What is Honeycomb in construction

What do you mean by Honeycomb?

Honeycomb means pitted surface or voids on a concrete wall,  column, and beams which is due to improper filling of concrete or compaction, looking like a rough surface and gives low strength to structure.

Why is it known as Honeycomb?

When concrete is poured in formwork due to excessive reinforce or excessive compaction, all concrete slurry floats through formwork void or other reasons which results in a bunch of gravels or only rough surfaces of concrete which look like a Honeycomb, that's why it is known as Honeycomb.

                 

Let's keep interested in an article about honeycomb I will discuss here all about its deep disadvantages, prevention, cause and remedies or treatment.

• Disadvantages

1. Offering low strength to the structure that causes more chance to fail of structure.
2. It provides a rough surface to the wall, column, and beams which is not desirable.
3. Indicating the bad quality of work done.
4. Wastage of material and money.
5. Wastage of time and manpower

• Causes of Honeycomb

1. Work on height:-When the casting has been done on height there is more chance to floats slurry due to specific gravity and such a height manual working ability is not proper or desirable. For example, suppose that a column casting is being on 4.5m height, in that case, it's difficult to handle vibrator for compacting concrete of a column
2. Excessive compaction:- While casting a column, beam, slab, and walls uses of excessive compaction result reduce the slurry of concrete due to its vibration. When vibrator leaves continuously in concrete or formwork in which casting being continued slurry floats through formwork gaps or small void which result in Honeycomb.
3. Workability of concrete:- When is not workable, its stiff and tight or unmovable which reults very hard to work or start setting befor it placing in formwork. For example when we are casting any structure it may be any beam, column anything elas when conrete is not workable or stiff its not suitable and appropiriate, while compacting concrete with vibrator it reduce water content which increase concrete initial time of setting becouse of this concrete does't get in touch with bottum surface or side surface which Honeycomb.
4.  Water Cement Ratio:-  While mixing the batch ensure that mixing of batch is proper or according to the IS Grade , improper batching and excessive amount of water or cement reduce the workability of concrete, if  excessive amount of water added concrete begin to floats and excessive amount of cement used  concrete becomes more stiff or harder and increase its initial setting time which is already set before placing in formwork.
5. Water tight Formwork:- Formwork is not water tight or water resistant may be excessive amount of voids or gap in formwork which helps to move slurry out fromwork.

Prevention

• For reducing the possibility of Honeycomb make sure that your formwork is watertight, is there have not any gapping between sides and bottom, gapping may be anywhere in formwork so keep checking if you are casting any structure you found any gap or floating slurry through so immediately close the gap by any gunny bag, plastic polythene, etc.
•  
• Give attention on Water cement ratio don't use an excessive amount of any substance. Check the slump test of concrete for ensuring that concrete is workable or not.
•  Do not use excessive vibration for compaction.

 Remedies or Treatment

1. Remove the loose gravel with wire bruse and make the cement sand mortar and apply it on the Honeycomb surface.
2. Make Gout slurry with pressure injection grouting machine.