Investigation and Remedial Strengthening of Concrete Podium Slab
Concrete structures rarely are crack free. Even properly designed and constructed concrete structures can develop cracks due to tensile stresses from restraint of volume changes and response to superimposed loads. Cracks in newly constructed concrete structures are typically the subject of some level of scrutiny as to their cause and their structural and durability implications. When cracking is not widespread or severe, the evaluation is usually a simple matter however, when cracking is systemic and unusual, the evaluation is often not trivial. This paper presents the investigation and remedial strengthening of a podium-slab structure that experienced widespread and unusual cracking as the result of an unfortunate confluence of design and construction deficiencies.
Publisher
Forensic Engineering 2012: Gateway to a Safer Tomorrow – Proceedings of the Sixth Congress on Forensic Engineering, Oct 31 – Nov 3, 2012, ASCE