A reputable concrete contractor should be able to diagnose what type of cracking you have and whether repairing is necessary to protect the structural integrity.
Concrete driveways are prone to cracking due to the natural expansion and contraction of the material over time. Here are some things to know about cracks in concrete driveways:
Cracks are inevitable: No matter how well a concrete driveway is installed and maintained, cracks will eventually appear.
Causes of cracks: Cracks can be caused by a variety of factors including weather conditions, soil movement, and heavy vehicle traffic.
Types of cracks: There are several types of cracks that can occur in a concrete driveway, including shrinkage cracks, settlement cracks, and heaving cracks.
Repairing cracks: Small cracks can be easily repaired with a concrete patching compound, while larger cracks may require professional repair.
Prevention: To help prevent cracks from forming in a concrete driveway, it is important to have it installed by a reputable contractor, use proper maintenance techniques, and avoid heavy vehicle traffic whenever possible.
How and why does concrete crack?:
Settling – This occurs when pockets of air are left in the ground under the concrete. Over time, concrete’s weight will cause them to dissipate, allowing the soil to sink. Most common cause is the slabs were poured without proper soil compaction or removal of a tree near the area.
Heaving – This occurs when the soil type below the concrete has a high absorption rate creating swelling during periods of saturation and shrinkage during dry periods. Most common soil type is clay.
Shrinkage – This occurs when the concrete is mixed with more water than needed with the dry components. As this water dissipates, the concrete particles move closer together, resulting in the slab’s shrinkage.
Overload – This occurs when an excessive amount of weight is placed upon the concrete causing it to crack. When you hear that a concrete mix that has a certain PSI (2000, 3000, 4000, etc) this refers to the pounds per square inch it can support before it cracks.
Premature Drying – This occurs when the top of the concrete slab loses moisture too quickly and causes the immediate surface to shrink differently than the underlying concrete. The early surface drying often results in craze cracking which is not a structural concern. Most common when surface was exposed during placement to high temperatures of air or concrete, low humidity, wind or a combination of these.
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