually greater than 25 but depends on

number of crack
DEFECTS DUE TO DAMPNESS
•Penetrating damp is the most common form of dampness in buildings. Dampness
occurs as a result of water ingressing horizontally through gaps in the building
structure.
•Rising damp describes the action of ground moisture rising up a masonry wall by
capillary action.
•It potentially occurs where there is no damp-proof course (DPC) or where the DPC
has been damaged or bridged. Theoretically, moisture can rise up the wall to a
height of a meter.
•"Rising Damp" is most often caused by damp penetration which is then absorbed by
the plaster which is highly absorbent and due to the chemical reactions taking place
inside the wall
CAUSES
A) Rain
B) Condensation
C) Rising damp and flooding
D) Services leaks
E) Construction process
F) Use of the building
G) Moisture in the air
SYMPTOMS
•Dampness tends to cause secondary damage to a building.
•The unwanted moisture enables the growth of various fungi in wood, causing rot.
•Plaster and paint deteriorate and wallpaper loosens.
•Stains, from the water, salts and from mold, mar surfaces.
•Externally, mortar may crumble and salt stains may appear on the walls.
•Steel& iron fasteners rust.
•It may also cause respiratory illness in occupants.
•In extreme cases, mortar or plaster may fall away from the affected wall.
•The cracks developed as evenand uniformly spread throughout
IDENTIFICATION OF DAMPNESS
•Roof defects such as faulty flashing, cracked or missing slates or tiles.
•Faults in the brickwork or masonry such as missing or cracked pointing. Porous bricks
or stones.
•Missing or defective mastic around windows and doors.
•Blocked weep holes.
•Missing or defective trays in cavity walls.
•Condensation.
•Damp proof membrane or Damp Proof course been buried by later building activities
TREATMENT
•1. Use of damp proof courses
•2. Water proof or damp proof treatments
•3. Integral damp proofing treatment
•4. Cavity walls or hallow walls
•5. Guniting or shot concrete or shotcrete
•6. Pressure grouting or cementation
FOUNDATION MOVEMENT AND SETTLEMENT OF
SOIL
Shear cracks in buildings occur when there is large
differential settlement of foundation and it may be
either due to the following reasons:
•Unequal bearing pressure under different parts of the
structure
•Bearing pressure on soil being in excess of safe bearing
strength of the soil
•Low factor of safety in the design of foundation
EARTHQUAKE
Crack may occur due to sudden shift in lower layer of the earth. The voids in the
earth might have suddenly collapsed and be filled with soil from the above. Many
geological events can trigger earth movements but is continuous movement

POOR CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES

There is a general lack of good construction practices either due to ignorance,
carelessness, greed or negligence. For a healthy building it is absolutely necessary
for the construction agency and the owner to ensure good quality materials selection
and good construction practices.
TIMBER DECAY
INSECT OR TERMITE ATTACKS
DEFECTIVE PLASTER RENDERING
PEELING PAINTS
ROOFING DEFECTS
EROSION OF MORTAR JOINT
UNSTABLE FOUNDATION