When cracks are found in the building’s structure and it is deemed to be expanding, you have to attend to it. The most basic method used is an epoxy injection. It is very effective in repairing cracks provided that is the case.
This is not as effective as where an overloaded structure or some ground-shifting condition has occurred. In that case, the concrete can crack again in another location.
Building Strengthening Works
All safety measures concerning the stability and integrity of the structure have to be in place before attempting any removal of the damaged concrete.
First, manually or mechanically chip and remove all damaged plaster, and debonded concrete, and expose the corroded reinforcement bars from the RCC column, beam, and slabs. Remove the concrete from the reinforcing bars, ensuring at least 2cm clearance on all sides.
What is Epoxy Injection or Epoxy crack Injection?
The identified crack is first flushed with water to get rid of any dirt. Debris which is still lodged can be removed by vacuuming.
Once you clear and clean the cracks of all contaminants, seal the cracked surfaces with an epoxy gel to prevent the injected epoxy from running out. Also, install injection and venting ports and allow for curing as per the user manual of the product in use.
The epoxy is injected at a low pressure preventing further formation of cracks. The width of the cracks can widen if high pressure is applied, hence low pressure is recommended. Curing time is allowed as per the user manual of the product in use.
Once the curing is completed and it’s been verified that the cracks have been filled, the injection ports and surface seals can be removed.
The epoxy injection can be used to repair surface delamination of slabs, poured concrete foundation cracks, fix basement leaks, etc.
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