UConn Team Earns Grant to Further Research Crumbling Foundation Problem

olutions for Connecticut’s ongoing crumbling foundation crisis will continue to be explored by UConn, thanks to federal funding secured by Connecticut’s Congressional delegation.

Last year, the Connecticut delegation worked to secure $1.5 million of funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct research on the effects of the mineral pyrrhotite on concrete foundations.

NIST has awarded UConn $768,000 of that federal funding to support research that captures information on the premature degradation of concrete foundations that contain pyrrhotite, and seeks to build a risk assessment framework for identifying and evaluating potential mitigation strategies.

Crumbling foundations are a debilitating problem in Connecticut, particularly in the northeastern region of the state. The crumbling is due to high levels of pyrrhotite, an iron sulfide mineral that can react with oxygen and water and cause swelling and cracking in the concrete used to make the foundation and basement walls.