Identifying the effects of excessive deflection in reinforced concrete beams

In framed reinforced concrete structures, the beams transfer the dead and live loads to the column and then to the foundation. When there are observed structural failures in systems supported by the beam, the functional state of the beams should be ascertained before any further detailed investigations are initiated. The correct diagnosis of the source of the problem is essential to design an effective rehabilitation scheme. Simple visual inspections corroborated with field tests for true beam horizontality can provide the lead information that will guide the clients’ scope of further investigations. Case studies addressed the research questions; the research data was collected by reviewing previous investigation reports on a three-story building, then conducting physical inspections and simple site experiments to identify the lead information. The results reveal that multiple cracks observed in the partition walls, especially in the second floors, were as a result of excessive deflections in the beams supporting the first and second floors. Subsequent investigations confirmed this lead information and appropriate rehabilitation schemes were adopted.