REASONS FOR THE FORMATION OF CRACKS IN THE WALLS OF LOW-RISE STONE BUILDINGS MADE OF SILICATE BRICKS

Abstract

The article presents the results of the analysis of the reasons for the formation of cracks in the walls of modern low-rise stone buildings erected using silicate brick masonry. The morphology of cracking in walls and partitions is shown, depending on their design features, the presence of door and window openings. It has been established that the main reason for the formation of cracks in load-bearing and self-supporting walls is tensile stresses in the masonry, caused by the constraint of its shrinkage deformations. Damage to partitions by cracks is caused by shrinkage deformations of the masonry and deflections of the floor slabs, which are the supports of the partitions. The nature of cracking of partitions depends on the ratio of their sizes, the presence and location of doorways, the method of pairing partitions with floor slabs. The crack resistance of walls and partitions is significantly affected by the quality of masonry and finishing work, masonry maintenance during its construction.