REPAIR METHODOLOGIES FOR

CONCRETE DAMAGES

By: Khawaja Ahmed Yar

QAI (South Punjab)
Date: 27-Dec-2018
Content

1. Overview
2. Introduction to types of concrete damages
3. Honeycombing/Seggregation
4. Bug Holes
5. Exposed Steel in RCC
6. Concrete cracks
7. Scaling damage
Overview
This presentation aims to provide assistance
and guidance for all field engineers to
improve the quality of concrete repair
works onsite.
Types of concrete damages
• Honeycombing (coarse and stony
surface).
• Bug holes (Surface voids)
• Concrete Cracks
(shrinkage,shear,heving,etc)
• Scaling Damage
• Spalling Damage (cracked and
delaminated area from the
substrate)
Honeycombing
Causes:
• Imbalances in the fine material added, allowing larger aggregate (rocks) to
consolidate
• Poor w/c ratio
• Inefficient means of vibration directly
• Improper reinforcing bar placement
• Adhesion or leakage of concrete at poorly braced form boards
• Low-quality or damaged form boards
Honeycombing (Repair Methods)

• Patching:
In this method affected are is treated with polymer modified repair mortar.
Commonly used materials are Sikarep fine, Sikarep-100 or LSR Ultra details for
application of this repair method are as follow:
1. Concrete Removal : Remove are of affected concrete until a sound concrete surface is
reached.
2. Surface preparation: This the most important step of this process Substrate must be
sound, free from dust, loose particles, cement laitance, curing compounds, oil, grease or
any other contamination. It must be cleaned thoroughly.
3. Mixing of repair material: Pour cold water into the mixing container. Add the SikaRep®-
100 powder slowly while mixing continuously for at least 3 minutes and until a
homogeneous consistency is achieved.
4. Application: can be applied by trowel or the wet spray method. As soon as the mortar has
started to set it can be smoothed by float. No additional water must be used as it may
lead to surface discoloration.
5. Curing: The use of light water fogging for 48 hrs or application of a suitable water based
curing compound ( is recommended.
Honeycombing (Repair Methods)
• Dry Packing
Repair material is mixed into uniform, cohesive
plastic state ,then transported to a confined space
and compacted with rodding tools to produce dense
repair material. This method gives best result when
treating horizontal locations, tie holes and pan joist
bottoms .Process is as follow:

1. Concrete removal: Remove affected concrete and

clean the surface.
2. Material preparation: Prepare low shrinkage
mortar with bonding agent and consistency
capable of being molded into a ball without
sagging.
3. Application: Apply the dry pack material on
affected area using a trowel and compact is with
rodding tool as shown in picture.
 Honeycombing (Repair Methods)
• Form & Cast in place
It is a partial/full depth replacement method to repair
concrete by placement of repair material into a confined
space with formwork defining all exposed boundaries.
This method is used for major repair works. Process is as
follow:
Concrete Removal: Affected concrete must be removed
and ensured that rebar should not damage while
removing process.
Formwork: A water tight form with sufficient bracing is
to be erected around exposed boundaries of affected
surface.
Material Preparation: Cast able concrete with proper
bond properties (Use sikaBond-64),low shrinkage, low
w/c ratio and a high flow able mix should be prepared.
Curing: Curing must be done after concreting.
Bug holes

Causes
• Too much sand in mix
• A mix that is lean (Less cement than water)
• Excessive amplitude of vibration during placement.
Bug holes Repair
• Outline the surface defect with a ½- to ¾-inch-deep saw cut.
• Remove defective concrete down to sound concrete.
• When chipping, leave chipped edges perpendicular to surface or slightly undercut. Do not feather edges.
• Clean substrate and remove all loose material, dust, etc.
• Dampen patch area plus 6 inches around patch area.
• Prepare a scrub coat by mixing equal parts of Portland cement, sand (damp loose volume), and sufficient
water to produce a thick cream.
• Thoroughly brush scrub coat into substrate.
• Mix the repair mortar using the same materials as the concrete to be patched but without the coarse
aggregates. Use only enough mixing water to create mortar with a stiff consistency but with sufficient
workability for handling and placing.
• When the scrub coat begins to lose the water sheen, apply the repair mortar Sikarep fine and thoroughly
consolidate into place.
• Strike off mortar, leaving the patch slightly higher than the surrounding surface to compensate for
shrinkage.
• Leave the patch undisturbed for 1 hour, then finish to match the texture of the surrounding concrete.
• Keep the patch damp for 7 days.
Exposed Steel

Causes
Main causes for exposed steel in concrete are:
• not maintaining the uniform concrete cover
• failure to create bond between steel and concert
• Use of improper form work
Exposed Steel Repair

• Patching method for concrete is same as described for

honeycombing.
• In this case exposed steel must be coated with steel concrete
bonding agents such as SikaTop®Armatec® 110 EpoCem® or
Sika® MonoTop®-610
Concrete Cracks
Causes
There are several causes of cracks in concrete. Cracks caused before
hardening are due to :
• constructional movement
• settlement shrinkage
• setting shrinkage.
Cracks caused after hardening are due to :
• chemical reactions
• physical movement
• thermal changes
• stress concentrations
• structural design
• accidents.
Types of cracks
Shrinkage
• can be diagonal or vertical and are usually uniform in width.
• Caused by poor concrete mix, rapid curing
• These crack can have significant affect on structure if they reach at
bottom.

Hairline
• develop in concrete foundations as the concrete cures
• cause due to poorly mixed concrete or concrete poured too quickly
• Not harmful but can cause leakage problem.
 Types of cracks Cont..
Settlement
• Cause due to improper compaction of sub soil.
• extensive at the top of the crack than the bottom.
• This type of crack is usually continuous and may occur multiple times in a
member.

Structural
• result from horizontal loading or settlement.
• nearly horizontal and appear 16" to 48" from the top of the wall
Crack Repair Method
Epoxy injection
• used for cracks as narrow as 0.002 inch (0.05 mm).
• establishing entry and venting ports at close intervals along the cracks,
sealing the crack on exposed surfaces.
• injecting the epoxy under pressure.

Routing and Sealing of Cracks

• Used where structural repair is not necessary.
• enlarging the crack along its exposed face
• filling and sealing it with a suitable joint sealant
Crack Repair Method Cont..
Concrete Crack Repair by Stitching
• Used when tensile strength must be reestablished across major cracks .
• procedure consists of drilling holes on both sides of the crack.
• cleaning the holes
• anchoring the legs of the staples in the holes
• Using non shrink grout or an epoxy resin-based bonding system.
Scaling Damage

Local flaking or peeling away of the near-surface portion of hardened

concrete or mortar is called scaling.
Causes:
• Cause by hydraulic pressure from water freezing within the concrete; it is not
usually caused by chemical corrosive action. When pressure exceeds the tensile
strength of concrete, scaling can result if entrained air voids are not present in the
surface concrete to act as internal pressure relief valves.”
• Can be repaired by re surfacing of concrete.
Thank you