Assume that you are preparing a report for your boss or for a client on the topic of
concrete, types of, building components, systems to place it and failures. You will
need to discuss the following points specifically:
A one and a half to two page, single spaced, typed report should be adequate to
present the answers to the below criteria required in your report (use your cumulative
knowledge from class).
a. What is the material “concrete”?
Discuss the physical properties (types of cement, water cement ratio,
strengths/weaknesses) and use this in your failure and corrective action analysis
(part d).
b. What type of building systems is concrete used in and why (not related to your
failure analysis)? (think about attributes (walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, retaining
walls, etc.), costs, maintenance, durability, etc.)
c. What types of methods are used to place concrete (make sure you discuss
formwork as well). For example chute placement, wheel barrow, pumping, crane
hoist, other.
d. Identify a concrete failure based on the following parameters. Limit your search
to buildings, roads, and flatwork. Answer questions like, did they use the correct
cement type, additives, etc. Were there limitations based on the best available
technology in concrete at the time of construction? Was the failure caused by
something other than the concrete? Think of soils and compaction, change of use,
etc.
i. This is not an internet search. You should physically find a concrete
failure to analyze.
ii. Discuss a possible reason(s) for the failure.
iii. Discuss a possible corrective action(s).
Your report should be concise, accurate, and professionally presented.
2. Your grade will be based on the report:
Include all required information in the memo heading (Standard Format)
Content (5 points)
Neatness and professional delivery (5 points) 12 font, Times New Roman, 1” -2
Spelling, grammar, and accuracy in construction terminology (5 points)
Appropriateness of comments (5 points)
3. FIELD REPORT FORMAT EXAMPLE
Date: March XX, 2023
To: Dr. Fantz
From: Individual student name as required
Reference: Concrete Failure: material, types, systems, and placement.
What is the material “Concrete”?
Discuss the physical properties (types of cement, water cement ratio,
strengths/weaknesses) and use this in your failure and corrective action analysis.
What type of building systems, not related to the failure, is concrete used in and why?
Think about building attributes (walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, retaining walls, etc.),
first costs, maintenance, durability, etc.
What types of methods are used to place concrete?
For example chute placement, wheel barrow, pumping, crane hoist, other. Make sure
you discuss formwork as well (bank pour, wood forms, steel).
Failure Description- The location of the concrete failure is twenty steps outside Clark buliding (C wing). It is a brick that has replaced the concrete. This is due to weather eroding the concrete. A lot of students walk across this area because it is in the middle of campus. There are other bricks along the side of Clark that have replaced the concrete.
This should be written in paragraph form (do not use bullets) and include the following
information:
Location of the failure. (For instance: Twenty paces South of the entry to
Guggenheim Hall). Provide a photo of the failure.
Describe in detail the type of failure observed.
Indicate if there are failures of a similar nature close to the failure on which you are
reporting.
Is this an area that receives vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic? If the failure is in
a structure, what is the age of the structure? Was there a change of use? (examples
only, not a complete list of questions you should ask yourself)
Proposed Reason for Failure
Present one or more possible reasons for the failure. State why you have presented this
reason or reasons for the failure. For example: “I believe this failure was caused by
differential settling or inadequate compaction of the subgrade. I believe this is the case
because the concrete is lower on one side of the crack than the other.” Other potential
reasons for the failure include: the correct cement type (would our modern types make a
difference in the failure), additives, water-cement ratio, aggregate gradation, insufficient
air content, etc. Students that have no construction or engineering experience may rely on
information from the text, a journal or a web site, but any sources used should be cited
(e.g. Journal of Construction, July, 2003.)
Conclusions and Recommendations
Present possible way(s) to avoid this type of failure in the future. Propose possible
corrective action. If corrective action is not possible, state this and indicate why.
Your report should be concise, accurate, and professionally presented.
