A Research On Earthquake Resistant Building Construction - Term Paper Example

A Research on Earthquake Resistant Building Construction Number ENGL 203 The 10th of January, might remain one of the saddest days to Haitian’s and, to a larger extent, any person in this globe who values life. On this day, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hit Haiti, killing over 230,000 persons almost instantaneously. Other approximately 300,000 and 1.5 million people were injured and rendered homeless respectively. (BBC News, 2010). Notably, however, this statistics compares unfavorably with San Francisco when an earthquake of similar magnitude hit it in 1989. In the latter, only 62 people lost their lives and about 3757 got injured. The big question that remains begging for answers, therefore, is as to why Haiti had so many casualties as compared to San Francisco (Karwoski & Papp, 2003). Joyce (2010) of NPR news agency observed that, “most buildings hardly met engineering standards and were significantly fragile to withstand an earthquake of such a magnitude.” Then why did the Haitians, and more so their government, allowed such buildings to be constructed? The answer is simple; most Haitian and low income earners and can barely afford building similar to those found in San Francisco or New York, for instance. Effective architectural design, proper choice of structural components, and adherence to construction code of ethics guarantee the development of affordable earthquake resistant buildings that are less affected by earthquakes. Earthquakes refers to sudden movements or shaking of the earth surface. It could be man-made, for instance those caused by heavy machinery, or natural that are often caused by geological process occurring from within the earth surface. When it occurs, weak structures end up being destroyed (Stein & Wysession, 2009). There are several reasons that cause building to fail in the event of an earthquake. For example, at the instance that an earthquake strikes, the vertical and horizontal movements cause the building to shift from its position of rest. However, due to forces of inertia, the building’s weight somehow changes and, hence, causing failure of the building. Also, the material used in the construction of the building contributes to this failure. Buildings with greater mass experience more lateral force, and this primarily is the main reason behind building damages. In case a building lacks strong joint, components such as walls, beams, columns, and slabs in building vibrate independently at their own velocity and in different directions. Notably, the velocity of the movement of the aforementioned component is determined by the weight and orientation of the building which, eventually, results to the separation of the building. It is this separation of building components and failure to support design forces that is referred to as building failure (Ellingwood, 2001). In order to design a structure that is resistant to earth instability caused by earthquakes, the following are some of the factors that should be taken into account: First, the structure has to be ductile, for instance incorporating steel in concrete buildings. These ductile materials need to be positioned at strategic areas such as corners where they are free to undergo tension and thus able to yield. The second factor is deformability of the structure. Deformability here refers to the quality of a building to undergo considerable degree of deformation or change in shape without collapsing. This can only be possible if such a building is regular, proportioned with knife-edge accuracy, and tied together in such a manner that no specific areas bear excessive stresses. In so doing, forces would be transmitted from once section of the building to the other without causing significant deformations. The last critical aspect to consider is the damageability of the building. This implies the quality of a structure to withstand significant damage without giving in. To attain this goal “minimum area which shall be damaged in case a member of the structure is collapsed” must be kept in perspective during designing. Strong column and weak beam concept is normally employed to minimize damage to a building (Agarwal & Shrikhande, 2006). Other design consideration are as follows: The plan for the building should be regularly shaped, for instance square or rectangular. Limit the length of wall in a room to 6.0m or less. Pilasters should be used for longer walls and should not be more than 3.5m in a hilly landscape. Height of each storey should be confined to 3.2m or below. Bricks of crushing strength below 35kg/cm2 and 50kg/cm2 should be avoided for single and double-triple storeyed building respectively. Lastly, Load bearing wall must be at least 200mm, and doors and windows must be located not less than 600mm from the edges if the wall (Agarwal & Shrikhande, 2006). Masonry building are those whose walls and footing are made up of stone and brick. They are the most common thanks to the relative low cost and ease of accessing them. Nevertheless, they are brittle and easily affected by earthquake. Therefore, majority of the devastating impacts occasioned by earthquakes happen on masonry buildings. Prior research have pointed to the fact that this masonry building can be strengthened and made earthquake-resistant through incorporation of earthquake resistant materials. This materials serve to minimize great vertical and horizontal forces that are akin to those generated by earthquakes. Therefore, to construct an earthquake resistant masonry building, there is need to construct a three reinforced concrete bands which should be positioned at the various heights of the buildings; plinth height, lintel height and roof height. This practice plays an indispensable role in enhancing the firmness of structures thus enabling them to resists the earthquake forces. Coming up with reinforced cement concrete band provides a much reliable solution. However, some individuals may still find it relatively expensive. In such circumstances, finely seasoned wood or bamboo may be used in the making of the band (Ellingwood, 2001). Following the findings of the above brief research on Earthquake Resistant Building Construction, it is imperative for civil engineers and other professional in the field of construction to always prioritize on the safety of inhabitants of those buildings. They should go to all levelS to reinforce the structural component of the buildings by applying the above, and any other design consideration in reinforcing buildings. In conclusion, the probability of designing and constructing affordable earthquake resistant building to avert re-occurrence of Haiti-similar situation is progressively on the rise over the years. The above research has explored the various components of structural design and how they can be exploited to come up with buildings that are resistant to destructive forces of the earthquake. A case of masonry building reinforced using affordable materials is given. Having this into consideration whenever building are constructed, excessive damage and loss of life would be significantly minimized in the event of another earthquake. References Agarwal, P., & Shrikhande, M. (2006). Earthquake resistant design of structures. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India. BBC News: One Minute World News, Americas. (2010, February 10). Retrieved May 4, 2014, from BBC News Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8507531.stm Joyce, C. (2010, January 14). NPR News: Top Stories. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from Npr News Website: http://m.npr.org/news/front/122547242?singlePage=true Karwoski, G., & Papp, R. (2003). Quake: Disaster in San Francisco, 1906. Atlanta, Ga: Peachtree. Ellingwood, B. R. (2001). Earthquake risk assessment of building structures. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 74(3), 251-262. Stein, S., & Wysession, M. (2009). An introduction to seismology, earthquakes, and earth structure. John Wiley & Sons. Read More