Warehouse Slab Defect Inspection
Project no. 6153
The BE Collective team investigated and reported on widespread defects in an industrial warehouse slab. The building owner had observed concrete flaking off in many locations, particularly in areas that had regular wheeled traffic, and was seeking advice as to how this might be remedied.
We examined the concrete slab to gain an appreciation of the scale and nature of the defects. Key to understanding the defect was determining how the defects were formed. It was seen that the surface of the concrete was very weak, and readily flaked. The weakness of concrete explained the concrete displaying wear in areas that experienced more vehicle movements. Wheeled loads on the slab were not unusually high, and should have not resulted in the defects that we observed.
We found that the most likely cause was excessive water present in the concrete during construction, due either to rain during construction, or the addition of water to the concrete mix.
Further investigations were recommended in the form of coreholes and laboratory testing to determine the depth of the weakness in the concrete, and the precise nature of the weakness. This would allow remedial recommendations to be made to match the defect.