Nine Sources of Cracking in Concrete
Concrete is regularly used for its tried-and-true endurance, so when concrete begins to crack it is a serious issue. Cracking in concrete is usually brought on by one of the following sources.Using Low-Grade Materials
A major source of cracking is using low-grade materials which includes both concrete and steel in reinforced concrete structures.
Shrinkage
If not controlled during the mix design and curing stage, shrinkage can cause cracking. Shrinkage can become critical in high strength concrete because of a low water/cement ratio as well as the use of Mineral Admixtures.
Quality and Type of Aggregate
The quality of aggregate used in concrete determines the overall strength of concrete. If the aggregate is of poor quality, it will not make a proper bond with cement.
Overloading of Structure
Especially at younger age, overloading of structure is a common source of cracking. This can happen if formwork is removed before time or more construction load is present.
Mistakes at Design Stage
With errors at the design stage, it is only logical that problems will occur at site – Concrete cracking included.
Improper Curing
Curing done inappropriately for given time span will cause cracking.
Early Formwork Removal
There will be cracking if formwork is removed before concrete has achieved its strength.
Congested Reinforcement in Lean Concrete
If heavy reinforcement is used in average quality concrete, stress distribution between steel and concrete can become non-linear causing cracking.
Mistakes at the Site or During Erection
Lack of proper and trained labor and workmanship during concreting can cause cracking.
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Geotab Announces New OEM Integrations: Volvo Truck, Mack Truck and John Deere
Geotab® is pleased to announce the launch of three OEM integrations available exclusively in the USA: Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks and John Deere.
Volvo & Mack Trucks
Geotab has partnered with both Volvo Trucks and Mack Trucks to provide an integrated Electronic Logging Device (ELD) solution for all Volvo-powered heavy-duty trucks, model-year 2015 and newer; and all Mack-powered Trucks, model-year 2015 and newer.
The factory-installed telematics device means no external hardware or specialized installation is required. Together with the Geotab Drive App, the integrated solution provides an easy way to monitor compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations by sending engine and positional data to the cloud, which drivers use to record:
• Hours of Service (HOS)
• Records of Duty Status (RODS)
• Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR)
John Deere
Geotab also recently partnered with John Deere to extract AEMP 2.0 data from John Deere’s factory-installed telematics solution so it can be displayed in the MyGeotab platform.
This integrated solution helps to provide fleets operating John Deere vehicles with visibility into their workforce, assets and costs in a single platform, to promote understanding of fuel usage, idling trends, engine hours and PTO usage.
