By Sri P.Suresh Babu.B.Tech.,
The above proverb needs to be kept in mind by all Civil Engineers while
constructing structures like Buildings and Bridges. It is my personal opinion that the
premature signs of failure in Government Buildings is not due to less usage of
cement in construction, but due to inadequate care and supervision of
Department Engineers . At the same time the structures constructed by individual
house owners adjoining our Government Buildings, which were constructed under
the supervision of un qualified masons are doing well compared to Government
Buildings. This point is to be examined very carefully by us and we have to be more
careful and meticulous to avoid public criticism. The following are the few
observations during my field inspection of recently constructed Government
Buildings of 15 years age.
(1) Exposure of Steel Reinforcement in Roof Slab and Roof Beam
totally or partially.
(2) Cracks in walls and settlement of Flooring
(3) Damp patches in walls and peeling of Plastering.
(4) Leakages in Roof slab and plumbing joints
Due to the above mentioned defects, everyone feels that the structure is
likely to collapse in short time which is not true in many cases . Even then is
it not our responsibility to avoid such complications, to build confidence of
occupants when an unqualified mason’s Building is well and looking good. If the
same situation continues no person prefer to approach Government Department
Engineers. Even some of the Buildings are being entrusted to consultants who are
less qualified ie Diploma holders or others. Many of us say that it is all due to
corrosion of steel. My question is that when the same steel is used by private
owners why the steel is not getting corroded.
The following are some of the reasons which are responsible, for poor
condition of Government Buildings.
1) Inadequate cover or no cover to Reinforcement.
IS 4562000 has given very high importance to cover of Reinforcement .
But many of us do not understand the seriousness of it. The cover to reinforcement
is a dominant factor to be attended very carefully during construction of
Buildings . We must cast cover blocks of size 50x50x40 mm with Cement mortar
(1:2) with a small binding wire piece placed in each block, not less than 15 days in
advance to casting of concrete. That means cover blocks must be available at site in
advance and should be cured for minimum 15 days, before they are placed under
reinforcement, for casting of concrete. The provision of adequate cover as
stipulated in IS CODE prevents ingress of moisture in to concrete and avoid
corrosion of steel. Because we do not plan cover blocks in advance which looks very
simple and easy, we place some stones under reinforcement while starting of
concrete and they get displaced due to movement of concrete workers, finally the
reinforcement touches the centering sheets without any cover. We cast concrete
without noticing this lapse and it creates the biggest problem. After 21 days we
remove the centering shutters and then only we notice that there is no
cover to reinforcement and steel is exposed partially which is supposed to
be inside of
concrete. As a solution we plaster this surface with cement
mortar and forget the matter. But nature will not allow us to forget the matter. It
discharges its job of sending moisture in to concrete which can not be
prevented by plastering and finally leads to corrosion of steel. It is an
astonishing fact that the Buildings far away from sea coast like Udayagiri etc are
also showing corrosion in reinforcement of Roof slab because of this lapse.
From this we can conclude that a small negligence is making all the difference and
bringing very bad name to Government Department Engineers. So we must adhere
to this procedure of providing cured cover blocks under reinforcement.
In some cases many Engineers feel that good quality water is required for
mixing only and water used for curing need not be that much good which is a
wrong notion and responsible for early damage of Buildings.
INADEQUATE CURING SHOWS WHITE COLOUR OF CONCRETE INSTEAD OF GREY
COLOUR
In remote locations the contractors do not have vibrators for
compaction of concrete and prefer to use more water in mixing so that it flows and
finishing can be done with a hand trowel by mason. All of us should keep in mind
that compaction of concrete by vibrators is compulsory and concrete shall be
compacted with minimum water cement Ratio to achieve maximum density without
any voids. This high water cement Ratio is responsible for leakages due to
presence of more voids in concrete and less compressive strength and also
responsible for corrosion of steel.
of this delayed curing the concrete shall not achieve its designed strength and is of
poor quality. Even this curing commenced very late shall be done for one
week and further curing shall be stopped by the contractor . As per IS Code
the concrete attains 74.25% of its desired compressive strength in 7 days if curing
is commenced immediately after 12 hours of casting of concrete. Generally we
commence curing late and stop curing early, finally giving a concrete of less
strength. Hence all of us should
closely monitor the commencement of curing
and the curing shall be continued for 28 days irrespective of Grade of cement with
potable water. Unless we insist for this, it is not possible to achieve required
strength and dense concrete.
In some cases the field Engineers forget to provide drip band all round the
roof slab/lintel and water droplets comes up to the Brick Masonry wall during rainy
season and causes dampness in walls. It is my personal opinion that It is
preferable to
provide projection in Roof slab to a width of 0.90m , to avoid
rain showers up to the wall even it costs a little bit in thousands but it helps to
prevent the damage to the structure in a big way.
If the same failure takes place in any Public works Department, it
would have become a big issue and everybody should have pointed out
and made a big issue by media. Finally the Bureaucrats would have
suspended some field engineers, for conducting enquiry who are in no
way connected to the mistake in Design. It may take years and lot of
mental agony until the enquiry is completed. Sometimes it may spoil our
financial stability.
But as we are readily available to Bureaucrats and General Public, the
criticism is more and have to face the wrath and bend our heads before some non
technical persons as the end product is not to the requirement of Public. Yes, we
must accept their criticism as we are paid with Public money and there is some
lapse/lethargy on our side.
(1)
REPAIRS TO EXPOSED REINFORCEMENT IN ROOF
SLAB, ROOF BEAMS, COLUMNS
It is a general problem of Exposure of Reinforcement in Roof slab, Roof
Beams in almost all Government Building structures located near Sea Coast and
within 25 KM Distance from sea. The corrosion of Reinforcement is due to presence
of Marine atmosphere and corrosion takes place very easily in such atmosphere.
This problem can be prevented by providing Fusion bonded Epoxy coating
to Reinforcement before casting concrete of Roof slab and Roof Beams, even
though it is a bit costlier. This extra cost is very nominal when compared to failure
of structure at early age. The Building SSR specifies a rate of RS /MT. This
comes as preventive measure as we all know that Prevention is always better than
cure.
To repair such damaged structures, we must adopt the following procedure
(1) First
remove all the loose concrete either spalled or cracked with
Hammer as much as possible.
(3) Remove or blow away the dust formed during the above
procedure and keep it dry. In remote villages the Power Sprayers generally
available with farmers (as they use the power sprayers for spraying Pesticides to
crop protection)
(4) Now we have to start our repair/ Rehabilitation process with Epoxy
compounds.
Epoxy is a construction chemical which can be used for
coating of Reinforcement, bonding old concrete to new
concrete/plastering.
(7) After
mixing is completed the Epoxy product is to be applied
immediately as the pot life of combined mixture is less than half an hour.
Hence we have to take little quantities like 200gms of Epoxy and 100 gms of
Hardener each time and perform our job instead of mixing large quantities and
waste it.
(8)
The combined product is applied with Paint Brush on the surface
of cleaned Reinforcement and adjoining concrete. This completes the first
step.
(9) Now
mix second batch of Epoxy compound in the above manner.
Before we prepare this second batch, keep ready rich Cement Mortar
(1:2) Mix for applying the same.
(10) Now apply the second coat over the already Epoxy treated
surface and leave it for 5 minutes and
apply cement slurry . Immediately after
the Cement Slurry is painted start doing Plastering to the Roof slab and Roof Beams
as usual and leave it. Please note that the combined Product of Epoxy and
Hardener is soluble in Water until it is hardened and once it is hardened on reaction
it is stronger than M40 Concrete and can not be broken. As such the brushes and
other items used in mixing are to be cleaned frequently with water kept
in a bucket nearby and made dry with cloth etc otherwise they become
very hard and not useful for second coat application.
(2)
REPAIR TO LEAKY ROOF SLAB
It is common practice to lay
Impervious Coat over the Roof slab 20mm
thick
with cement Mortar (1:2) to Drain off water easily and to avoid
leakages with adequate slope leading the water to Rain water pipes placed. But in
practice it is a common mistake that we ignore the fact slope should be provided
in
Centering itself before placing Reinforcement . Generally it is left to the
centering labour and we visit the site after the steel is wrought and kept in position
and check their spacing and other aspects as per the approved designs. At this
stage even if we notice that the slope is not adequate, it is difficult to rectify the
centering and the contractor convince us that he will obtain required slope in
Impervious coat even though it is loss to him.
In order to achieve the progress of work, we too accept the
contractor request and accord permission to lay the concrete. After casting
the concrete the contractor commences Impervious coat on the next day and at this
stage the mason lays cement mortar level blocks with some slope and
notices that the 20mm thickness in Impervious coat is not adequate and
extra thickness is required to have adequate slope to drain off water. As a
common practice the contractor works out the Requirement of Cement
for Impervious coat with cement mortar (1:2) for 20mm thickness only
and try to increase the sand content thereby reducing the proportion of Cement
mortar to (1:4) or even lean which can not prevent leakages and at times
this absorbs water due to lean cement mortar mix as it is more pervious to Rain
water and water is trapped between this Impervious coat and Roof slab.
In one
Major Building NEARER TO SEA COAST it is noticed during the
Q.C inspection along with Superintending Engineer (R&B) Q.C, that the thickness
of
Impervious coat is 75 mm which means that the centering sheets were
not placed to required slope and the contractor preferred to bring the
required slope in Impervious coat only , but without increasing the Cement
content, thus making very lean Impervious coat. This Impervious coat as it is lean
was coming out with a screw driver and we can say this type of Impervious coat
does more harm instead of PREVENTING percolation of rain water in to
roof slab and it increases dead load of slab, absorbs and retain water in it.
Because of this entrapped water, water droplets continue for some more
days even after rain is stopped as the entrapped water has no way to
come out except through the voids in Roof slab. This increases corrosion in
Reinforcement and increases the volume of Reinforcement and pushes down the
ceiling plastering and thin cracks may develop in Roof slab.
In such case when there is leakage in Roof slab,
INSPECT thoroughly the
top
of Impervious coat and if it is leaner than (1:2) proportion and large
number of hair line cracks are observed, remove the entire Impervious
coat and clean the surface thoroughly that there is no dust. Again
inspect the
roof slab meticulously whether there is any defined crack at the top of
roof slab. If there is a visual crack continuously we have to arrest leakage
from this crack. For this we can adopt same Epoxy compound explained in
the above point. As this type of cracks are very thin the Epoxy compound
does not flow into crack unless it is widened.
In order to allow the Epoxy compound in to the crack,
a chisel may be used
to slightly widen the crack to 3mm width at top and remove all the dust,
dry the surface.
(1)
Remove all dust with Pressure pump/Power sprayer and keep the
surface dry.
(2) Now
take 200 gms of Epoxy Resin and 100 gms of Hardener and
mix it thoroughly in the same way as explained earlier.
(3) Now pour the Epoxy mixture with a funnel in to the crack and
allow it to flow deep in to the crack until the crack is filled totally with Epoxy mix.
When the crack is totally filled it starts coming to sides of crack and we
can stop the process.
(4) Leave it for one day and verify the next day
whether the crack is
totally filled and there are no visible gaps.
(5) Apply
cement slurry over the roof slab to the extent that the
Impervious coat can be laid in 30 minutes.
(5)
Now start laying Impervious coat with Cement mortar (1:2) and
complete in one single operation
(6)
Curing shall be started within 6 to 8 hours after laying
impervious coat and continue it for not less than 28 days irrespective of
grade of cement used by ponding.
(7) It is also to be kept in mind by
the user departments to inspect the
roof slab before onset of monsoon and remove all the debris, dry leaves
fallen over the roof as these debris will block the rain water pipes and
cause stagnation of water over roof. In some cases the dikes (cement mortar
bunds) laid for curing were not removed and water was stagnated over the roof
even after 1 year and the User Department should also take care to maintain
the structure by doing proper maintenance.
(8)
Provide
one IRON LADDER to inspect the roof by the user
Department as and when leakages are observed or for any periodical
inspection by the maintenance department, and they must be taught of
this problem and not to blame the construction Department without
maintaining the structure and attend repairs immediately to avoid further
damage.
This completes the repair to leaky roof.
(3) MINOR CRACKS IN LOAD BEARING/PARTITION WALLS
It is my personal opinion that these small cracks need not be bothered.
However if anyone wants a solution for this, it is advisable to use WALL PUTTY for
sealing of these cracks and then apply paint as usual. It may recur after
few years.
(4) Settlement of Flooring
This problem is generally observed in Building structures constructed in
Expansive soils like Black Cotton soils where pile foundation is generally
adopted . As per IS code
air gap shall be provided between the Plinth Beam
and Natural Ground to allow for expansion of clayey soils. This small air gap
generally of 75mm has to be protected with a small projection under the beam
outer side. This is not generally adhered by the field engineers during construction
and allows filling material to be eroded due to seasonal variation in Black cotton
soils. In order to avoid this
plinth Protection all round the Building in the
form of small wall at a distance of 0.60m from the main wall . The
foundation of this small wall shall be taken below the the Ground level by 0.30m
and raised up to plinth level so that there will not be any loss of material and all the
filling material shall be in tact. The space between the main wall and protective
shall be filled preferably with non cohesive soils like sand/ Gravel and at top
cuddapah slab flooring laid with slight slope outwards, so that the rain water drain
off easily
In some cases some Contractors use the excavated expansive soil as fill
material under flooring to some height and then use Sand for filling. Because of the
Expansive nature of Black Cotton soils, the flooring will be settled during dry season
and heave up in rainy season due to ingress of moisture. Hence avoid filling under
flooring with expansive soils. This problem recurs if proper care is not taken while
doing filling.
In case of colleges/schools which are located in a far away
isolated low lying sites from village, there is every possibility of
Inundation of site all round the building and it is very easy for ingress of
Moisture in low lying sites. It is always desirable to provide plinth
protection to prevent ingress of moisture and this ingress of moisture
from ground level may cause dampness in walls due to capillary action of
expansive clays. This is also another problem which gives very shabby appearance
due to peeling of Painting and Plastering.
Even the Bridges which are vital in transporting men and material during
disasters are not looked in to and their maintenance is left to air until they are
collapsed. We don’t have money even to paint them frequently until a Chief Minister
comes. It is my personal opinion that
many Bridges nearer to sea coast are
damaged badly due to no maintenance exposing all the Reinforcement at
BOttom due to inadequate cover and marine atmosphere , and left
unattended for decades. In case of one bridge the total steel is separated from
concrete due to corrosion and the plain concrete is only taking heavy Granite blocks
weighing more than 50 M.T. and nobody knows when it collapses.
Finally we can say that the above simple omissions are responsible for early
failure of Government Buildings which involves no extra financial
commitment and if they are taken care during construction, many problems in
Building structures can be eliminated. If regular maintenance of Buildings is
attended by user Departments ie removal of debris in rain water pipes before
monsoon, attending minor repairs immediately, as it is a well known fact that a
stitch in time saves nine, the structures constructed by Department Engineers last
long and we can raise our head with pride.
WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST.
THANKING YOU RESPECTED ENGINEERS.
DETAILS OF AUTHOR
NAME :PAMARTHI SURESH BABU
QUALIFICATION :B.Tech (CIVIL)FROM NAGRJUNA UNIVERSITY
DESIGNATION :DEPUTY EXECUTIVE ENGINEER
(GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH)
ROADS AND BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT
UDAYGIRI, NELLORE DISTRICT
EXPERIENCE : WORKING IN THE DEPARTMENT SINCE 1986.
CONSTRUCTED MAJOR BRIDGES
PURPOSE : TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN
CONSTRUCTION OF GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
ADDRESS : FLAT NO.204, SKY LINE TOWERS, 4 LINE,
TH
HARANADHPURAM, NELLORE524003
ANDHRA PRADESH STATE
CELL :9440818349 RES (0861)2318349
EMAIL :sbpamarthi@gmail.com
:deerbudayagiri@gmail.com