Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
around the new repair. There are many other ways that misunderstanding
the problem will result in a poor repair.
1.3.3 Recognising concrete defects
Structural failure
Actual structural failure, or even structural cracking, is only rarely
encountered but it is important to differentiate between cracking from
structural and other causes. Such an assessment should only be carried out
by a structural engineer.
Figure 1.4
illustrates structural cracks at a column/
beam connection. If examined carefully, the column behind shows no
evidence of cracking, but in this case the beam is supported on a brick wall.
The wall was not intended to be load bearing, but was clearly taking some of
the stress off the column.
