Structural failures in buildings - Research Paper Example

Summary

However, some there have been some recent catastrophic structural collapses during construction that have generated wide publicity. These include, the Cooling Tower…

Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing

GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.4% of users find it useful

Read Text Preview

Subject: Miscellaneous
Type: Research Paper
Level: High School
Pages: 5 (1250 words)
Downloads: 2
Author: yparker

Extract of sample "Structural failures in buildings"

Download file to see previous pages

The Harbour Cay Condominium in Cocoa Beach, Florida in March 1981 is another important example. The five-story casting-place reinforced concrete building collapsed due to design and construction deficiencies killing eleven construction workers and injuring 23 others. Structural failures occur when there is a reduction of the capability of a structural system or component to such a degree that it cannot safely serve its intended purpose (Janney, 1986, pg. 1; Yates, 2007, pg. 68). A construction failure is a failure that occurs during construction and such failures are considered to be either a collapse or distress of a structural system to such a degree that it cannot safely serve its intended purpose.

Failures may result from a single error. However, it is more common for a failure to be the result of several interrelated contributing factors. These may involve technical problems and unexpected deficiencies in material performance. Procedural deficiencies may result from human errors in judgement or from human tendencies towards ignorance, incompetence, negligence and greed. The constructed project may be subjected to environmental conditions or loads that are unpredicted by the designer or by accepted standards of practice.

According to Thornton (1985, pg. 14), construction failures may be classified into three categories: safety, functional and ancillary, while the causes of failure fit into five general areas of deficiency, design, construction, material, administrative and maintenance. Yates (2007, pg. 68) identified two broad causes of construction; technical causes and human causes. Technical causes of construction failures are those that are actual physical proximate causes. For example, improper compaction of soil could lead to excessive settlement of a foundation.

Procedural causes are related to human errors and they include things such as communication problems or shortcoming in the design and

...Download file to see next pages Read More

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Structural failures in buildings

The Use of Tested Construction Materials

Structural Fire and structural failures Full Name Structural Fires and structural failures Introduction Our ever changing living standards and development of our infrastructure is continuously updated to provide us with better living conditions.... Our economy depends on the infrastructure; however, as our cities expand, the infrastructure becomes overloaded and in turn, susceptible to basic dangers as fire or even structural failures.... Efforts started in 1980 to keep track of fires and take measures to reduce structural failures and after three decades, the damages in casualties as well as property reduced by almost fifty percent....

8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Lift Slab Construction

The significance of the employment of this technique in the construction of high rise structures is its time-saving and cost- reducing nature and because it offers a more organized, simple and systematic approach towards the construction of high rise buildings.... Lift slab construction has long been a much practiced technique for the quick construction of multi-storey buildings....

12 Pages (3000 words) Research Paper

Curtain Wall Failure of Hancock Building, Boston

6) mentions that the concept of curtain walls was not widely employed in the construction of high rise buildings until 1950, when sufficient insulating and air treatment methods, necessary to counteract the high speed winds the curtain-walled building was subjected to, had been unveiled.... Unlike the conventional system in which load of the structure is fundamentally carried by the perimetric walls of a building, the curtain walled buildings rely upon the structural members of the framed structure that carry an additional weight of the curtain wall....

12 Pages (3000 words) Research Paper

A Research On Earthquake Resistant Building Construction

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.... rdquo; Then why did the Haitians, and more so their government, allowed such buildings to be constructed?... 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....

4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

Fire Behavior in Compartment with Failure of Passive and Active Systems

he second principle of the behavior of fires in buildings is the method of transferring heat.... "Fire Behavior in Compartment with Failure of Passive and Active Systems" paper argues that active fire protection systems are internationally used for the protection of the buildings by extinguishing the fires and controlling the fire.... In many buildings, structures and vessels it is a common belief that by applying the prescriptive codes which involve installing both passive and active systems the damage created by fires is highly reduced....

12 Pages (3000 words) Term Paper

Building Components and Types

hellip; Similarly, Approved Document L1a is intended for the conservation of fuel and power in buildings by limiting heat loss and improving heat gains.... This term paper "Building Components and Types" presents a typical building team that is consisting of the owner, engineers/architects, and contractors (Gahlot, 2007, p....

10 Pages (2500 words) Term Paper

The Members of a Typical Building Team and Their Roles

A contractor does the work of building the structure according to the given constraints while the government agencies provide the general regulations that regulate the construction of buildings.... This report "The Members of a Typical Building Team and Their Roles" presents fire safety regulation demands....

7 Pages (1750 words) Report

Suitability to Construct the Building

hellip; Within the buildings you require air movement to make sure that fresh air is provided to occupants, odour is removed, excessive moisture is removed, and condensation is prevented.... In construction, steel is perhaps the most significant ferrous structural material....

7 Pages (1750 words) Coursework