Concrete Foundation Walls - Structural Deterioration And Damage

Problem: Cracks in foundations and slabs resulting from settlement and movement - 1.

Cause: Differential movement.

Foundation walls and basement slabs may be subjected to different pressures or conditions that cause movement. If it is not isolated, the movement of one component can result in the cracking of the other component.

Solutions: Provide isolation joints or a bond breaker between materials that might move relative to others.

• Separate the basement slab from the foundation wall with pre-molded joint material, building paper or expansion joint materials. The slab will be isolated from footings by polyethylene or other bond breaking materials, required as soil gas control under most building codes as shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12 - Isolation Joints

• Separate the basement slab from the column with an isolation joint.
• Separate the basement foundation from the garage foundation with and isolation joint. The joint should continue up through any masonry cladding to protect against differential movement.