How to Prevent Cracks When Concreting in Summer

Concrete is mostly the widely used construction material that is globally used but it has its setbacks; especially when it comes to undergoing a variety of climate changes. Cracking is one of the most reported complaints of concrete during the time especially during the hot summers. If left unchecked cracks can weaken the structural integrity of the concrete and thereby result in serious hazards and high expenses for repair work. In order to prevent such damage, careful attention is needed- careful attention needs to be given in the concrete mix, curing process, and timing of the pour. These factors play a key role in regions with extreme hot temperatures like the UAE, where the rapid evaporation of water from freshly laid concrete can lead to shrinking and surface cracking.

Here in this blog, we will explore effective measures to prevent cracks when concreting in the summer. Also, we will go through the best practices and techniques that can help minimize the issue and ensure long-lasting concretes.

Why Concrete Cracks in Summer

Before getting to know the crucial steps to prevent concrete cracks, it is vital to know why this happens especially in summer time. Concrete cracks due to plenty of reasons but in summer these are the reasons that are more common:

1. Rapid Evaporation: When the temperatures rise, it becomes hotter than normal affecting the hardening process of concrete as the fresh water in the freshly poured concrete evaporates faster. The process is very fast and thereby has an effect of shrinking the concrete, so the outer part of the concrete develops small cracks.
2. Thermal Expansion: As you might be aware, concrete tends to swell in hot weather and to shrink during the cold weather. This can cause cracks over the time and thereby can expand and contract many times.
3. Improper Curing: Proper curing is vital in the proper setting of the concrete. Curing involves keeping the concrete moist during the initial stages in order to prevent premature drying. During summer especially if the concrete is not cured properly, it is possible to get worse cracks.
4. Substandard Mix Proportions: Another common issue that results in cracking is poor mix-design particularly where water cement ratios are wrong. Excess of water can make the concrete weak while too little amount of water can make the concrete set too quickly.

Preventive Measures to Avoid Cracking in Summer

In order to prevent the risk of cracking during the summer season concreting, there are several preventive measures that can be made use of. Below are some of the most effective strategies:

• Adjusting the Mix-Design

Failure to apply the right mix-design is perhaps the most significant cause for cracks to occur. The mix should be designed with respect to the environmental factors, including the temperature and humidity.

Lower Water-Cement Ratio: When the water-cement ratio is reduced, it becomes easier to produce a stronger concrete. This in turn reduces the risk of shrinkage cracking, which will always result from rapid evaporation of water on the surface.

Incorporating Admixtures: Admixtures like water reducers, superplasticizers and shrinkage-reducing agents can help in boosting the capacity of the concrete. Products from Master Builders Solutions offer the best additives that can improve workability of fresh concrete, prevent water entrapments and improve concrete strength in harsh environments.

Use of Fibres: One can also make use of fibres in the mix so as to enable the strength of concrete against these cracks. Fibres function as reinforcement aiding against plastic shrinkage cracks prevalent in normal concrete constructions.

• Proper Curing Techniques

As mentioned earlier, curing is one of the most important activities in concrete construction particularly during the summers. Proper curing prevents the water content in the concrete from evaporating too fast, which helps in retaining the concrete’s strength.

Curing Compounds: Spread curing agents all over the surface of the new concrete when it has been newly poured. These compounds create a thin skin with which it minimizes the evaporation of water and therefore reduces cracking of concrete.

Moisture Retention Methods: Other techniques include applying wet burlap or plastic sheet to help in retaining the moisture and thereby help in keeping the surface cool.

Frequent Watering: during hot climate, it is vital to regularly spray the surface with water in order to prevent it from drying too quickly.

• Timing and Placement Adjustments

The timing plays a vital role here. When workers are going for the second coat ensure that it is done when the temperature is still low because the cracks are most likely to occur during the hot climate. The following adjustments can help ensure that the concrete is placed under optimal conditions.

Avoid Peak Heat Hours: It is vital to note that a denser flow of concrete is desirable and pouring should not be done in the middle of the day when the sun is at the center (usually from 12pm – 3pm), which can increase the risk of cracking. It is best to schedule the pouring in the early morning or late evening for this reason.

Shaded Areas: If possible, construct shaded structures that can allow construction of broad structures in which concrete will be installed. This will minimize the effects of surface UV radiation on the concrete so as to minimize high concrete surface temperature.

Controlled Pouring: Avoid pouring large volumes of concrete at once as the heat build up will crack the concrete. Instead ensure to pour in smaller sections, enabling adequate control when starting to cure.

• Joint Placement and Reinforcement

This means that crack control mostly relies on correct positioning of joints as well as reinforcement.

Expansion and Control Joints: Control joints can let you know where the cracks will occur. These joints will enable the concrete to move slightly without causing random cracks on the surface.

Reinforcement Bars: To reduce the problem of cracking of the concrete, one should consider using steel reinforcement bars. These absorb tensile forces that may lead to the cracking of the concrete.

• Temperature Control of Materials

During the summer season, it is wise to regulate the temperature of the materials that is used in the concrete production.

Cooling the Aggregates: Aggregates have been found to have the property of heat absorption and transfer it to the concrete. It is a col material and plays a key role in lowering the overall temperature of the mix also.

Chilled Water or Ice: During extreme hot climate, it would be great if the mixing water is replaced with either ice or cold water to reduce the concrete temperature and possibly halt the possibility of cracking.

• Use of High-Quality Materials from Master Builders Solutions

Another effective method to preventing concrete cracking in summer is through using quality materials and products with designs specifically in view of the concreting process of hot weathers. Master Builders Solutions offers as wide range of concrete admixtures, curing compounds, and sealants to make the concrete much more durable and resistant to the cracks.

Their chemical solutions advance with added workability, controlling water contents, and reducing shrinkage in concrete and make them apt for use in hot weather. Whether it’s adding superplasticizers or shrinkage-reducing admixtures, Master Builders Solutions have products which can considerably improve your concrete’s performance in high-temperature environments.

The Role of Concrete Repair Companies in UAE

However, irrespective of the great care taken, there may be some cracks on the concrete structure. When this is the case, it becomes very important to try to fix them before they worsen further. The concrete repair companies like Fort Specialties detect, evaluate and correct cracks that may detract from the durability of structures and other constructions in UAE.

Such companies use the most current methods that include epoxy injections, sealants and overlays in crack repair. Crack injection in UAE is common especially in structural repairs whereby cracks are injected with epoxy resins to enhance the concrete strength. This method is highly beneficial for both superficial and deep cracks.

Conclusion

Concreting in the summer has their own set of problems but if the right concrete, methods and approaches are applied then one may certainly restrict the needed cracks and guarantee the proper structure of the entire construction. Starting from correcting the mix-design, change of aggregates, use of higher quality cement such as that provided by Master Builders Solutions to the proper curing techniques there are umpteen ways of evading side effects of hot weather on concrete.

Furthermore, the identification of such a contingency plan involves working with concrete repair companies in UAE so as to address the situation whenever cracks develop. Other techniques for concrete repair such as crack injection in UAE also increases the lifetime of the concrete structure after cracking and formation of cracks.

In conclusion, summer may create difficult conditions for concreting, but it is certainly not an invincible challenge. Just as it is crucial to comprehend specific causes of cracking so it is also crucial to utilize proper preventive measures and make use of the best products available in order to guarantee that your concrete structures are protected from cracking and are as strong as possible in the hottest climate ever.