Abstract

The flood plain of the Nile River has been a safe dwelling throughout history. Recently with a growing population and vast growing urbanization some buildings have started to experience structural damages, which are not related to their construction design, but rather to the ground conditions around the buildings’ foundations. Variations in properties of the soil supporting the buildings’ foundations such as soil bearing capacity, moisture content and scouring may eventually lead to the failure of these buildings. This study is attempting to characterize the variations in the soil properties around the City Star shopping mall, in eastern Cairo, where a large building has tilted over the past few years. This tilting may lead to the collapse of the whole building if it continues at the same rate. An integrated geophysical investigation including multi-channel analysis of surface wave (MASW), ground penetrating radar (GPR) and 2-D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was used around the affected building to help detect possible causes of deterioration. The GPR data showed a soil-fill layer overlaying a thick bottom layer of higher moisture content. The MASW data revealed a middle layer of relatively low shear wave velocity sandwiched between two relatively high shear wave velocity layers. The ERT data showed an upper low resistivity layer overlying a high resistivity layer. Integrating the interpretations of the three geophysical methods provide a combined model that reflects lateral and vertical variation in the soil properties. This variation becomes dramatic near the tilted corner of the building.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.