University of Bahrain

College of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Failure Analysis (Meng 471)
Semester II - 2020/2021

Assignment 2: Case study - Condition Assessment and

Monitoring of a College Building

GROUP-3
Name Student ID
Akib Bin Ayub 20160240
Sarah Abdulmohsen Alshuhail 20161302
Maryam Rashed Al Moosa 20160909

Submitted to: Dr. Riaz Muhammad

Due Date: 18th May

1
Table of Contents

Executive Summary:........................................................................................................................4
Introduction and Background Information:.....................................................................................5
Work Scope and Methodology:.......................................................................................................6
Observations and Discussion:..........................................................................................................9
Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................17
Recommendations:........................................................................................................................18
Reference:......................................................................................................................................19

2
List of Figures
Figure 1: Building layout plan.........................................................................................................5
Figure 2: Some of the building's impairments.................................................................................6
Figure 3: Schematic of Wash Boring...............................................................................................7

List of Tables
Table 1: Details of the Tubewells..................................................................................................13

3
Executive Summary:

All types of buildings and particularly a school complex in this case will face structural issues
with age. This brings about importance to consistent monitoring of the structure’s material aspect
and its external physical façade. Issues such as crack propagation as well as damage of the
building’s components are investigated and detailed in this case study. A myriad of the
comprehensive investigative tests (Temporary Benchmark, ground, and column settlement
markers, Demec crack width gauges etc.) are delved into in the second Section of this report. The
main problems concluded were consolidation and abundant pile settlements as well as inadequate
load capacity of the piles. Principal recommendations included and revolved methods that
strengthened foundations, repairing of concrete as well as supplementary rectification work.

4
Introduction and Background Information:

College buildings and school complexes alike are made with the intention to stand for several
years, centuries even. That being mentioned, constant and consistent monitoring of all the
structures must be carried out to ensure no demolition, to guarantee its longstanding erectness
and stability. The college building in this case study consists of a residential school complex in
particular inhabiting a space of around 50
acres with a width of 70.2 m and a length of
140.4 m. The plan of the building layout
constructed as can be seen in Figure 1.

The Block accommodates several classrooms,

laboratories and a library and is mainly a
center for management and academic matters.
Not long after its establishment, cracks began
to materialize on the Administration and
Academic Block. After being worked out and
advised by an engineering consultant, work
was done by a contractor. Nevertheless, the
crack propagation problem soon recurred but
without amendments.

Two tube wells were assembled roughly 100 Figure 1: Building layout plan

m from the afore mentioned Block with the

aim of drawing groundwater causing the cracks to enlarge and multiply. Additionally, the cracks
materialized caused the door and window frames to contort, window panels to break and the
floor slabs to recede. All these posed a serious hazard to the wellbeing of the institution and its
inhabitants and so a case study was performed.
After the failure of the structure, several tasks and laboratory tests were commissioned and from
these test results, further work was to be accomplished such as a condition assessment,

5
recommendations, and approximate prices for restoration. These will be discussed in detail in the
next section.

Work Scope and Methodology:

The scope of work performed produced the following results

A. Visual Inspections and Distress Mappings

No notable cracks were found on the structural and non-structural constituents of the
premises. The receded ground floor slabs had destructed the tiles at E-F/4-6 and A-J/6-7 as
well some protrusion atop the first-floor slab at gridline F-G/10-11. Furthermore, a damaged
ceiling, active water leaking and more destructed segments of the drain. Figure 2 illustrates
some of the impairments.

Figure 2: Some of the building's impairments

6
B. Instrumentation for Monitoring Work:

The instruments utilized included a

- Temporary Benchmark (TBM)
- Ground Settlement Markers
- Column Settlement Markers
- Demec Crack Width Gauges

C. Soil and Foundation Investigation Work

Rotary wash boreholes (eight in total) were employed to acquire information about the soil
and its properties. A wash boring schematic is illustrated in Figure 3.

Standard penetration tests (SPT), collection of soil samples and the change in soil layering
during the wash boring procedure were all noted.
A Mackintosh probe test was taken to obtain specifics about soil stiffness at various depths.

Figure 3: Schematic of Wash Boring

7
D. Material Testing
Concrete robustness and withstanding abilities of the reinforcements and material structures
were tested on site.

E. Electronic Rebar Scanning

A Ferro scan FS-10 machine was employed to pinpoint where in the concrete members the
steel reinforcement bars were situated preceding the core extraction as well to approximate
the sufficient concrete cover to shield them from corrosion.

F. Concrete Core Testing

Carbonation testing was executed to discover the amount of carbonation present in the
concrete. Carbonation will begin to penetrate the surface and this rate is influenced by age,
relative humidity, and permeability of the concrete. This may lead to corrosion that will
eventually destroy the structure’s strength. Further concrete density and compressive strength
tests were carried out in the laboratory.

8
Observations and Discussion:

Monitoring results:

 A total of 10 ground settlement markers, 37 column settlement markers and 29 Demec

crack width monitoring stations were installed to monitor the movement behavior of the
building block.
 Monitoring stations were set up on some selected columns of the building that had
severely distorted/distressed visibly.
 Places with fewer distress marks were also monitored for comparison reasons. During
20day inspection period, 15 trips were completed, general conclusion of all ground
settlement markers showed fluctuation/deflection throughout the monitoring inspection.
For column settlement markers, 37 of them were divided into two specific groups based
on severe distress signals.

(i) GROUP 1: CS01 to CS19 & CS31 and CS37.

(ii) GROUP 2: CS20 to CS30.

For group (i), markers CS01 to CS05 (minimum -0.4mm to maximum -6.8mm); markers
CS31 to CS37 (3 to -3mm); for group (ii) settlement activity in first two readings, was
heaving for the rest of the period.
All the Demec crack with monitoring stations except for D24 was recorded with stable crack
propagation and crack width fluctuating ranging from (0.3 to -0.2mm), a major crack in D24
had widened to 1.1mm but it was stabilized towards the end. The supervision had to be kept
extended to learn more about the patterns and behavior of the cracks.

9
The Soil and Foundation Investigation:

 Eight rotary boreholes counted were examined (BH1-BH8), out of them seven were
around the building block perimeter and one was near the tube well.
 The tasks were to obtain the disturbed and undisturbed soil samples for laboratory
examinations, excavation in certain selected areas to study about the foundation
system and extraction of soil samples for testing compaction level in the laboratory.
 A Mackintosh probe test was carried out at each of the excavation/trial pit locations
and several selected areas near the building block.
 The soil results showed it was clayey silt material in all the eight boreholes. The
depth for SPT values exceeded 50 and was between (9-17.5m). The topsoil was
(6-10 m) thick very soft compared to clayey silt, underneath the topsoil was very stiff
clayey silt and below there was still competent layers of hard stratum (SPT>=50).
 The two bottom layers were 10 and 15 mm deep respectively. The soil liquid limit
ranged between 41 and 53%, and the plasticity index between 10 and 28%, ground
water level 0.7 and 7m. The filled materials concise of clayey silt with traces of sand
and gravel, contained an SPT value (1 to 39) blows/ 0.3 (averaging =20) and moisture
content (23-36%, averaging 30%).
 Finally, total of seven trail pits were excavated to visualize the actual foundation of
the building, the study shows the system compiled with the original building
specifications

Material testing-Rebar Scanning:

 Total of 87 rebars were scanned on Ferro scan machine on selected RC beams,

columns, slabs, drop manels, the rebar scanning indicated 3 different results, the
percentage of area scanned, the brackets enclosed the values/range (mm) of concrete
cover provision (consistent, inconsistent, excessive/average).
 RC beams: all areas (100%): generally inconsistent, 57% -excessive (35-89mm),
43%-Consistent average (14-32 mm).
 RC columns: 80% - excessive (35-98 mm), 20% consistent average (18-34 mm).

10
  RC slabs % drop panels: two scans on 2 selected slab panels (average,16-19mm), and
one selected first floor slab and drop panel (average, 37mm).
Material testing of the core samples:

 Carbonation tests were carried out on some selected concrete samples from site. The
carbonation depth was determined by applying phenolphthalein solution on the samples.
The depths, which relates to the age and durability properties of concrete, ranged from
almost negligible to maximum of 20 mm.
 The findings revealed the carbonation had not reached the rebar zone of the structural
elements, suggesting that no rebar corrosion related problems would occur soon.
 The test also found the presence of plastering and skim coatings which provides some
form of protection.
 Results of the statistical data revealed 95% of the maximum carbonation depth fell within
the range of (0- 14 mm).
 Another test was conducted separately to gauge the density of the concrete material. The
test result revealed to be generally above 2200 kg/m3. This indicated that the concrete
used in the building was super dense and compacted.
 Overall, 95% of the concrete density was above 2230 kg/m3, indicated was in good
condition.
 To perform in situ concrete strength, 26 concrete cores underwent the compressive
strength test in a laboratory. Below are the findings of such tests:
(i) Columns - 6 core samples from ground and 1 st floor columns (17.5-28 N/mm^2
and mean of 22.5 N/mm^2).
(ii) Beams – 3 core samples from selected ground beams (26.5- 31 N/mm^2 and
mean of 28.8 N/mm^2).
-Five core sample from selected 1st floor beams (18-29.5 N/mm^2); core C14
(10.5 N/mm^2).
-2 cores from selected roof beams (19.5 and 10 N/mm^2).
(iii) Slabs – 3 core samples from selected 1st floor slab (20.5-25.5 N/mm^2 and
mean of 22.5 N/mm^2).

11
 (iv)Pile caps – 6 core samples from exposed pile caps in trial pit area (21.5- 28
N/mm^2 and mean 24.2 N/mm^2).

 The test of statistical analysis of overall concretes comprehensive strength revealed that
95% has exceeded 14N/mm^2.Various compressive strengths were also displayed which
indicates concrete varied in quality, this must be limited to small areas because of only 2
cores showing exceptionally low concrete strength of 10 N/mm^2.

General Structural Inspection:

 Inspection was made on few of the 1 st floor and roof beams to get a general view of the
contract drawings provided, to get a brief history, previous repair work, details of
fortification and so on.
 The structural capacity, maximum bending moment, shear force of the existing structure
could be estimated based on the reinforcements carried out, the existing structures factor
of safety could be estimated based on the facts gathered and working load condition.
 The 1st floor beams labeled FB6, FB19, FB22 were heavily inspected, the results shows
that all these beams would not require strengthening as the crack width and factor of
safety were adequate.
However, the shear force of the beam FB19 was fragile (safety factor of only 0.89 and
crack width 0.35 mm), therefore this section required reinforcement work on it.

Condition Assessment-Geotechnical Aspects:

The results obtained in the investigation of soil and general survey of the site of the academic
and administrative block suggests that the building is located partially on an excavated land and
partially on filled land, the rear part of the building block I.e. between
Gridlines 11 and 20 is placed on excavated land, the front part between gridlines 1 and 11, is
where the filled land of thickness showed up to about 10 m near gridline 4.

12
Soil Investigation:

Total of eight boreholes were drilled all around the site, the subsoil generally consisted of clayey
silts, but in the case of boreholes BH-1,BH-2, BH-3,BH-7 and BH-8 indicated very soft to firm
(SPTN<=4) clayey silts extending from the ground surface to a depth pf 6 to 10 m. This soft soil
is kind of filler earth that was dumped in the location long back in past. Otherwise the building
stands completely fine, competent hard stratum of (SPT>= 50) between 10 and 15m from the
actual ground surface.

Underground Water:

The ground levels in the boreholes BH-1to BH-7 indicated low levels between 0.7 to 7m below
the ground surface. The average depth of groundwater was about 4.8 m in height.

Tap groundwater from Tube wells:

The tube wells in the (table7.6) shows they were placed adjacent to the building to draw tap
water from the ground.

Table 1: Details of the Tube wells

13
Consolidation Settlement and Possible causes:

The vertical displacement of the ground surface indicates there is a change in volume in the
saturated cohesive soils because of excess pore water pressure that fills the space of voids or
pores between the soil particles has already dissipated. The consolidation is a time dependent
rate which in-fact depends on the permeability of subsoil. The time is relatively short with
granular permeable soil but takes long with cohesive impermeable soil. The magnitude of
consolidation can be significant particularly in a compressible soft soil layer. Few possible
causes of consolidation settlement as discussed below:

(i) Lowering of ground water level: It was not realized until the settlements could be caused
by a lowering of groundwater level till Terzaghi’s investigation led in 1920’s when the
concept of effective stress was proposed. For saturated soils, effective stress is equal to
total stress less than pore water pressure,
σ ' =σ−u
It was noticed that drawdown of groundwater table can cause a significant reduction in
pore water pressure in subsoil resulting in an increase effective stress. This process lead
to consolidation and settlement of subsoil.
A classic example is Mexico City where lowering of the groundwater level has caused
vast areas of the land around the city to settle or subside. In 1948, parts of the city were
settling at a rate of about 1 mm per day. Since measurements began in 1898, more than 6
m of subsidence has been recorded. In this city, consolidation settlement was possibly
due to several factors including lowering of groundwater level beneath the building.

(ii) Soft soil underfill/structure loads: Consolidation settlement exists if a structure or fill is
placed over an existing layer of compressible soft soil.
(iii) Improperly compacted fill materials: Consolidation settlement can also result
from improperly compacted fill materials as they compress under their own weight. If top
6-10m thick very soft to firm clayey silts encountered in boreholes BH-1 to BH-8 are fill
materials hen consolidation settlement exists.

14
Negative Skin Friction on pile shafts:

 The consolidation settlement of subsoil results in downward movement, incase of pile

shafts used for supporting structures in areas that undergoes consolidation settlements,
these downward movements will have consequence in drag-down forces on the pile
shafts (generally known as negative skin friction).
 The incidence of negative skin friction on the pile shaft is comparable to imposing an
additional compressive load on to remaining pile. As a result, the remaining pile may
have failed to carry the load that it was designed to withstand within the allowable and
durable limits, thus resulting in excessive pile settlements.
 In its load carrying capacity the existing pile may have failed, if the additional load was
too excessive, either in structural or geotechnical capacity. It is often not easy to
determine whether the whole pile or the individual pile has failed in its capacity or it has
merely experienced any excessive settlements because the real process may be deceiving.

Deliberation of the Problems:

General building block problems are related to the following factors:

(i) Consolidation settlements due low groundwater levels, the results showed opposite in this
case the ground settlement and column settlement markers experienced heaves instead of
settlements during the recharge of groundwater at its original level.
(ii) Consolidation due to improper compacted fills, this problem is negligible (due to
insignificant after about 10 years of the completion of building), most of the
consolidation must have occurred during the 10 years and rate of consolidation must
reduce with time.
(iii) Excessive pile settlements or insufficient load-carrying capacities in individual or
group piles due to negative skin friction that is induced on pile shafts.
(iv)Unknown condition of existing affected piles i.e. if any piles damaged by the negative
skin friction in the past.

15
 (v) The actual pile length and number of piles driven, and unknown actual loads imposed on
piles after load sharing and redistribution.
(vi)Uncertainties of the previous design of the foundation as it was informed from beginning
the cracks have been visible since the completion of the building.
Proposed remedial work:

The last inspection of the ground and column settlement showed no signs of negative friction in
the pile shafts, the team must still safeguard the long-term performance of the pile foundation.
There are lot of uncertainties and disadvantages in the above discussion from (iii to iv), in view
of this the following remedial work was proposed:
(i) Ignore the working load capacity of already affected piles for the current design.
(ii) Strengthen the affected pile foundations by underpinning with adequate micro-piles. A
minimum of two micro-piles are required for each affected group of pile.
(iii) Considering adding new pile loads in the existing and newly proposed pile
foundation.
(iv) Some old ones were destroyed due to negative skin friction, details of the proposed
micro-pile:
 Diameter of micro-pile: 200mm.
 Estimated length of micro-pile: 20-30 m.
 Working load of micro-pile: 50 TONS.
 Usage of minimum grade 30 non-shrink cement grout.

Conditional Assessments - Structural aspects:

The occurrence of differential ground settlement had impacted and caused distortion, deflection
on some structural elements of the building block and architectural damages, such as doors, door
frames, broken windows, ceiling boards etc. Despite all this damage the overall structural
integrity of the building is intact, and the inspection is deemed stable. Structural cracks observed
at several location of 1st floor beams and slabs must be reincarnated and strengthened
accordingly. The contract drawings of 1st floor missed several beams claiming to be present.
Hence the 1st floor slabs had to be strengthened to make the structure more solid and rigid.

16
Conclusion:
Based on the discoveries obtained by the examination panels, three criteria were obtained,
which are:

1) The highest day by day water content must be less than the greater boundary.

2) The highest day by day water content must not display a consistently uprising trend.

3) The values of the relative humidity must not display a consistently uprising trend, also not go
beyond 70% for an expanded period of time.

In this way, every bit of the roof bays is certified to take place in a dry condition as characterized
by the criteria. The corrosion models projected as well anticipated that the corrosion depth of the
roof materials which are made of plain steel in addition to galvanized steel will settle fine
beneath the highest corrosion depth in the upcoming 50 years.

In conclusion, the investigation results show that the causes of the issues were consolidation
settlements, unnecessary pile settlements, and inadequately load-carrying capacities of the piles
because of the negative skin friction initiated on the pile shafts.
Consolidation settlements could result due to reducing the level of the ground water, structural
loads, unsuitable compacted fill up materials, or soft soils underfill.
These Consolidation settlements of the subsoil cause descending movement, and these
movements encourage negative skin frictions on the piles, resulting in pile injuries, bearing
capacity failure, and extreme pile settlements.

17
Recommendations:

Based on the visual inspections, monitor program, and laboratory tests, the following suggestions
are created for reestablishing the structural integrity in addition to aesthetics of the
Administration and Academic Block, for long-run utilize.

a. Establishment reinforcing by supporting strategy utilizing micro-piles.

b. Enhancing the building rigidity by reinforcing the superstructure.

c. Reduce distress by reinforcing the ground floor R.C. columns.

d. Concrete maintenance, such as: using carbon fiber wrapping to support the beams with low
compressive intensity, restore and waterproof the spills in the R.C. drain and roof, restore
concrete perimeter gutter and fix the reverse levels, and restore every non-structural split on the
walls, slabs, and beams, using the directing process.

e. Rectification work, such as: replacing the complete ground slab at the main entry, applying a
brand-new coat of dye for the entire building, reinstating and leveling the injured ground tiles
contained by the gridline F-G/10-1, repairing  harmed entryways, glass windows, and frames, and
removing the carpet above the unequal floors and placing new tiles.

18
Reference:
[1] Applied Engineering Failure Analysis,Theory and Practice, Hock Chye Qua, Ching Seong
Tan, Kok-Cheong Wong, Jee-Hou Ho, Xin Wang, Eng-Hwa Yap, Jong-Boon Ooi, Yee Shiuan
Wong.
[2] https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201925803003, [Accessed 6th May 2021]
[3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273311791, [Accessed 8th May 2021]
[4] Space-Based Condition Assessment Model for Buildings: Case Study of
Educational Buildings, www.researchgate.com [Accessed 6th May 2021]

19