Carbon Fiber Reinforcement
Carbon fiber reinforcement is a repair method that is gaining popularity within the foundation repair industry. The use of carbon fiber reinforcement straps in lieu of steel beams gives a homeowner more useable space as they don’t protrude out into the basement like steel beams do.
The carbon fiber reinforcement straps once installed prevent the foundation wall from further inward movement when installed in the proper manner. There are four common foundation issues that you can use carbon fiber reinforcement straps on.
- Bowed Foundation Walls constructed of concrete block or poured concrete
- Sheared Foundation Walls constructed of concrete block
- Pushed Foundation Walls constructed of concrete block
- Cracked Foundation Walls constructed of concrete block or poured concrete
Each issue above requires additional repairs to be made to certain sections of the foundation before the reinforcement straps can be installed. The use of a structural engineer is highly recommended to verify the additional repair methods and also where the straps should be placed.
Contributing factors such as foundation thickness, soil height, soil type and grading need to be considered when figuring out where the carbon fiber reinforcement straps go and how many are needed. Once we have locations and additional repair types figured out it’s time to get to the installation.
We offer a wide variety of basement waterproofing solutions in Hamilton, such as structural crack repairs, sump pump repair & installation and window well repair.
So What Are Some of the Additional Repair Methods?
When carbon fiber reinforcement straps alone cannot hold the foundation in place we need to include the following repairs to hold other parts of the foundation firmly in place.
1. Core Pinning
Once a block wall shears at the bottom, steel pins (rods) get installed into the footing through the hollow cores of the blocks in a concrete block foundation. After the pins are installed they are surrounded with high strength grout. This procedure locks the bottom 2 – 3 courses of blocks together so they cannot move inward any further.
2. Top of Foundation Reinforcement
There are times when a foundation is not connected properly to the rest of the house and the top section is forced inwards by soil pressure. When this happens it needs to be stopped so a special reinforcement needs to be installed to prevent this from future movement. Either the top of the reinforcement strap is extended up into the joist cavity and bolted firmly in place OR a separate “neck tie” carbon fiber kit is used. Either way future foundation movement is now eliminated for good.
3. Epoxy Crack Injection
is used in poured concrete foundations that have structural cracks that require additional help. Before we install carbon fiber reinforcement straps we fill the cracks with 2 part epoxy to seal and bond the foundation back together internally. Once cured we can install our straps to the foundation to ensure it is reinforced properly.
4. Mortar Joint Repair
is required when working on concrete block foundations that are bowed or have shifted. The installation of carbon fiber reinforcement straps needs to take place on a flat smooth surface. Missing mortar joints need to be repacked in the area of the install so the carbon fiber can make 100% contact to the foundation.
If you would like to book a meeting to provide a proposal to reinforce your foundation walls call 289-880-7988 or contact us and we will get back to you right away.
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