Crack cause
Example: Concrete, reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete
Cracking has various causes. In general, they are classified into three categories:
Causes due to material and physical reasons
Example: recipe; quality, composition, and chemical properties of the ingredients; appropriateness of aggregates and admixtures, chemical reactions; hydration-related temperature development and cooling down; shrinkage; settling of the fresh concrete.
Causes due to static and design
Example: too low calculated loads; ignorance of (upper) load limits; reinforcement is missing or incorrectly dimensioned; corrosion of the reinforcement; constraint (structural elements are lacking free moving space, expansion/contraction); internal stress; external loads; settlement.
Causes due to workmanship
Example: inexpert pouring of concrete (too high free-fall distance results in segregation); poor concrete cover; dislocation of reinforcement; no or inadequate finishing treatment of the structural concrete element; too fast drying out; impact of frost or heat.
Causes due to material and physical reasons
Example: recipe; quality, composition, and chemical properties of the ingredients; appropriateness of aggregates and admixtures, chemical reactions; hydration-related temperature development and cooling down; shrinkage; settling of the fresh concrete.
Causes due to static and design
Example: too low calculated loads; ignorance of (upper) load limits; reinforcement is missing or incorrectly dimensioned; corrosion of the reinforcement; constraint (structural elements are lacking free moving space, expansion/contraction); internal stress; external loads; settlement.
Causes due to workmanship
Example: inexpert pouring of concrete (too high free-fall distance results in segregation); poor concrete cover; dislocation of reinforcement; no or inadequate finishing treatment of the structural concrete element; too fast drying out; impact of frost or heat.