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Preventing Concrete Cracks

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Site cracked concrete

Perhaps this section should be titled, "Attempting to Prevent Concrete Cracks", or "Minimizing Concrete Cracks", as it is impossible to guarantee against cracking.

We have compiled a group of construction tips to help towards preventing cracks, and tips regarding cracking from the Troubleshooting Newsletters printed by the American Society of Concrete Contractors, which since 1986 has printed these bulletins from hotline questions asked by their members.

Concrete cracking has been an oft-discussed topic.

The "deliverables" to you from this section should be ideas to discuss with your slab designer and concrete contractor to achieve a slab that meets the requirements of your job.

Construction tips to help towards preventing cracks

Make sure the subgrade is compacted

Use a Low Water-to-Cement Ratio-- How to Calculate Water to Cement Ratio's

Properly Curing Concrete Slabs

A case for allowing the time in the schedule to water cure

Be active in deciding where control joints will be placed

Preventing Concrete Cracks

Shrinkage Reducing Admixtures

Early Entry Sawing

Tips regarding cracking from the Troubleshooting Newsletters printed by the American Society of Concrete Contractors

Who Owns Sidewalk Cracks?

Allowable Crack Widths (In the tensile face of reinforced concrete structures)

Avoid Unjointed Elongated Slabs to Control Cracking (Panels with excessive length-to-width ratio are likely to crack at the midpanel point or at some other location between joints)

Causes of Craze Cracking (fine random cracks that show up on a flatwork surface)

Circular Cracking Pattern in Floor (problems caused by concentrated loads)

Cracks in Curb and Gutter

Cracks in Tank Walls (time after pour to time of cracking an important clue)

Early Random Cracking in Floors

Filling Random Cracks in a Floor

Finding New Cracks in Concrete

How to Control Cracking in Racquetball Court (large pour, few or no joints)

Monitoring Wall Cracks (2 ways to do it)

Plastic Cracking in Slabs Placed on Vapor Barriers

Preventing Cracks in a Warehouse Slab (mesh carried through the joint without cutting any longitudinal wires can prevent the cracks from opening up enough to function as control joints)

Staggered Joints in a Concrete Parking Lot (tee intersections of joints will induce mid-panel cracking)

Tolerable Crack Widths (for elevated concrete slabs)

What Cracks to Repair

Related Information:

Concrete Contractors: Free magazine about decorative concrete. Sign up for a free subscription to Concrete Network Magazine

Other Resources:

How to Hire a Concrete Contractor—8 Simple Steps

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