Clay shrink-swell: after five heatwaves, why is it important to monitor cracks before the rains return?

After five heatwaves, clay shrink-swell poses a growing risk to buildings. Discover why monitoring cracks before rainfall returns is essential to detecting structural movements and preventing damage.

Clay Shrink-Swell: Why Monitor Cracks Before the Rains Return?

After a summer marked by five heatwaves and prolonged drought, clay soils have experienced significant drying and shrinkage. As rainfall returns, these soils begin to rehydrate and expand, potentially causing ground movements, foundation instability and structural damage to buildings.

This phenomenon, known as clay shrink-swell, represents a growing challenge for property owners, engineers and construction professionals.

In this article, discover why monitoring cracks before the return of rainfall is essential to understanding structural behaviour and anticipating potential damage.

A crack may widen, close or remain stable depending on soil moisture variations. Continuous monitoring provides valuable data to identify these changes and better understand how buildings react to seasonal weather conditions.

To address this challenge, FEELBAT has developed a dedicated monitoring solution as part of a project supported by France 2030 and ADEME.

By combining three connected sensors, professionals can monitor multiple parameters:

✅ DELTA L+ Mini: Tracks crack movements and structural deformation.

✅ DELTA X-Hs: Measures soil moisture variations.

✅ DELTA X-Ra: Monitors rainfall levels.

By combining crack movement, soil moisture and rainfall data, the FEELBAT platform helps engineers, geotechnical specialists and building experts better understand the relationship between climatic conditions and structural movements.

This approach provides objective measurements to support structural assessments, improve decision-making and optimise long-term monitoring strategies.

While monitoring alone cannot determine the exact cause of a crack, it provides essential information to complement professional investigations.

Discover how FEELBAT's smart, connected monitoring solutions make it easier to track structural changes, anticipate risks and protect buildings against the effects of clay shrink-swell.