Two small commercial buildings have been constructed at a site underlain by a sa
ID: 1712572 • Letter: T
Question
Two small commercial buildings have been constructed at a site underlain by a sandy silt (ML) that has Dio 0.03mm. The groundwater table is at a depth of 2.0m Both buildings have concrete slab-on-grade floors. In Building A, the slab was placed directly onto the natural soils, while Building B has a 150mm layer of poorly- graded coarse gravel with Dio- 3.0mm between the slab and the natural soils. Both buildings have vinyl floor coverings similar to those typically used in residential kitchens. Both buildings are now 3 years old Unfortunately, the tenant in Building A is having continual problems with the vinyl floors peeling up from the concrete slab. When the peeled sections are examined moisture is always evident between the vinyl and the concrete. Curiously, the tenant in Building B has had no such problems, even though both buildings have the same floor covering. Could the problem in Building A be due to capillary action in the underlying soils? Explain why or why not. Explain why Building B is not having any such problems. [4 points]Explanation / Answer
In the Building A the concrete slab-on-grade floor is underlain by sandy silt (ML) which is severely prone to capillary action .With water table also nearby ,the moisture has been rising by capillary action through soil to the concrete and then travelling through micro- capillaries in concrete ultimately reaching the layer between vinyl flooring and concrete.This moisture has been decreasing the bond between vinyl flooring and concrete ultimately leading to peeling up from concrete.
On the other hand in Building B ,the the poorly graded coarse gravel by its coarse nature did not allow any capillary action and so no problems in flooring there.
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