A Research Seminar on "Non-structural Cracking of Concrete : Causes and Mitigation" by Dr. H.D. Yapa will be held on 27th January 2021, from 11.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. at EOE Pereira Theatre, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya
Concrete is an exceptional construction material. It is strong/stiff in compression, durable, economical, etc., however, is weak in tension. Consequently, reinforcement is required wherever in structural regions with tensile stresses. Even with the use of reinforcement, total prevention of concrete cracking is hard to achieve, so generally the objective of the designer is to control of cracking. Undoubtedly, cracking is undesirables for concrete in terms of serviceability, durability, and aesthetic perspectives. The causes for triggering tensile stresses (and cracking) in concrete structures are not only of external loads, but also of numerous non-structural roots (e.g. shrinkage, creep, thermal expansion) owing to heterogeneous characteristics of concrete. It is however common that structural cracking is only taken seriously by the designer and consequently the structures suffer with numerous non-structural cracking issues. In this light, the talk discussesinto the main causesof non-structural cracking of concrete and into potential meansof mitigation.