Structures speak to us
Before collapsing, structures ‘speak to us through silence’: while they undergo forces, stresses and deformations they say nothing, until these exceed their bearing capacity. Then they express themselves through hairline cracks, which indicate that the structure is sick and needs treatment.
At Ingeniería Estructural Plus we understand the language of cracks: we know what a sick structure is telling us and we recognise the symptoms of its illness.
Why they appear
The elastic limit is the maximum stress a material can withstand without undergoing permanent deformation. Beyond it, the material moves into plastic behaviour: it deforms permanently and no longer recovers its shape when the loads are removed. If the stresses continue to increase, it reaches its breaking point.
Another damaging effect is fatigue: under repeated dynamic loads, materials can fail at stresses below their elastic limit.
When any of these effects is reached in one or more sections of the structure, hairline cracks and excessive deformations appear which, depending on their severity, can put the structure out of service or lead to its failure.
Common pathologies
- Cracks and hairline cracks in structural elements.
- Excessive deflection in beams and floor slabs.
- Foundation settlement and movement.
- Corrosion of concrete reinforcement.
- Steel columns affected by fire.
- Stone erosion and degradation.
- Deterioration of timber structures.
What we do
The study of a pathology identifies the defective behaviour, investigates its causes and proposes the intervention that solves the problem. We specialise in diagnosing and designing solutions for:
- Structural pathologies.
- Foundation pathologies.
If you have detected cracks and do not know whether they are significant, our guide cracks and hairline cracks: when they point to a structural problem will help you.