Cracks in Building – Foundation settlement

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This gated community ” BRINDAVAN HOMES ” is being developed in Kochadai Madurai, a fast developing area in Madurai.

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Preetham Granite M.D addressed the gathering of engineers (Association of Madurai Civil Engineers) on Cracks in Buildings – Causes & Remedies at Hotel Weshtern Park ( 01.09.2016).

Foundation settlement:

1.Unequal bearing pressure

2.Bearing pressure excess than SBC

3.Local variations in the supporting soil

4.Soils being expansive clay

Cracks due to foundation settlement will be diagonal in nature with cracks wide at top and narrowing down.

Settlement should not be confused with subsidence which results from the load-bearing ground upon which a building sits reducing in level, for instance in areas of mine workings where shafts collapse underground.

Some settlement is quite normal after construction has been completed, but unequal (differential) settlement may cause significant problems for buildings. Traditional green oak-framed buildings are designed to settle with time as the oak seasons and warps, lime mortar rather than Portland cement is used for its elastic properties and glazing will often employ small leaded lights which can accept movement more readily than larger panes.

 Cracks that occur due to foundation movement of a corner on an end of a building are usually diagonal in shape. These cracks are wide at top and decrease in width downward. These cracks thus can be easily distinguished from those due to thermal or moisture movements.