Patent Abstract:
A method for repairing cracked concrete ( 8 ) using expansive mortar ( 13 ) comprising the steps of installing a saw cut ( 10 ) next to an open shrinkage crack ( 8 ) and opening the saw cut ( 10 ) with expansive mortar ( 13 ) to create a wider saw cut ( 11 ) and shift half the saw cut ( 10 ) toward the open shrinkage crack ( 8 ) to close the shrinkage crack ( 12 ) tightly. Install a rigid spacer ( 16 ) to maintain the width of the control joint. Install adhesive ( 18 ) from the top of finished concrete slab ( 9 ) into the closed shrinkage crack ( 12 ). The surface of the finished concrete slab ( 9 ) will receive cosmetic repair ( 7 ) to the closed shrinkage crack ( 12 ) and let dry before applying sealer. Other embodiments are described as shown.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Prior Art 
       [0001]    The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 U.S. Patents 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Patent Number 
                 Kind Code 
                 Publ. Date 
                 Patentee 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 4,565,579 
                   
                 Jan. 21, 1986 
                 Fujioka 
               
               
                   
                 5,771,557 
                   
                 Jun. 30, 1998 
                 Contrasto 
               
               
                   
                 7,308,892 
                 B2 
                 Jan. 18, 2007 
                 Cockerell 
               
               
                   
                 8,146,309 
                 B1 
                 Apr. 03, 2012 
                 Logemann 
               
               
                   
                 7,572,852 
                 B1 
                 Aug. 11, 2009 
                 Ware 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       NONPATENT LITERATURE DOCUMENTS 
       [0000]    
       
         “Mechanical cracking of saw cut joints in concrete slabs on ground to eliminate the need for steel reinforcement”, Allen Cockerell, Concrete Slab Technology Pty Ltd 
         “Methods of concrete crack repair” www.theconstructor.org 
         “Bustar Expanding Grout Technical Page” www.demolitiontechnologies.com 
         “Crusting Cracks” www.indecorativeconcrete.com 
         “Concrete cracking. It happens. Here&#39;s how to fix it.” Kim Basham PhD, PE www.lmcc.com 
       
     
         [0007]    There are many methods for repairing concrete where the crack goes all the way through the concrete and has a gap. This type of crack can be called an open shrinkage crack. These gaps are often left unrepaired. The crack is often less noticeable than a repair. Adding a saw cut on top of a crack will conceal a crack by making it appear to be a saw cut control joint. Longer, wider or crooked cracks that have a gap can be filled with various products to protect against water intrusion, weed control, improve load transfer and improve general appearance. Structural repairs can include epoxy to bond pieces together, steel bars installed at intervals across a crack or a combination of both. A cracked concrete section can be cut out, demolished and replaced. Full slab removal and replacement may be an option when concrete is severely degraded or an exact color match is required.
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,579 discloses an expansive mortar composition for breaking rock and concrete. The composition is commonly used for demolition purposes. Holes are drilled into the breakable material. The expansive mortar is poured into the holes where pressure builds and breaks the concrete or rock in an irregular way.   U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,557 shows a metal stitching method of repairing concrete cracks. In this method the concrete surface is patched when the crack is filled. It would be very difficult to match the color of the patch with the color of the concrete being patched. This structural repair method is used in anticipation of a full resurfacing repair.   U.S. Pat. No. 7,308,892 shows a method of making the concrete crack from below the slab. This method would leave a jagged somewhat straight crack. It would require a saw cut through the middle of each crack to make them have a more finished appearance.   U.S. Pat. No. 8,146,309 shows a crack inducer with a drainage channel at the base of the slab. This will create an unfinished crack at the top of the slab.   U.S. Pat. No. 7,572,852 shows a patching material for fixing exposed aggregate concrete. This will require a great deal of time to get a good color match. The repaired crack is likely to reoccur in the same location if a saw cut is not installed to relieve the pressures that caused the original crack.   
 
         [0013]    All the crack repair methods heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages:
       (a) Crack fill repairs make a crack extremely noticeable by highlighting the crack.   (b) Coloring the crack filler material to make an exact color match with the concrete is nearly impossible.   (c) An exact color match between batches of concrete is nearly impossible.   (d) Concrete is installed in uncontrolled environmental conditions that cause some of the color matching problems.   (e) The difficulty of color matching concrete increases as the concrete ages.   (f) Aesthetic repairs are often required to cover a visible crack repair.   (g) Installing some inches of new concrete over an entire area can be done to cover the top of unsightly concrete.   (h) Concrete resurfacing with ¼ to ⅜ inch of polymer modified type cement can be as expensive as four inches of new concrete.   (i) Spray applied concrete resurfacing materials, colorants, colored sealers or any combination can be used on a section or an entire area to conceal a damaged surface.   (j) Carpet or tile can be required to cover cracked concrete.   (k) Rework of mismatched colors to improve aesthetics is time consuming and costly.   (l) Concrete demolition is very labor intensive.   (m) Installation of concrete is very labor intensive.   (n) Installing a straight line saw cut on a crooked or bowed crack will only partially conceal the crack.   (o) Saw cut repairs are limited to concealing straight cracks.   (p) Saw cut repairs are limited to cracks that fall in line with the standard control joint layout.   (q) Repairs may require removing a concrete section between a saw cut and a path of a jagged crack that results in the major challenges of unsightly patching and mismatching color as obstacles to a successful repair.       
 
       SUMMARY 
       [0031]    In accordance with one embodiment a new method for concrete crack repair comprises a saw cut control joint near the crack and placing expansive mortar in the saw cut to apply pressure inside the saw cut whereby it opens the saw cut and closes the crack. The saw cut is then cleared of expansive mortar and fitted with an epoxy plug to hold the saw cut in the open position. Epoxy is placed inside the closed crack to bond both sides of the crack together. A cosmetic treatment is now possible to the top of the closed crack and caulk to the opened saw cut. 
       ADVANTAGES 
       [0032]    Accordingly several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: to provide a very tight crack, that is easy to cosmetically touch up, that increases load transfer across the crack, that develops interlocking action of aggregate particles on the face of the crack, that creates a control joint that isolates future movement, that spreads an active control joint, that transfers the width of the crack to the control joint, that is aesthetically pleasing, that is less noticeable, that will be bonded together with low viscosity epoxy, that produces the control joint that distracts the eye away from the closed crack, that eliminates the need to remove a concrete section, that eliminates the need to resurface or cover unsightly patching, that lowers the skill level required of craftsmen performing a crack repair, that can be cosmetically treated in similar ways as crusting cracks in decorative concrete, that eliminates the need to fill a crack, that eliminates caulking cracks, that reduces patching to pop outs that may have occurred along the top edge of a jagged crack, that reduces the labor required to make the repair, that can be held in place with the control joint spacer, that does not require coloring, that is aesthetically superior, that is easier to repair, that can be applied again to close the larger crack, that is economical, that increases job site profitability, that increases jobsite safety, that reduces the number of tools required to fix the job, etc. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS—FIGURES 
         [0033]      FIG. 1  shows a top view example of an open shrinkage crack in a concrete slab. 
           [0034]      FIG. 2  shows a top view of the open shrinkage crack, a dam and a saw cut that receives the expansive mortar application in a concrete slab. 
           [0035]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of a completed repair including an expanded saw cut and a closed shrinkage crack in a concrete slab. 
           [0036]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of a saw cut, an open shrinkage crack with the newly placed expansive mortar in a concrete slab. 
           [0037]      FIG. 5  shows a side view of expansive mortar, expansive pressure inside the saw cut, the crack created at the bottom of the saw cut and the closed shrinkage crack in a concrete slab. 
           [0038]      FIG. 6  shows a side view of a completed repair including a rigid spacer, caulk, expansive mortar, location of cosmetic repairs and the closed shrinkage crack in a concrete slab. 
           [0000]    
         
           
                 
               
                 
                 
                 
                 
               
             
                 
                     
                 
                 
                   Drawings-Reference Numerals 
                 
                 
                     
                 
               
               
                 
                     
                 
               
            
             
                 
                   7 
                   cosmetic surface repair 
                   15 
                   rigid spacer 
                 
                 
                   8 
                   open shrinkage crack 
                   16 
                   caulk 
                 
                 
                   9 
                   finished concrete slab  
                   17 
                   adhesive 
                 
                 
                   10 
                   saw cut 
                   18 
                   dam 
                 
                 
                   11 
                   wider saw cut 
                   19 
                   concrete piece number one 
                 
                 
                   12 
                   closed shrinkage crack 
                   20 
                   concrete piece number two 
                 
                 
                   13 
                   expansive mortar 
                   21 
                   cracked edges 
                 
                 
                   14 
                   created crack 
                     
                     
                 
                 
                     
                 
               
            
           
         
       
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0039]    One embodiment of a crack repair method is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  (top view) and  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6  (side view). The repair begins with planning the location of a saw cut  10  that balances aesthetics and close proximity to the open shrinkage crack  8  located on concrete piece number one  19 . The completed saw cut  10  should not appear askew. Create a dam  18  inside the saw cut  10 . Restrict expansive mortar  13  from any area where the saw cut  10  runs inside the open shrinkage crack  8  in order to confine pressure and not spread concrete piece number one  19  and concrete piece number two  20  apart. Expansive mortar  13  is mixed to a fluid consistency and poured into the saw cut  10  being treated adjacent the crack. The expansive pressure generated by the expansive mortar  13  will create a crack  14  at the bottom of the saw cut  10  and progresses to move one side of the saw cut  10  and simultaneously close the shrinkage crack  12 . The cracked edges  21  of concrete are held in place with the interlocking aggregate inside the closed shrinkage crack  12 , a rigid spacer  15  in the saw cut  10  and adhesive  17  in the closed shrinkage crack  12 . A cosmetic surface repair  7  is optionally made to the top of the closed shrinkage crack  12 . 
       Alternative Embodiments 
       [0040]    In one embodiment, expansive mortar is used to facilitate pressure inside the saw cut. However, the pressure can be developed from any other material that can be placed inside the saw cut that develops sufficient expandable pressure to open the saw cut, such as foam, plastic, polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, nylon, rubber, leather, various impregnated or laminated fibrous materials, various plasticized materials, cardboard, paper, etc. 
         [0041]    In one embodiment, the rigid spacer used to hold the control joint is made of epoxy. The rigid spacer can be of made of any other material that can be placed inside the saw cut to hold the prescribed separation and the crack tightly in place, such as cement, mortar, foam, polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, nylon, rubber, leather, various impregnated or laminated fibrous materials, various plasticized materials, cardboard, paper, etc. 
         [0042]    In one embodiment, gravity fed epoxy is used as adhesive to hold the cracked concrete pieces together. The adhesive can be of any other material installed in the crack designed to bond the pieces together. The adhesive can be installed before the crack closes, after closure or both. The adhesive can have long or short set times and consist of various materials such as film, fabrics, foam, polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, nylon, rubber, leather, various impregnated or laminated fibrous materials, various plasticized materials, cardboard, paper, etc. 
         [0043]    In one embodiment, the saw cut is of sufficient depth to receive the expansive mortar. The saw cut can be of varying depths. Best results are achieved when the saw cuts down to the top of the steel reinforcement in the slab. The steel will remain in place and give support across the newly formed control joint. Sometimes reinforcement steel is too high in the slab and may inadvertently be cut when installing the saw cut control joint. Consequently, the concrete is supported by the compacted base material under it and the epoxy interlocking the crack at the bottom of the saw cut. 
       Advantages 
       [0044]    From the description above, a number of advantages of some embodiments of my new method for concrete crack repair become evident:
       (a) The tightly closed shrinkage crack can be treated with cosmetic repairs that produce aesthetically pleasing results.   (b) The tightly closed shrinkage crack can be left untouched and produce aesthetically pleasing results.   (c) The expansive action of the mortar in the saw cut creates an active control joint.   (d) Expansion and contraction movement of the repaired concrete slab are directed toward the new control joint.   (e) Expansion and contraction movement of the repaired concrete slab are directed away from the repaired crack.   (f) A saw cut control joint omitted from the original concrete installation can be added after a crack has occurred.   (g) The expansive mortar does not stain the concrete surface like other materials.   (h) This method does not require full resurfacing.   (i) This method does not require new concrete.   (j) The cracked concrete becomes the repair material.   (k) The cracked concrete is an exact color match.   (l) The demolition becomes unnecessary.   (m)The new control joint will distract the eye and render a tight crack less noticeable.   (n) The damage from striking or prying is avoided by activating the control joint with expansive mortar.   (o) The pressure generated with expansive mortar is uniform inside the saw cut.   (p) The pressure generated is internal and does not chip the top surface.   (q) The entire crack shifts simultaneously without pinch points.   (r) The repair can be done by one person.       
 
         [0063]    Accordingly, the reader will see that the new method for concrete crack repair of various embodiments can be used to repair cracks easily and conveniently, can be used where a control joint should have been installed, can produce better quality repairs, is an exact color match and is economical. In addition, when cracks are repaired, the active control joint created enhances the durability of the crack repair and so reduces jobsite call backs by increasing the repair performance. Furthermore, the new method for concrete crack repair has the additional advantages in that:
       It permits increased speed in repair;   It permits increased quality of repair;   It permits reduction in man power to make the repair;   It permits using the existing concrete in the repair;   It permits a new option for the repair man;   It permits trial and error when selecting control joint placement;   It permits increases work place safety; and   It permits increases work efficiency.       
 
         [0072]    Although the description above contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments but merely providing illustrations of some of the several embodiments. For example, the saw cut can have various sizes and shapes; the saw cut can have various depths; the shrinkage crack can be of various shapes, sizes and angles; the expansive mortar can be of various compositions of matter; the adhesive can be of various forms of matter; the closed shrinkage crack can be partially bonded; the adhesive can be omitted in the closed shrinkage crack; the epoxy bond inside the closed crack can individually hold the piece in place; the rigid spacer can be relied upon in combination with the interlocking aggregate to keep the pieces in place; the rigid spacer can be of any form of matter; the rigid spacer can be bonded to one side of the saw cut; the rigid spacer can be bonded to neither side of the saw cut; the rigid spacer can be bonded to both sides of the saw cut; the rigid spacer can be held in place by friction; the rigid spacer can have a finished the top surface to replace the caulk; the control joint can be held open with any form of matter, etc. 
         [0073]    Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8