Determine what kind of repair is necessary by using a concrete rebound hammer.
Fire damage to concrete slabs.
Most fire damaged structures can be successfully repaired this being the more cost effective solution than demolition and reconstruction.
Concrete can be damaged by heat.
Buildings parking garages bridges and concrete lined tunnels are examples of structures that can be damaged by fire.
However it can take up to three hours for the heat to penetrate through the concrete cover to the steel reinforcement.
A separate issue is the foundation load path can be damaged by the fire event.
Repairing cracks in concrete is usually inefficient as they will remain weak spots in the concrete base.
For short term exposure concrete is fire resistant enough to survive undamaged.
Being able accurately to assess the condition of concrete after a fire is important not only for safety reasons but also for economic reasons.
Fire doesn t damage concrete immediately as it damages wood.
Although in many cases concrete can withstand the effects of fire and retain much of its load bearing capacity exposure for a long time or to too intensive fires can seriously damage the concrete.
Even though concrete is non flammable and offers excellent fire protective qualities for preventing the spread of fire it loses most if not all of its structural strength characteristics when exposed to extreme heat.
However the visual appearance of concrete after a fire can be quite shocking with extensive blackening often accompanied by spalling and cracking.
A serious house fire can generate enough heat to damage and weaken the concrete and steel reinforcement bars in footings slabs and footing stem walls.
If the lateral support of the foundation was altered by the events related to the fire it is possible the foundation wall could be subjected to excess stress causing it to crack tilt or deflect.
How to repair fire damaged concrete step 1.
Consult an engineer.
Digital rebound concrete hammer.
If the bottom side of the slab is subjected to fire the strength of the concrete and the reinforcing steel will decrease as the temperature increase.
Blast the soot from the surface of the concrete with either a dry ice mixture or sand.
Assessment of fire damaged structures.
Prolonged exposure to high temperatures like the ones generated from a wood burning fire pit however can cause the concrete base to crack and spall over time.