Foundation cracks manifest in varying shapes and sizes, ranging from a hairline crack up to cracks that are several inches wide. There are numerous causes for these cracks, including concrete shrinkage, settlement, and bowing. These problems can be diagnosed by examining the formation, location, and width of the foundation cracks.
Below are some of the common causes of foundation cracks:
Settlement
Several indications of foundation settlement include sloping floors, cracked walls, and most notably, foundation cracks. These cracks normally indicate where the poor soil starts and ends (see illustration below). Settlement cracks develop when a portion of the foundation settles, thus being wider at the top than bottom.
For settlement, Northeast Helical routinely provides helical piles, resistance piles, and injection grouting for foundation repair. |
Bowing
Foundations and retaining walls bow in two distinct ways; along a horizontal line around the middle of the wall (see first illustration below), and when the middle of a wall bulges inwards (second illustration below).
The first of these bowing scenarios is easy to recognize, as there is typically a relatively straight horizontal crack (or series of these) along the middle of the wall, and the wall is noticeably bulged inwards. In most cases, the wall can be repaired using carbon fiber technology.
The second bowing situation is a little more difficult to recognize. The cracks will appear prior to the bowing is visibly noticeable. Essentially, the whole wall is bulging inwards within the middle portion. Please see the below illustration for further clarification.
For both these scenarios, Northeast Helical provides both tiebacks and carbon fiber reinforcement to repair the wall.
Shrinkage
All concrete will shrink over time. However, the amount concrete shrinks depends on multiple factors, most importantly the amount of water in the mix. The concrete “slump” indicates the flowability of a concrete mix; the higher the slump the more flowable the concrete. Essentially the more water in the concrete, the more it will shrink. A foundation poured with a high slump concrete will result in a lower strength mix and the potential for many foundation cracks. For this scenario, Northeast Helical recommends using affiliate companies that specialize in epoxy injection technology.
Northeast Helical routinely works with other professionals in the foundation repair industry. For epoxy injections and crack repair, we refer our clients to: A1 Foundation Crack Repair, Inc.
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