Reinforce Cracked Foundation Walls with Carbon Fiber
A strong foundation is crucial to preventing all sorts of issues in homes. So when a foundation stem wall begins to crack and weaken, it must be strengthened. Carbon fiber is up to the job.
Advantages of Using Carbon Fiber in Foundation Repair Projects
As all foundation repair contractors know, there is no one magic fix that can solve every building’s foundation problems.
It is no different with carbon fiber.
In cases where carbon fiber is an appropriate foundation fix, however, it offers significant benefits:
- It is among the most low-impact foundation repairs around. No deep excavations. No heavy machinery (or light machinery for that matter). This both increases the ease of installation and the satisfaction of homeowners looking for minimal disruption around the exterior of their homes.
- Its installation is quick and requires no extra equipment. This is good news for both you and your clients.
- It is strong. 35,000 pounds per square foot strong. This allows it to provide superior reinforcement in cases where the root of the problem is a weakened foundation wall.
Repairing Foundation Stem Walls with Carbon Fiber
When stem walls begin to crack, they open the door to even more serious cracks and damage later on. This is because water can seep in through the cracks and begin to corrode the exposed reinforcing rebar.
Because the iron oxide molecules are larger than the ones they were replacing, the corrosion causes the rebar to expand. This stresses the concrete surrounding the rebar, causing cracking and structural damage to the stem wall.
While the cracks can be patched, if the oxidation isn’t completely stopped, the patches will likely fail eventually because of the same forces.
Applying bidirectional carbon fiber to the stem wall can help ensure this doesn’t happen. The carbon fiber increases the confining strength around the stem wall, counteracting any pressure pushing outward from the rebar. It also can help strengthen the wall, making up for any section loss (decrease in load-carrying capacity) caused by the damage to the rebar.
The carbon fiber can be applied to both the interior of the stem wall in the crawl space as well as the exposed exterior section. The carbon fiber can provide more than 35,000 pounds of confining strength over the cracks.
