Rapid visual assessment of crack on residential building

Crack is a form of defect that mainly seen in any types of building including residential buildings. Building crack-free is unrealistic as the crack cannot be fully prevented during the construction process. However, the crack cannot be simply taken only as visually unattractive, it is also having a major effect on structure safety. This is because the crack does not pose a direct threat to building safety but it does encourage certain behaviours that can lead to serious safety issues. Even though the crack presence cannot be nullified, the crack can be prevented before becoming wider and worst. Therefore, crack assessment is very important. This study is focusing on the evaluation of cracks in residential buildings at Ayer Hitam, Muar, Johor. The main objective of this study is to assess the visual cracks rapidly on residential buildings in terms of crack width and their direction either horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or stair-step. The second objective is to determine the severity and location of cracks on wall surfaces of residential buildings. As a results, Site 1 has the biggest crack width of 21mm located at the kitchen wall and is classified as a severe crack. Meanwhile at Site 2, the biggest crack width is 6mm and classified as a moderate crack. The crack was spotted on the right-side wall of the house. Apart from that, the types of cracks recorded at both sites are vertical, diagonal, and horizontal. As a conclusion, the causes of crack were investigated. Soil settlement is might be the main factor of cracks happened at both sites due to peat soil type at both locations.

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