Arnold
CibbuanoCracked Brickwork
June 21st 2006 00:53
Cracking in brickwork can be a shocking discovery by any home owner. Immediately thoughts of extensive structural renovations or horrible home collapses jump to mind. In many cases, cracking in brickwork is not as sever a problem as the home owner will assume. According to the Australian Royal Institute of Architects, the majority of cases of cracking brickwork is not structurally serious and can be solved with cosmetic treatment. This is important to know as professionals can play of the fears of uninformed home owners and recommend unnecessary and expensive treatment options. Before you commit to any form of brickwork cracking remedies is it important to seek the advice of a professional, independent authority. There are three options for seeking professional advice, a local council inspector, an Archicentre Inspector or a structural engineer.
The next few posts will be dedicated to the rather commonplace problem of cracks in brickwork. For the jargon enthusiasts, cracked brickwork is also referred to as fretting.
Firstly it is important to identify what is causing the cracking. There are five common causes of brickwork cracking.
1) Foundation movements – This occurs when the land upon which the structure is built moves. Foundation movements can occur due to soil instability. Clay based land can expand due to the absorption of water. Sand based soils are equally instable. Other factors that can affect the foundations are tree root systems absorbing water from the surrounding soil.
2) Support structure movements- Movements of the support structure will largely occur when there is a poor design or construction of the supporting structure. Poorly designed or workmanship at structural joins, poor mortar mixes, rapid construction loadings and poor support propping arrangements during construction are all factors that may play in the development of support structure movements.
3) Thermal or moisture changes, either absorption or loss – Overtime, clay bricks will absorb moisture and expand. Silica and concrete bricks will loose moisture and shrink. Mortar will typically shrink over time. To counter these changes, expansion joints are needed to absorb the impact these changes will have on the overall structure. If expansion joints are poorly designed or unable to function properly, cracking will occur.
4) External loads – Environmental loads such as earthquakes, winds, gravity, tree roots, soil pressures, heavy machinery, blasting or water build-up are a selection of possible external loads which may not be factored into the original design of the structure. Free-standing walls or those will little structural support will be particularly vulnerable to external loads.
5) Arch failure – Arch failures result from a poorly designed masonry arch. This is typically caused by poor or no structural engineering in the initial design.
The next few posts will be dedicated to the rather commonplace problem of cracks in brickwork. For the jargon enthusiasts, cracked brickwork is also referred to as fretting.
Firstly it is important to identify what is causing the cracking. There are five common causes of brickwork cracking.
1) Foundation movements – This occurs when the land upon which the structure is built moves. Foundation movements can occur due to soil instability. Clay based land can expand due to the absorption of water. Sand based soils are equally instable. Other factors that can affect the foundations are tree root systems absorbing water from the surrounding soil.
2) Support structure movements- Movements of the support structure will largely occur when there is a poor design or construction of the supporting structure. Poorly designed or workmanship at structural joins, poor mortar mixes, rapid construction loadings and poor support propping arrangements during construction are all factors that may play in the development of support structure movements.
3) Thermal or moisture changes, either absorption or loss – Overtime, clay bricks will absorb moisture and expand. Silica and concrete bricks will loose moisture and shrink. Mortar will typically shrink over time. To counter these changes, expansion joints are needed to absorb the impact these changes will have on the overall structure. If expansion joints are poorly designed or unable to function properly, cracking will occur.
4) External loads – Environmental loads such as earthquakes, winds, gravity, tree roots, soil pressures, heavy machinery, blasting or water build-up are a selection of possible external loads which may not be factored into the original design of the structure. Free-standing walls or those will little structural support will be particularly vulnerable to external loads.
5) Arch failure – Arch failures result from a poorly designed masonry arch. This is typically caused by poor or no structural engineering in the initial design.
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