Settlement crack
A settlement crack is structural damage that often manifests itself as a long, sloping, often irregularly stepped crack in masonry .
Settlement cracks are caused by uneven settlement , i.e. H. due to the yield of the subsoil due to the weight of the structure. Different weight of building parts (as with church and steeple ), different soil conditions across the surface of the floor plan (such as on sand or peat lenses ), geological changes, changes in the groundwater level or structural measures in the neighborhood (also by adding to older structures, that had already settled) contribute to the fact that not all “rigid” interconnected components are equally supported on the subsurface. Tensions arise in walls, floors and ceilings, which lead to cracks when the plasticity of the building material is exceeded .
Settlement cracks are often harmless and can only endanger the stability of the structure in exceptional cases . Eliminating the causes is usually associated with great effort.
To avoid settlement cracks on uneven subsoil, a reinforced foundation can be carried out preventively . For buildings with greater horizontal expansion different reductions can usually deliberately by building sections with separate foundations and movement joints decoupled. In order to subsequently increase the building's rigidity , attempts are often made to increase the pane effect of walls and ceilings or to install additional ring anchors .
literature
- Karl Széchy: Investigation and strength theory of the subsoil, Springer, Vienna 1963. ISBN 978-3-7091-8106-5
- Joachim Schulz: Architecture of building damage: cause of damage, expert classification, Springer, Berlin 2015. ISBN 978-3-6580-7424-1
Web links
- Crack damage to masonry structures (accessed October 4, 2019)
- Structural cracks (accessed October 4, 2019)
- Cracks in concrete (accessed October 4, 2019)