Buildings crack due to a number o f reasons. Traditional steel frame buildings were not made with construction joints to accommodate movement, whether it be from structural settlement, thermal changes, or general expansion and contraction of the materials. When micro-cracks first form on a building, they are not corrosion related. Over time however, these small cracks can allow oxygen, moisture and carbon dioxide to penetrate the masonry cladding and infill and provide a direct path to the steel frame.

As the steel frame begins to experience corrosion related deterioration, a direct correlation can be made between the size of the cracks and the amount of steel reverting to iron oxide (rust) at the steel frame. Stresses from the rust are then exerted through the infill material and masonry, cracking or displacing the cladding material.

Cracks may not just be cracks, but may be signifiers of larger corrosion problems which can eventually cause significant failures of the cladding materials, structural deficiencies, and pose a health and safety risk to pedestrians.

Echem consultants can provide corrosion rate testing, and through scientific calculations, predict when areas of the building will fail based on time to cracking models.