Analyzing crack size

Structure · Problems · printed page 36 (PDF page 37)

Book index entries

Analyzing Crack Size Building Crack Size Analysis Crack Size Analysis of Buildings Wall – Analyzing Crack Size Footings – and Foundations Foundation – and Footing

Text in the illustration

the size of individual cracks is not as important as the sum of all the crack sizes
total movement
one crack
several cracks

Generated explanation

Two masonry wall elevations with arched window openings compare movement concentrated in one large crack with movement distributed among several smaller cracks. The left wall has a wide stair-step crack extending from the wall edge to the window opening and continuing below the window to the base. The right wall shows several narrower stair-step cracks around and below the window. Dimension arrows at the upper left of each wall identify total movement. The illustration emphasizes that the sum of crack widths is more important for assessing overall movement than the width of an individual crack.