3.2.

2 Possible mechanism of appearance of water on right abutment mat surface

1. Background:
Two weeks a er the comple on of concre ng of mat founda on of the right abutment of the
bridge, water appeared to flow out form some ny pores on the surface of the mat. The
concre ng of the 2m deep mat founda on was done in three equal layers. Throughout the
concre ng period, water was pumped away from the pit around the mat. However, seven days
a er comple on of all three layers of concre ng, pumping of water was stopped and the mat
founda on was allowed to sink in the water. The mat founda on was allowed to sink in the
water for about a week (water was about 600mm above the surface of the mat) before it was
pumped to about 1000mm below the surface of the mat.

2. Possible causes:
Concrete is a porous material. It contains numerous ny pores which are formed due to the
evapora on of water present in the voids. Such pores are also formed if the compac on of
concrete is not done properly. When external water flows into the porous medium created by
these pores, it can rise up to the surface of the concrete due to capillary ac on. As per the
design drawings, there is a level difference of 8.5m between bo2om of founda on and river
water level. However, in actual site this difference is approximately 10.5m due to the mismatch
between actual site RL and design drawings’ RL. It infers that there is a significant upthrust and
hydrosta c pressure of ground water ac ng on the mat founda on.
Water pressure at the base of founda on = ϒh = 9.81 x 10.50 = 103 kN/m²

Upthrust of intensity 103 kN/m² is ac ng at the bo2om of the slab and hydrosta c pressure of
triangular distribu on from intensity is 0 to 103 kN/m² is ac ng at the sides. The rise of flowing
water on the surface of the mat’s top layer could have happened in the following series of
steps:
a. During concre ng of the mat, compac on of concrete might not have been done
properly which le numerous pores in the concrete.
b. The construc on joints between two layers of concrete might not have been
water ght.
c. Since there is a significant upli of water at the bo2om of the mat surface, water could
have entered the concrete through some of the pores.
d. Water rose up through the porous medium through capillary ac on as well as by the
force of water pushing it upward. This flow of water could have disturbed the integrity
of the aggregates and cement and also the bond between concrete and rebar.
e. Once the water reached the top of the mat surface, it had already set up paths of flow,
by removal of fine aggregates, from where the water would rise up con nuously.
 Pit for Right Abutment
mat
construction

Water Level (EL 1197.72)

River Bed Level (EL 1195.72)

Top of Foundation (EL 1189.20)

Construction Joint 2
Flow of water
through pores Construction Joint 1

Bottom of Foundation (EL 1187.20)

103 kN/m²
Hydrostatic
pressure

103 kN/m² Upthrust of water

pushing upwards

3. Preemp ve measures that would’ve avoided this problem:

Since the concre ng was done at this lower level, upthrust due to this high hydrosta c
pressure was unavoidable. Therefore, design and construc on should have been carried out
accordingly. Waterproof concrete should have been selected. Waterproofing membrane
should have been placed at the bo2om of the mat. There is no men on of these preven ve
measures in the design documents (both reports and drawings). Designer, contractor and
owner should have predicted this risk but it was overlooked. This underes ma on of risk and
negligence in design and construc on cost the project badly. Without the comple on of this
bridge construc on, the progress of other civil infrastructures is affected and it will con nue
to affect un l this problem is solved with serious considera on from all stakeholders.

4. Possible Consequences:
The flow of water within the concrete can have many detrimental effects on the strength and
durability of the concrete. The integrity of the bond between cement and aggregates, and also
between the concrete and rebar can be affected by the flow of water which makes the
concrete devoid of its desired strength and life. Another consequence is the corrosion of rebar
which deems the corroded rebar ineffec ve in sharing its strength with the concrete if no
proper treatments are done. What remains ques onable is whether the mat can be used in its
exis ng condi on with some modifica ons or not. A thorough assessment of the condi on of
concrete (porosity and rebar corrosion) should be done around the weak points to assure the
safety of the structure.

5. Possible Solu ons:

a. Non-destruc ve tests like core cuDng can be done to check the corrosion in the rebar and
homogeneity of concrete. For example, ver cal rebar of the abutment around which water
was flowing out from the pore can be completely taken out by core cuDng. Both the
homogeneity of concrete and corrosion in rebar can be inspected by this sample and
further decisions can be made based on the results of the inspec on. As per the contractor,
 they have already corrected the weeping holes on the mat surface by pressure grou ng.
The effec veness of this grou ng can also be checked by the sample taken by core cuDng.
b. To make the bo2om of the founda on waterproof, pressure grou ng can be done from
sides for the whole mat bo2om surface by injec ng the rich grout from different points.
The effec veness of this method can be confirmed with the help of grou ng experts.

6. Photos of water leakage points: