Cracks of concrete in hydraulic structures: Causes and repair

Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin (UrFU), Yekaterinburg, Russia

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Abstract

Concrete in hydraulic structures is constantly exposed to the water, and this is what distinguishes it from concrete in other concrete structures. Many factors contribute to the susceptibility of hydraulic structures to cracking such as water pressure, internal frost attack, temperature gradients, total alkaline reaction, reinforcement wear and hydrodynamic accidents and others. Many hydraulic structures have cracks that allow water to enter or pass through them and reaching the depth of the concrete structure, which increases the risk of corrosion of the reinforcing bars and leads to reducing the strength of the concrete and the life of the hydraulic structure. In this article we show various causes of concrete cracks in hydraulic structures and the techniques used to repair these cracks.