Defects and Remedies

FOUNDATION DEFECTS

S U B M I T T E D B Y,
A K A S H VA R S H N E Y,

VA R T I K A C H A U D H A R Y
4 TH Y E A R
 Defects in Foundation

GENERAL CAUSE OF FOUNDATIONS DEFECTS

•Foundations are a critical in distributing loads from roofs, walls and floors
onto the earth below. They are structurally important to the permanence of
a building and should this be lacking, it is pointless investing on superficial
restoration work.
•Most of the common problems associated with the foundations depend
on the geology of the ground upon which a building stands, structural
failures as well as presence and height of a Water table
•. Additionally, inherent failures may also happen in a building in which has
to cope and carry any unsettled problem of the foundations.
• Problems of the foundations may lead to an unstable building structure,
which is unsafe to users and occupants.
• Unstable foundations may occur because of several reasons including
shrinking clay soil, penetration of dampness and water that may decay walls
and foundations; presence of large trees near the building; and the
undertaking of excavations nearby.
•They may also occur due to traffic vibrations, deteriorating of building
materials and the increased loads, particularly with a change in building
function
 Problem Areas Effect on foundation Defects in structure

Movement of foundation Cracks in walls at natural

Insufficient depth of due to changes in water lines of structural
foundation (mostly in soft table seasonally, and weakness, i.e. windows,
clayey soil) movement due to trees doors, junctions with
and vegetation. extension and bays.

Settlement of foundation
Insufficient width of Cracking of walls above
occurs due to insufficient
foundation ground level.
distribution of load.

Foundation settles due to Cracking in walls above

Soft-spots in sub-soil insufficient support from affected section of
sub-soil. foundation.

Insufficient steps in strip Displacement movement

Building may slide or creep
foundation on sloping of building or section of
in case there is soil erosion.
ground. building. Cracking in walls.

Water-content of soil
Trees and large shrubs changes with season, i.e.
close to building (mostly in desiccation occurs in Cracking in walls in line of
case of soft shrinkable absence of moisture and weakness in structure.
clayey soil) heave occurs with excess
moisture.

Movement in walls above

ground level and expansion
Sulphate attack in concrete
Clayey soil with high and deterioration of
foundation and cement
sulphate content. cement mortar and
mortar below ground level.
concrete below ground
level.

Excessive settlement of
Inadequate support to Cracking in walls, complete
foundation which
foundation from land-fill. collapse of buildings.
continues for a long time.

Foundation near to drains Cracking in walls occur

where drains are running above ground level and
Foundation is inadequately
below foundation and / or walls move out of plumb
supported.
drains lacking concrete due to lateral movement of
cover. foundation.
Foundation Movement and Settlement
of Soil
 Subsidence due to seasonal movement
A number of sub-soils are affected by seasonal change. This is due to seasonal
variation between wet/cold and hot/dry soil is affected depends mainly on its
water content. When a great amount of water is present, (normally in winter), the
it will contract when there is a reduction in water content (normally in summer).
The presence of trees and vegetation. exacerbate the effects of such changes.
Shrinkable clays
Clay soils are
capable of
absorbing and
releasing large
amounts of water.
Not all clays do so.
They range from
firm clays
shrinkable clays
that contain high
levels of water.
seasonally. They are
also subject to
greater squeezed
out under a new
buildings load will
cause the sub-soil
to consolidate
 Subsidence due to sub soil containing
organic matter

The construction process requires the removal of all topsoil incorporating organic or
vegetable matter. This usually to area of the building. Normally, such removal will
have disposed of all soil containing vegetable matter. However, certain that contains
high levels of organic matter and water, may be unacceptable.
Any applied load will compress such a material and result in movement of the
building above. These types of sub-soil sufficient depth, they will require the use of
deep foundations, such as piles, bearing trough the weak layer onto a firmer
 Moisture in Foundation
Foundation: Drainage
The house’s foundation should not be covered and be visible for at least 6” for brick
walls and at least 8” for siding and stucco walls. Gutter downspouts should lead away
from the foundation at least 6 feet, 10 feet is better. Covering the foundation can lead
to water infiltration, insect intrusion, rot, mold and structural failure.

Nice brick planter at the front

covers the foundations weep wicks
with 3” of soil.

Rotted Rim Joist and Sill Plate

in 4 Months! $36,000 fix!
 Subsidence caused by drains

A surprising amount of building movement is the result of underground drainage

problems which themselves may have building. Such a circumstance is where a
drain has been cracked or crushed due to the effect of building load. This can too
close to the building and at a depth lower than the foundation or footing. The
broken drain will tend to leak water affect it in a number of ways that result in
movement problems. It may, for example, wash a sandy sub-soil away from water
content of a shrinkable clay and make it more sensitive to building load and thus
lead to settlement or subsidence. not tail but the trench in which it lies may cause
problems.
Growth of Vegetation
Crack due to vegetation…
 Subsidence caused by drains
construction over poor land till is the largest single cause of foundation failure failures.
It must be recognised that any land fill site will be inherently unstable over a long
period of time and that, if built must be undertaken. This means the use of piled
foundations to avoid the effect of the filled ground consolidating. Alternatively,
process, such as vibro-compaction, may be undertaken in conjunction with reinforced
concrete raft or beam foundations.
Filled ground, however well formed, will need time for the rubble, waste and other
matter to consolidate. In normal circumstances least 25 years, and perhaps longer,
will be needed before the ground is sufficiently stable to build on. Unfortunately,
has, in the past, tended to be very poor or lacking altogether, Instead of inert
building and waste materials being deposited.
 Sulphate Attack
This is a problem that occurs where there is a high water table and a sub-soil (often
clay) that contains calcium, magnesium, can be found in England anywhere below
a line drawn between Lancaster and Middlesborough. Sulfates in the presence
based material (e.g. mortar in brickwork/blockwork, concrete in foundations) due
to a chemical reaction between the cement. The result is a rapid expansion of the
compound formed by the reaction. The chemical process is discussed in found in
the clays used for the manufacture of some types of bricks can lead to similar
problems. Sulfate attack often were used for hard-core for solid ground floor slabs
in the first half of the twentieth century
The effect on that part of the building below ground level is to expand and crack
concrete foundations. The mortar joints course level will suffer similarly. The
expansion resulting from the sulphate attack may lead to upward movement of the
and broken down mortar joints below DPC level. Foundations subject to such an
attack may, if left long enough, disintegrate. if the concrete, or cement mortar is
also subject to frost attack. In any case, as the foundation deteriorates
progressively, supporting the imposed building loads, leading to settlement. Where
such sub-soils are identified, any construction below cement in floors, walls and
foundations. If the problem is discovered in an existing building, it may result in the
reconstruct the affected elements.