Structural Failure And Its Effect On The Building

When a large magnitude earthquake strikes, roads might buckle, dams sometimes fail, and buildings can collapse. As more earthquakes occur, building regulations have been altered to ensure that buildings experience minimal damage. The Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System (TAPS), which transports oil from Prudhoe Bay to the Gulf of Alaska, had engineering in place so when the earthquake struck the Denali fault in Alaska in 2002, the pipeline didn’t leak any oil (Nyman, Johnson, and Roach, 2003). The success of the pipeline came from its supporting structures. The engineering used in the TAPS should be applied to buildings in areas that are also prone to large magnitude earthquakes, such as Washington and California. California is home to the San Andreas fault, a major transform fault, just like the Denali, and Washington is home to the Seattle Basin, whose geometry and geological units amplify main and aftershock waves. Washington and California should first implement better building regulations, and if the premise is successful, it could be applied anywhere large magnitude earthquakes occur.

Hickory Estates is a community where buildings in the 1920’s through the 1940’s where build very quickly. This community has sloping streets, and is located above the Clearwater River. This area has single-family homes constructed with multistory, and wood-framed built homes. The population of this community is 6412 residents. Due to the era the homes were built in, a typical problem is the connection between the wood frame and the foundation. The lack of steel reinforcement can cause major damages due to its weak points0. An earthquake can cause the wood frame to come off its foundation, foundation cracks, the chimney breaking at the roof line, and the cripple walls (the walls between the top of the foundation and the floor diaphragm) to crack. This is why Hickory Estates has 8% of homes that will be uninhabitable after an Intensity IX earthquake.

Critical incidents require immediate action (Levinson & Granot, 2002). Additionally, they also require ongoing support in order to ensure that they are correctly managed and the long-term effects are mitigated (Schneid & Collins, 2001). Addressed here are four specific events - earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornados. There are ways to mitigate the damage of these events, and there are also ways to try to prepare for them. Additionally, the type of response to these events is important as is the recovery from them. For earthquakes, mitigation is limited. It is possible to build houses and buildings stronger and more able to withstand shaking, and in earthquake-prone areas the cabinets often have latches and large appliances are strapped to the wall (U.S., 2007). People who live there should also have emergency supplies of food and water, and should be prepared for an earthquake by knowing information about evacuation routes (U.S., 2007). The response to earthquakes and the recovery from them are usually strong, because the areas that are most prone are also most prepared. When an earthquake hits in an unusual area, however, it can take much longer to help people and to rebuild the infrastructure.

There are also things that we will do, if we suspect that there is a problem with the structure or the roof, which includes knowing the warning signs for failures. Things we will do before there is a threat of any type of weather, including, things to do after the weather issue. Before a weather storm hits, we will take certain measures to help limit building damage and safety issues. First, we will always have an emergency response plan in place before a weather event occurs, and we will make sure that everyone has easy access to the plan. Next, the maximum safe distance from the building's roof and the structure will be determined. The roof and structure will be regularly inspected for the structural integrity before a storm. After a storm the structure will be inspected, documented and repaired if needed. Furthermore, we will be proactive, and petition a local contractor with the proper credentials for structures, to go back behind the original construction crew to hold us accountable to the highest level. This ensures that in the event of a storm, a proper contractor and the paper work will be on

At Temple Square it seems like given the higher shaking risk and the high liquefaction potential, there would be some considerable damage to a number of buildings in that area depending on in the buildings there have been retrofitted.

If any architecture is structured poorly, erosion can easily contribute with destroying it. Architects have to design a building in a way that will be sturdy to complications like erosion.

On 9/22/17, the Phase II inspection was performed at the Naples Pier to evaluate the structural condition of the areas west of Bent 38. This report summarized the issues that were found for these areas, provided a possible explanation for the damages incurred given the information available, and discussed possible damage mitigation features that could help to preserve the pier from future hurricane induced damages. All repairs must be completed prior to reopening the Phase II area to the public. Damage mitigation features should be implemented at the same time as the repairs in order to save time and money.

Reckless endangerment is an illicit act that can result a substantial or serious physical harm to property or a person. This kind of behavior is punishable by law and can result in penalties ranging from a misdemeanor to felony which also carries mandatory jail time. An Engineer’s professional career should exemplify the core values of engineering competence, professionalism, accountability and honesty as the underlying “rule of conduct.” Consequently, all building designers shall make it their number one priority and responsibility to properly design and use quality parts to build all structures. The ASME codes of standards reiterate this fact with all the cannon outline as a guide to practice. “The fifty Nine Story Crisis” of the Citicorp

A building or home can be seen as a place of comfort where individuals feel safe, relaxed, and at peace, but structures aren’t as safe as they really seem. Throughout time natural disasters as the name say’s just happen naturally without warning, and because of this, building codes exist to help prevent the worst when one occurs. However even with all these codes structures just aren’t safe enough to withstand disasters. Changing the simple things like building codes could greatly impact how much more reinforced a building can be in the wake of a disaster. Current structures are not up to code, and should be re-evaluated because buildings are vulnerable in the event of a natural disaster.

Consequently, over a fifty-two year span the house has gone through many catastrophes causing the construction workers to rebuild time and time again. On November 26, 1970 lightning struck the right column,

Pin Point Weaknesses: When you schedule a structural inspection, a professional team will arrive to test and evaluate your structural design. Before you have windstorm damage that requires

However if the load on the beam wasn’t doubled then the beam would have been able to bear the load with a safety factor of:

With nearly two decades experience in consulting engineering and construction, I know that in order to weather storms and disasters you need a good set of blueprints and quality contractors. We do the same thing now for each of our clients by first collaborating with them, designing their ideal plan and then help them through the years build their dreams in to reality. Our intention is to - Impact Lives Throughout Lifetimes.

Resilience is a very popular word nowadays, not only because of the sea level rise threat, but all hazards caused by climate change such as increase in frequency and strength of natural disasters that demand resilient measures as pre-mitigation planning to avoid catastrophes. Cities around the US have been strengthening their building and zoning codes to prevent destruction, loss of lives and properties. Newer structures are built to endure disasters, and older structures are retrofitted to survive. Historic properties, however, are vulnerable for being regulated by national, state, and local laws.

In order to design such a building for seismological risks, preliminary research is done about the geological conditions of the city, fault locations, and earthquake history. Three earthquakes were chosen that occurred in the vicinity of the city, and their characteristics were analyzed, as were any effects resulting from those quakes, including liquefaction, landslides, or settlement. At the conclusion of this project, recommendations for the structure were provided in relation to the seismic analysis of the area. The structure must follow any codes regarding seismic design, as well as perform up to the standard set by various organizations, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).