ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT ON SLAB

CRACKING ISSUE
PHÂN TÍCH ĐÁNH GIÁ VẤN ĐỀ NỨT SÀN

KHU NHÀ Ở CAO TẦNG 381 BẾN CHƯƠNG DƯƠNG

Aug 2011

CTC Department
PhD. NGUYEN HUU THANH
CONTENTS

1. Introduction of Ben Chuong Duong project

2. Slab cracking – Site inspection

3. Analysis for reasons of cracking

4. Conclusions for cracking reason and slab capacity

reduction
5. Assess the thermal and shrinkage crack in internal design
codes

CTC Department 2/11

I. Introduction of Ben Chuong Duong High-rise
Apartment Project
Giới thiệu về dự án Khu Nhà Ở Cao Tầng Bến Chương Dương

CTC Department
PhD. NGUYEN HUU THANH
Architecture

► Two highrise buildings A and B

2 basements and 24 upper floors
Reinforced concrete structure
Diaphragm wall, Bored pile foundation

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Plans

► Ground Floor – Block A BxH = 73 x 35 m

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Plans

► 1st Basement Floor – Block A BxH = 73 x 35 m

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Plans

► Ground Floor – Block B BxH = 52 x 63 m

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Plans

► 1st Basement Floor – Block B BxH = 73 x 35 m

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Sections

►Elevation 1 – Block A

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Sections

►Section B-B – Block A

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Sections

►Elevation 1 – Block B

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Construction Schedule

►Construction started day: 10/08/2009

►2th basement floor concrete casting: 19/01/2010

►1st basement floor concrete casting: 09/01/2010

►Ground floor concrete casting: 27/03/2010

►Basement structure finished: 24/05/2010

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II. SLAB CRACKING - SITE INSPECTION
Nứt sàn – Kiểm tra hiện trường

CTC Department
PhD. NGUYEN HUU THANH
Concrete slab inspection

► Site inspection team

Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng
Nguyễn Văn Thành
► Inspection contents
Measure concrete strength
Record visible crack flaws on slab surfaces
► Inspection area
1st Basement floor
• Bottom surface
• Top surface
Ground floor
• Bottom surface
• Top surface

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Observed Cracking Layouts

► 1st Basement floor Block A – Top surface

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Observed Cracking Layouts

► 1st Basement floor Block A– Bottom surface

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Observed Cracking Layouts

► Ground floor Block A – Top surface

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Observed Cracking Layouts

► Ground floor Block A – Bottom surface

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Observation of Cracking

► Crack flaws – Block A

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Observed Cracking Layouts

► 1st Basement floor Block B – Top surface

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Observed Cracking Layouts

► 1st Basement floor Block B – Bottom surface

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Observed Cracking Layouts

► Ground floor Block B – Top surface

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Observed Cracking Layouts
► Ground floor Block B – Bottom surface

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Observation of Cracking

► Crack flaws – Block B

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Site inspection results

► Inspection Observations

Concrete strenght has average value of 49.2MPa

Several cracks were found on the slab
The cracks distribute at the boundary area of the slab, started form the edge
and propagated to center area
Some cracks developed accross the slab
Many cracks went through the slab thickness
Many cracks have width over the standard limit

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Site inspection results

?
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III. ANALYSIS FOR REASONS OF CRACKING
Phân tích lý do nứt

CTC Department
PhD. NGUYEN HUU THANH
Possible reasons of crack in concrete

►Crack is normaly due to moment, shear force, torsion,

imposed displacement
►Crack may arise from shrinkage or expansive chemical

►Crack may be caused by temperature change

Each of above causes will be covered in next sections

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CRACK DUE TO LOADING

Nứt do tải trọng

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Crack due to moment, shear, torsion

►Crack arise by internal moment, shear force,

Crack arise when applied

load is over the design crack
limit
Crack normally arise at
location of high magnitude of
internal force

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Crack due to moment, shear, torsion

►Crack may arise due to internal moment, shear force,

torsion caused by loading. However, in this case
The design load has not been completely applied in construction stage
The observed cracks do not locate at the maximum internal force
locations
The direction of crack is not perpendicular to bending normal stress

►Conclusion is that the crack is not caused by the design

load

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CRACK DUE TO IMPOSED DISPLACEMENT

Nứt do chuyển vị cưỡng bức

CTC Department 32/11

Causes of imposed displacement

►Movement of diaphragm wall cause Imposed

displacement to basement slab
Settlement of diaphragm wall
Displacement and rotation of DW at basement floor level
Basement construction method, shoring system removal schedule

►Require monitoring system to monitor the settlement of

the building and to control the crack
►Due to lacking of actual measurement data, the
imposed displacement will be determined by numerical
analysis

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Causes of imposed displacement

►Need to find inposed displacement at the 1st basement floor

level

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Analysis to obtain imposed displacement

►Stage construction of basement

Diaphragm wall construction
Excavation
Shoring system instalation
Basement floors casting
Shoring system remove

►Finite Element modeling and analysis

►Analysis results of displacement of diaphragm wall

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Causes of imposed displacement

► Basement construction scheldule

● Step 1: DW construction
● Step 2: first excavation
● Step 3: 1st shoring sys installation
● Step 4: second excavation
● Step 5: 2nd shoring sys installation
● Step 6: third excavation
● Step 7: bottom basement slab casting
● Step 8: uninstall second shoring sys
● Step 9: 1st basement slab casting
● Step 10: uninstall first shoring sys
● Step 11: ground floor slab casting

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Analysis results of imposed displacement

►Maximum imposed displacement results

Ux = 36.25mm
Uz = 10.895mm
Ry = 1/128

Ux

Ry

Uz

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Analysis for crack due to imposed displacement

►Diaphragm wall and slab modeling

►Enforced displacement applied

►Material model

►Analysis for crack

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Analysis for crack due to imposed displacement

►Finite Element model – 1st Basement slab Block A

Slab

Diaphragm wall

Shear wall
Column

Enforced
displacement

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Analysis for crack due to imposed displacement

►Finite Element model – 1st Basement slab Block A

Imposed displacement
applied to the edge of
the slab

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Analysis for crack due to imposed displacement

►Finite Element model – 1st Basement slab Block B

Diaphragm wall

Slab Shear wall

Column

Imposed displacement

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Analysis for crack due to imposed displacement

►Finite Element model – 1st Basement slab Block B

Imposed displacement
applied to the edge of
the slab

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Resulting crack due to imposed displacement

►1st basement slab Block A

Cracking
region

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Resulting crack due to imposed displacement

►1st basement slab Block A Crack flaw

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Resulting crack due to imposed displacement

►1st basement slab Block B

Cracking
region

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Resulting crack due to imposed displacement

►1st basement slab Block B

Cracking
region

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Observation from crack analysis

►Imposed displacement is a reason causing crack

►Basement method and scheldule of shoring system remove

can result in crack in the slab.
►Crack region and direction derived from the analysis of the
slab under imposed displacement do not quite match with the
site inspection results.
►Imposed displacement is secondary cause of crack.

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CRACK DUE TO TEMPERATURE AND
SHRINKAGE
Nứt do nhiệt độ và co ngót

CTC Department 48/11

Early thermal strain

►Internal temperature gradient

Usually arise in massive pour of concrete
Heating form hydration of cement
Low thermal conductivity of concrete
Difference of temperature between in and out side of concrete mass

►Temperature increasing phase

Conrete has not hardened, low elastic modulus, compression stress
dissipation easily.

►Temperature decreasing phase.

Concrete hardened but has low strength, tensile stress exceed tensile
strength, cracking arise.

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Early thermal strain

►Internal temperature gradient

Temperature Temperature
increasing phase decreasing phase
(hydration) (dissipation phase)

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Early thermal strain and shrinkage

►External restrain during cooling

εT = ∆L/L

Non-restrained concrete
No crack arise

Wall poured on
hardened foundation

One way restrained concrete

Crack arise at haft or one
third of span
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Infill restrain

► 1st Basement Floor – Block A Restrain

boundary

Diaphragm
Wall Infill concrete
constructed casting BxH = 73 x 35 m

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Infill restrain

► 1st Basement Floor – Block B BxH = 73 x 35 m

Restrain
boundary

Infill concrete
Diaphragm casting
Wall
constructed

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FE analysis on thermal and shrinkage cracking

►FE models
Temperature
change applied
to the slab part

BLOCK A BLOCK B

►Temperature variation applied to the slab

Initial temperature 50 °C
Final temperature 25°C
Temperature change ∆T = 25°C

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Resulting crack due to thermal and shrinkage

►Basement slab Block A

Cracking
region

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Resulting crack due to imposed displacement

►Basement slab Block A Crack flaw

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Resulting crack due to imposed displacement

►Basement slab Block B

Cracking
region

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Resulting crack due to imposed displacement

►Basement slab Block B

Cracking
region

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Observation from crack analysis

►Early thermal and shrinkage are dominant reasons of crack in

concrete slab.
►Restrained boundary and infill casting are main factors
resulting in crack in the slab.
►Crack region and direction derived from the analysis of the
slab under temperature change have good agreement with the
site inspection results.
►It can be concluded that early thermal and shrinkage in
restrained slab is mayor cause of crack.

CTC Department 59/11

ANALYSIS FOR STRENGTH DEGRADATION OF
CRACKED SLAB
Phân tích sự giảm sức chịu tải của sàn bị nứt

CTC Department 60/11

Analysis for strength degradation

►Non-linear analysis of the slab structure under uniform

loading is carried out in subsequent to thermal crack step to
determine peak load value.
►Uncracked slab is also analyzed for peak load.

►The two peak load values are compared.

►The differences of peak load and slop of Load-defection

curves give the strength and stiffness degradation.

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Analysis for strength degradation

►Non-linear analysis of the slab structure under uniform load

– Block A

7
Po - Pr
Po 6
RP = = 0.114 =11.4%
Po
Pr
5
Eo - Er
Load factor, LF

4
Eo
RE = = 0.571 = 57.1%
Eo
3

2
Origin-Slab
Er Cracked-Slab
1

0
0 50 100 150 200
Deflection, m m

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Analysis for strength degradation

►Non-linear analysis of the slab structure under uniform load

– Block B
5

Po 4.5 Po - Pr
4
RP = = 0.138 =13.8%
Pr Po
3.5 Eo
Load Factor, LF

3 Eo - Er
2.5
RE = = 0.623 = 62.3%
Eo
2

1.5
Er Origin-Slab
1
Cracked-Slab
0.5

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Deflection, m m

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 IV. CONCLUSIONS
KẾT LUẬN

CTC Department
PhD. NGUYEN HUU THANH
Conclusions

►Early thermal and shrinkage strains in the concrete pour

casted into infill restrained area are the main reasons for the
crack in the concrete slab.
►Imposed displacement caused by basement construction
method is potential cause of cracking in the slab. It is
assessed to be secondary reason for the crack being
considered. It participate in development of the advance
early thermal and shrinkage cracks.
►The load capacity and stiffness of the cracked slab reduces
to an order of 15% and 60%, respectively.

CTC Department 65/11

V. ASSESS THERMAL AND SHRINKAGE CRACK IN
INTERNATINAL DESIGN CODE
Đánh giá nứt do nhiệt độ và co ngót trong tiêu chuẩn thiết kế

CTC Department
PhD. NGUYEN HUU THANH
ASSESS EARLY THERMAL AND SHRINKAGE
CRACK USING BS AND EURO CODES

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Early thermal strain and shrinkage

►Thermal strain of concrete

ε T = αT ,c × ∆T
► ∆t : Temperature change
Variation of air temperature, HCM 22~34 °C
Temperature due to cement hydration
Total temperature change normally be ~25 °C

► α : Thermal expansion coefficient

Depend on aggregate of concrete (Table 3.2, BS8110 – 2)
Granite aggregate: α = 10 x 10-6 / °C

► R : restrain factor (0~1) (Table 3.3, BS8110 – 2)

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Early thermal strain and shrinkage

►Thermal strain coefficients

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Early thermal strain and shrinkage

►Shrinkage strain of concrete

► εcd : drying shrinkage strain ► εcd : autogenous shrinkage strain

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Early thermal strain and shrinkage

►Drying shrinkage strain

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Early thermal strain and shrinkage
►Calculations of thermal and shrinkage strains
Thermal strain
εT = 25 x 10 x 10-6 = 25 x 10-5

Shrinkage strain
Drying shrinkage strain
εcd(t) = βds(t, ts) . kh . εcd,0 = 0.0326 x 0.75 x 0.24 x 10-3 = 5.868 x 10-6

Autogenous shrinkage strain

εca(t) = βas(t) εca(∞) = 0.411 x 75 x 10-6 = 30.825 x 10-6

Total shrinkage strain

εcs = εcd + εca = (5.868 + 30.825) 10-6 = 36.693 x 10-6

Total of thermal and shrinkage strains

25 x 10-5 + 3.67 x 10-5 = 28.67 x 10-5

Slab with 40m length can have crack width up to 1cm

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Methods to avoid early thermal and shrinkage crack

►Reduce temperature in concrete pour during casting time

►Use low shrinkage concrete

►Apply appropriate curing methods

►Provide reinforcement with small diameter and distance

►Release the restrain to the concrete after concrete

hardening
►Design construction joint to reduce the length of structure

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