rock pocket in cast-in place wall

huangyhg

rock pocket in cast-in place wall
i have a project where the walls have rock pockets which protrude all the way through the wall.  has anyone had to deal with this type of fix before?  what considerations would need to be accounted for?
are you saying that these pockets penetrate thru the entire depth of the wall?
if this is the case and its a concrete wall then-
1. probably the concrete was too stiff during the placement and the contractor did not vibrate properly.
2. most of the time this kind of defect is associated with more surrounding defects which are not visible.
before you plan to do anything you have to detemine the full extent of the defects. the easiest way to find out the extent is to hammer sound the surrounding areas. all bad materials need to be removed. once all the defects are exposed you may plan to decide on a course of action.
most of the time, the repair method will depend on the size of the defect. if this area is quite big, then you may opt for form and pour technique, which is simply to form the area and pour with regular mix.
if the damage is smaller, then you may select some on the market available repair materials. basf has few materials available for use. while selecting, you have to be careful about their range of applicability and service time performances, etc.
if i came across that circumstance with pockets going through the entire thickness of the wall i would be worried about what i could not see more than the pockets.  my question would be what other voids are there - obviously no vibration or rodding was used, at least not enough.  another issue might have been the steel placement and/or the size of the aggregate, in addition to those mentioned in the post above.  
i would take a small sledge hammer to the wall and test for other voids.   it will not take much force to see or hear them.  if you see a lot of these, seriously consider having the contractor re-do the wall.  
with voids through the wall, water penetration and calcium leaching can become an issue.
don't be mr. nice guy here.  stick to your guns for the client and your reputation.
mike mccann
mccann engineering