Failure Of Building Research Articles

Factors Affecting the Physical and Functional Performance of Buildings in Kenya

Building performance is a broad subject whose meaning covers the ability of structures to serve the intended function based on a well-defined criterion such as the assessment of functional, physical, environmental, or even social attributes considered jointly or separately. Building failures and general collapses are some of the most severe consequences of failed performance of buildings which have a great impact on livelihoods yet have remained persistent in Kenya over decades despite various interventions. This paper analyses building performance based on observable attributes and sentiments of respondents collected from construction project sites across Kenya. The study aimed to characterize buildings that are likely to fail physically and functionally at different stages based on five factors drawn from the literature as institutional, ethical, financial, legal, and technical factors, with the intention of proposing the necessary stop-gap measures. The study employed a cross-sectional (survey) design in which quantitative research methods were applied to collect and analyze data from a random sample of 400 building construction projects selected through proportionate cluster sampling across the 47 counties of Kenya. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather data on the perception of industry professionals, building users, and generally the stakeholders on the identified area of the research. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and regression analysis. The physical performance of buildings appeared to cause an alarming concern with elements such as wall and slab stability recording poor scores. Based on functional performance the aspects of disability mainstreaming and compliance to green building standards were noted to be under-performing. Multiple Regression analysis results revealed that institutional, ethical, financial, legal, and technical factors explained 17.1% of the variability in building performance. Notably, only ethical, legal, and technical factors were the statistically significant predictors of building performance. The study thus recommends a detailed review, restructuring, and optimization of the ethical, legal, and technical environment of building construction management to enhance buildings performance.

An Assesment of Causes of Building Collapse in Nigeria (Case Study of Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State)

In human life, shelter forms a second primary needs of human apart from food and because of this, many people act desperately in order to have their own properties. As a result, the need to erect strong and functional structures to do away or minimize building collapse is very important. The aim of this paper is to assess the causes of building collapse in Nigeria to ensure standardization in building fabrication, through identification of the causes of building failure that leads to collapse, also to examine the effects or problems associated with building failure that leads to collapse and to proffer solutions to the problem. The field survey method was employed for this research, a total of one hundred (100) questionnaires were distributed. Not every questionnaire that was distributed was fully completed and returned. Ninety-one (91) questionnaires were filed and returned. The collected data were analyzed and presented using a straightforward statistical method that included tabulating the data and converting the numerical values into a simple percentage. the findings of this paper revealed that, Collapse of Buildings may happen due to the following; Poor workmanship, use of poor or substandard building materials, bad design, foundation failure, faulty construction, un-designed loads and design fault, etc. As such, the need to stop/minimize building collapse in this country is necessitated, with more emphasis to, Birnin kebbi, Nigeria because it numerous cases of building collapse and needs immediate solution. However, appropriate recommendations were made at the end of the research.

Study of Common Construction Practices and Structural Defects in RC Buildings in Darchula District Far-Western Nepal

This paper presents the common construction and structural deficiencies noticed in Mahakali municipality Darchula. The RC building constructions are common in the Darchula district. The main objective of this study is to find existing structural and construction mistakes in RC buildings. Field observations, interviews with engineers, technical people, local house owners, photographs, reviews of works of literature, bye-laws, buildings code, etc. are taken to fulfill the objective ofthe study. This paper examines the cause and effects of faulty construction practices and structural defects by using both analytical and numerical methods. Structural defects are present in the RC buildings due to improper construction methods, poor use of bye[1]laws, poor workmanship; do not consult with professionals, corruption, lack of training, etc. The results show that these structural defects and faulty constructions practice may lead to serious failures of structures during strong earthquakes. This study provides relevant information on the building’s collapse in a recent earthquake (Gorkha 2015) and the major cause of failure of RC buildings to compare the defects present in existing RC buildings in the Darchula district. The results concluded that almost 48% of buildings have column sizes less than 300mmx300mm, 24% of buildings have poor beam-column joints and 11% of buildings are soft storey and irregular building shapes. The numerical results pointed out that non-engineered buildings show poor seismic performance, poor seismic capacity and failure mechanism. The study strongly recommended that to prevent future hazards, the construction of buildings should follow the building’s laws and codes and also should be ensured by the municipality and other government bodies also provides sufficient training and knowledge in the local level. To improve the existing structures, it is important to increase the strength capacity and ductility of the joint by providing a suitable retrofitting process or maintenance process.

The buildings (dis)pathology: analysis of management tools for building maintenance services

Buildings are susceptible to both inherent and external vulnerabilities throughout all phases of the construction process, spanning from design to occupancy. Many types of failures can impact these structures. Researching building failures involves a three-step approach: listening, categorizing, and determining solutions that prioritize the least invasive and cost-effective interventions. This research aims to present different prioritization methods and identify the most appropriate methodology for diagnosing and addressing specific failures. The research evaluates conventional tools, as follows BASICO, SWIFT, FMEA, AFF, and GUT matrix, offering a critical analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. A case study focusing on moisture-related maintenance services for building facades is presented. Finally, the GUT matrix and the FMEA method are the most effective approaches for addressing building failures, however, the GUT matrix stands out for being easier to apply in building maintenance management.

Probability of Failure of High-Rise Buildings Equipped with Magnetorheological Dampers by Considering Uncertainty in Stationary and Nonstationary Earthquakes

Probability of Failure of High-Rise Buildings Equipped with Magnetorheological Dampers by Considering Uncertainty in Stationary and Nonstationary Earthquakes

Comparison of seismic analysis methods within analytical approach

Introduction. In the nuclear power industry, ensuring nuclear and radiation safety is of paramount importance, therefore all aspects that may affect safety are considered in a deterministic and probabilistic approaches.
 As part of the safety justification, consideration of earthquakes of various intensity levels is regulated by safety standards. At the same time, the deterministic analysis of the earthquake and the models and calculation methods used are quite well-established, and in the probabilistic way, a relatively large number of different approaches have been developed and used as part of PSA level 1. The results of the evaluation of the conditional probability of failure of system elements, buildings and structures depending on the intensity of seismic impact on the free ground surface of the site depends on the approach used for the calculations.
 Aims. To perform a comparative analysis of various methods for constructing a failure probability curve under seismic impact.
 Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of the use of various approaches to the construction of a failure curve under seismic impact for a relatively simple case is performed. The results of the calculations showed that the scaling method leads to the most conservative results. The use of linearization methods and the method of moments give more realistic estimates, which can have a positive impact on the results of PSA level 1.
 Conclusions. A comparative analysis of some approaches has practical interest and is relevant, since various methods can contribute more than 50% to the core damage frequency, which creates a significant imbalance in the safety of nuclear power plants.

Analysis of building failure associated with water seepage into gypsiferous soils in an arid area located in the northwestern town of Ouled Djellal (Algeria)

The present article aims to investigate the root causes of building failures that are associated with water seepage into gypsiferous soils in the arid region of the northwestern town of Ouled Djellal in Algeria. For this, a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, including in-situ measurements and laboratory analysis, was implemented to understand the failure mechanisms in the buildings. The study revealed that water infiltration affects the stability of the gypsiferious soil beneath the buildings foundations and triggers differential settlement, thus contributing to building failures. This research offers valuable insights through a case study and provides practical recommendations for construction practices aimed at reducing the risks of building failures due to water seepage in gypsiferous soils. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of understanding soil behavior, implementing effective water management strategies, and using appropriate foundation designs in arid regions.

Integrated seismic-energy retrofit systems for preventing failure of a historical RC school building: Comparison among metal lightweight exoskeleton solutions

Italian built heritage is highly vulnerable due to old public and private buildings designed without recent seismic and energy regulations. In particular, school buildings represent a critical typology that should be retrofitted to guarantee safety and comfort to the users. In this framework, interventions from building outside able to avoid interruption of school activities should be required. A solution to solve this issue can be found in the retrofit solution with exoskeletons. In this scenario, the paper presents the comparison among three similar solutions of metal lightweight exoskeletons for the integrated seismic-energy retrofit of a RC school building assumed as a case study. The RC structure of the school is firstly modelled with a finite element software and then subjected to pushover analysis before and after retrofit interventions to assess the benefit of each exoskeleton solution. The comparisons among intervention techniques are made in terms of the seismic safety index (ζE) provided by the Italian technical standard. The results show the more or less efficacy of the different inspected systems, even if integrative local interventions are needed to reach the minimum safety index (0.60) required for school buildings. As a conclusion, these novel light metal exoskeletons have proven to be efficient retrofitting systems for residential buildings or even for school buildings with regular façades and plan layouts.

Implementing GIS and linear regression models to investigate partial building failures

One of the most dangerous field problems in the civil engineering discipline is the suddenly developed cracks in the building, which could be caused by the swelling of the subsurface soil. Thus, this work has focused on employing a procedure in the geographic information system known as the inverse distance weighted (IDW) technique, to analyze the extent of cracks in a residential complex in the city of Kirkuk in Iraq using the physical and chemical soil data for seven boreholes from the field of the study. Physical soil parameters such as liquid limit (LL), gravel, sand, silt and clay percentages were characterized first, followed by chemical properties such as gypsum content (GYP), total suspended solids (TSS), potential of hydrogen (pH), and organic content (ORG). Furthermore, statistical studies such as plasticity index (PI) and soil characteristics association, linear single, and various linear multi-regression models were used. The data analysis shows that there are significantly positive and negative relationships between PI as a swelling indicator and the physical and chemical soil properties, although weak to moderate correlations were observed between PI and these variables. The PI values were accurately predicted by the proposed linear multi-regression models of the physical and integrated physical and chemical soil characteristics, with multiple R values of 0.92 for both models. As a result, the suggested statistical models can provide complete geographic and mechanical explanations for the crack sources in the investigated residential complex.

Reconstruction of Corporate Liability Law in the Provision of Construction Services

Objective: This research aims to discuss in depth the form of corporate legal liability in construction work and discuss comprehensively the concept of legal reconstruction of corporate liability in construction work that is worth justice, certainty and legal benefit. Theoretical framework: That the vacuum of criminal law results in uncertainty and disparity in law enforcement of building failures and construction accidents in the Construction Services Law Number: 2 Year 2017, this problem can be overcome by harmonisation or legal reconstruction to harmonise construction services laws with other laws in the field of construction in order to provide justice, certainty and legal benefits for the community. Method: This type of research is normative juridical with a descriptive-analytical approach, discussing existing legal symptoms and problems and testing them based on legislation and legal norms. Result and conclusion: The results of this study indicate that corporate liability in construction work is divided into three namely administrative, civil and criminal liability. The concept of legal reconstruction of corporate liability in construction work is: setting criminal sanctions for construction accidents and building failures, restructuring the form of administrative sanctions for work safety violations into criminal sanctions, as well as setting general provisions on the definition of construction accidents, construction safety and construction work failures. That legal reconstruction is needed as an effort to overcome the emptiness and disparity of criminal law enforcement of construction accidents and building failures in Law Number: 2 of 2017 concerning Construction Services, in the form of criminal sanction arrangements, regulating general provisions regarding the definition of construction accidents, construction safety and construction work failures, and revitalising administrative sanctions against K4 violations. Originality/Value: This research is conducted with case studies of building failures and construction accidents in construction work. This research discusses comprehensively how the form of corporate liability for building failures or construction accidents. Novelty in this research is original because it offers a reconstruction concept of corporate legal liability in construction work based on fairness and legal certainty.

Failure of Gedikbulak K-12 School Building on October 23, 2011, in Van, Turkey Earthquake

A major earthquake with a magnitude Mw = 7.2 (ML = 6.7) occurred in the Eastern part of Turkey on October 23, 2011. The ground motion had a measured peak ground acceleration of 0.18×g. The earthquake damaged masonry and reinforced concrete structures ranging from minor cracking to total collapse. A 4-story reinforced concrete school building in Gedikbulak Village experienced total failure during this earthquake. This school building was a typical project (No: 10370) prepared by the Ministry of Education of Turkey and this typical project was widely being used for the construction of school buildings in various locations throughout Turkey. This paper explains the site observations of the Atılım University Reconnaissance Team carried out at the collapse site of the school building a few days after the main shock and detailed analysis with an emphasis on the reason for the failure of the school building. The analysis results indicated that the collapse happened due to the separation of the bottom of shear walls (in both x- and y-directions) from the foundation due to inadequate development and lap splice length of the plain reinforcing bars. Comments were made for existing school buildings to prevent any collapses in future earthquakes.

Determination of reference service life for reinforced concrete multistorey residential buildings: case study of Akure, Nigeria

The Service life of a building is the period from commencement of service to the time just before costly maintenance becomes necessary for continued meeting of minimum performance requirements. Knowledge of service life determines whether to demolish and replace a building or major repairs are required and the absence of information on this has led to many building failures. This research therefore aimed to determine the Reference Service Life (RSL); a parameter required for the evaluation of a building’s Service Life. Twenty reinforced concrete multistorey residential buildings around the Federal University of Technology Akure (Nigeria) were assessed via visual inspection, material testing, and structural analysis. Information obtained from the assessment was used to develop a comprehensive open-ended service life database. Non-destructive tests were conducted on the buildings’ structural elements and the results used to determine the service life of each of the buildings with the aid of Life 365 Software. Weighted factors which depend on the quality characteristics, operational conditions and the environment of the buildings were used as a grading system for the assignment of sub-factors for the adjustment of the Life 365 service life values, leading to a value of 29 years as the Reference Service Life (RSL) for the study area. The result obtained will benefit construction professionals and appropriate regulatory authorities in the study area while the procedure can be adopted for service life assessment in other locations lacking appropriate database.

LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY OF GOODS/SERVICES PROVIDER FOR BUILDING FAILURE

Construction failure can be caused by a failure in the process of procuring goods or services, or it may occur during the construction process itself. Construction work failure refers to a condition where the results of construction work do not comply with the agreed work specifications in the construction work contract, either partially or entirely, due to the fault of the service user or service provider. The purpose of this study is to analyze the responsibility of goods/services providers in the event of a building failure and to examine the form of their responsibility in such cases. This study adopts a descriptive normative approach to answer questions regarding the responsibilities of goods/services providers in cases of building failures, as outlined in Legislation Number 18 of 1999 concerning Construction Services, which was renewed as Number 2 of 2017 Construction Services, Government Regulation Number 29 of 2000 concerning construction service providers, and regulations pertaining to the responsibilities of goods/services providers in the event of building failures, which include meeting the Standards for Security, Safety, Health, and Sustainability, undergoing inspection by a team of experts appointed directly by the Minister, and complying within a maximum period of 10 (ten) years from the final delivery of Construction Services. The responsibility of goods/services providers for building failures is based on the principle of Liability based on Fault and is administered through written warnings, administrative fines, temporary suspension of construction service activities, inclusion in the black list, and even suspension or revocation of permits.

Research on Multi-Sensor Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Technology for Complex Environment of Construction Machinery

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), as a key task of unmanned vehicles for construction machinery, is of great significance for later path planning and control. Construction tasks in the engineering field are mostly carried out in bridges, tunnels, open fields, etc. The prominent features of these environments are high scene similarity, few geometric features, and large-scale repetitive texture information, which is prone to sensor detection degradation. This leads to positioning drift and map building failure. The traditional method of motion estimation and 3D reconstruction uses a single sensor, which lacks enough information, has poor adaptability to the environment, and cannot guarantee good positioning accuracy and robustness in complex environments. Currently, the strategy of multi-sensor fusion is proven to be an effective solution and is widely studied. This paper proposes a SLAM framework that integrates LiDAR, IMU, and camera. It tightly couples the texture information observed by camera, the geometric information scanned by LiDAR, and the measured value of IMU, allowing visual-inertial odometry (VIO) and LiDAR-inertial odometry (LIO) common implementation. The LIO subsystem extracts point cloud features and matches them with the global map. The obtained pose estimation can be used for the initialization of the VIO subsystem. The VIO system uses direct method to minimize the photometric error and IMU measurement error between images to estimate the pose of the robot and the geometric structure of the scene. The two subsystems assist each other to perform pose estimation, and can operate normally even when any subsystem fails. A factor graph is used to combine all constraints to achieve global pose optimization. Keyframe and sliding window strategies are used to ensure real-time performance. Through real-vehicle testing, the system can perform incremental and real-time state estimation and reconstruct a dense 3D point cloud map, which can effectively solve the problems of positioning drift and mapping failure in the lack of geometric features or challenging construction environments.

Sustainable approaches to improve the resilience of modular buildings under wind loads

Prefabricated volumetric modular building (PVMB) technology is an emerging technology that can make the construction industry walk towards sustainability by reducing the emission of pollutants leading to various environmental impacts. However, the knowledge of the lateral behaviour of PVMBs is limited. This could lead to significant building failure in future, as the climate continues to change, it is expected that building performance will be affected. Thus, this research aims to study the resilience of PVMBs under changing wind loads and identify the most sustainable approach to improve resilience. A 25-storey case-study building was analysed with modifications added to increase its lateral stiffness. Three methods of increasing the resilience were used: (1) increasing the size of structural elements; (2) increasing the inter-component connection stiffness; and (3) introducing discrete diaphragms. The results showed that using chevron bracings of the same section size as X-bracings can maintain the same resilience against the wind while decreasing total bracing steel volume by 32%. Among the analysis cases, structures with concrete cores (CC) have the highest stiffness to withstand the increased wind loads. The building with CC at the centre can withstand a 100% higher serviceability wind speed (i.e. 74 ms−1) than building without modifications (i.e. 37 ms−1). At the same time, the building with CC on either side can withstand a 45% higher wind speed than building without modifications. Further considering the sustainability aspects, the environmental effects of global warming can be reduced by about 160% when fully modular buildings are constructed with recycled steel.

Assessing Seismic Crack Performance of Diyarbakır Çüngüş Masonry Stone Bridge Considering 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Malatya, Gaziantep Earthquakes

Examination of the creep behavior of historical buildings and interpretation of seismic failures in historical buildings are of great importance for the safety and future of these important structures. In this study, time-dependent settlement and three-dimensional (3D) seismic analyzes of a historical stone bridge are investigated using the 3D discrete element modeling technique. For the settlement and seismic analyses, the historical single-span Çüngüş bridge which was built in the 18th century in Diyarbakır-Turkey by Ottoman Empire is used. Since Diyarbakır is in a dangerous zone according to the Turkey seismic map, the examination of this structure is very critical for the history of Turkey. The 3D model of the bridge is created using the FLAC3D program based on the finite difference method and all the stone elements in the historical bridge are modeled separately as blocks. Special interaction elements are defined between the discretely modeled stones. For settlement creep analyses, the Burger-creep material model, which was not used for the creep behavior of historical buildings in the past, is utilized. Firstly, the 500-year long-term creep behavior of the bridge is examined by considering the fix boundary condition and full reservoir condition. According to the creep analyses, it is seen that the most deformation and failure section of the bridge is the arch section. Then, for the seismic analyses of the bridge, free-field and quiet non-reflecting boundary conditions are defined in the model. Furthermore, hysteresis damping coefficients are taken into account in seismic analyzes with the help of special fish functions. 10 various earthquakes are considered for seismic analyses. According to the earthquake analyses, the earthquake behavior of the Çüngüş historical bridge is assessed by considering the full reservoir condition and it is understood that 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Malatya, Gaziantep earthquakes significantly changed the seismic safety behavior of Çüngüş single-span historical bridge.

Assessing the Influence of Variations in Chemical Composition of Cement Brands in Ghana on their Setting and Workability of Concrete

The reliance on inferior on cement products for the construction of housing projects and other civil engineering infrastructural facilities has led to a number of building and other structural failures in Ghana over the years. The manufacturing of concrete utilized in the building of various structural member, such as columns, beams, slabs, footings and wall, was negatively impacted by the use of low-quality cements, rendering them unable to sustain any loads placed on them. Another observation made from the cement used was the inadequate proportioning of the chemical compounds during the manufacturing process which has negatively affected the setting of the concrete contributing to poor performance of structural elements in buildings and other infrastructural projects. In this research, the impacts of the variations in chemical constituents including SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, Na2O, K2O, CaO, MgO, and SO3 in the different brands on setting times of cement and workability of fresh concrete were examined. The Vicat apparatus and the slump apparatus set-ups were used to measure the setting time and concrete workability respectively. It was found that the majority of the chemical compounds of the various cement brands evaluated in this research provided appreciable setting time as well as typical and acceptable consistencies. Most cement brands showed initial and final setting times between 30 and 271-306 minutes for cements in the 32.5R class. The initial and final setting times generated by the test were likewise observed to fall within 30 minutes and between 172-263 minutes, respectively, in the 42.5R class of cements, where a similar pattern was also observed. It was noted that for the same water-cement-ratio in all the concretes from the different brands of cement, good workability was obtained.

Multiaxis Hybrid Simulation of Collapse Resistant Buildings with Ductile Soft Story Formed by Concrete-Filled Steel Tube Columns

A widespread problem in regions of low to moderate seismicity is the failure of buildings with soft-story collapse mechanisms. A reliable approach to improve the design of such buildings is to use concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) columns to form a ‘ductile’ soft story to arrest damage at the first level. This can perform as an isolator to limit the damage and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the building. In this paper, the multiaxis hybrid simulation method is used to evaluate the three-dimensional response of CFT columns while they serve as part of a building developing ductile soft first story mechanism. For this purpose, the multiaxis substructure testing (MAST) system at Swinburne University of Technology was utilized to simulate realistically the time-varying multi-directional boundary forces generated by ground motions on the CFT columns. The circular and square cross-section shapes as the most popular type of CFTs were tested and the damage progression, global hysteretic behavior, and deteriorating mechanisms were studied. The obtained data were then used to conduct a fragility analysis to compute the risk of collapse. The results highlight the excellent performance of CFTs and their potential to construct low-damage collapse resistant buildings.

Earthquake-Induced Failure Analysis of High-Rise Steel Buildings under Sequential Long-Duration Ground Motions

This paper investigates the earthquake-induced failure of high-rise steel moment-resistant frame buildings subjected to sequential long-duration ground motions. A fiber-element model was developed with considering the strength and stiffness deterioration caused by local buckling and low-cycle fatigue fracture. The modeling method taking account of strength and stiffness deterioration was validated by component test results of both column bases and beam-column joints. At the structural level, simulation results including both global and local behavior were compared with the shaking table test results of a high-rise steel building in Japan, which showed a reasonable prediction of its seismic failure up to collapse.

Strengthening and underpinning of a sinking two storey building in Lagos State Nigeria

Many existing foundations, particularly those that are old and dilapidated, are no longer strong enough to support the pressures they bear or support new loads applied to them. In order to boost the load bearing capacity, a unique underpinning technique is required. Underpinning technique provides secure, efficient, and reliable solutions to foundation and geotechnical problems affecting the foundations of buildings. However, the practice of underpinning is not common in Nigeria. This paper presents a case study on the settlement failure of a two-storey residential building in Lagos, Nigeria. The residential building encountered excessive differential settlement due to the variation in the soil strata in in 06°26′12″N Long: 3°30′44″E area of Lagos state. Some portion of the building was laid on weak and loose clayey sand which showed signs of foundation distress and led to the eventual choice of an underpinning technique adopted to extend the foundation depth to a stable stratum, to salvage the failed areas of the foundation in order to strengthen the bearing capacity and to minimize settlement. Underpinning was done because the original raft foundation was inadequate for vertical and lateral loads. The procedure used for underpinning was summarized. The measured settlement points of the underpinned foundations after six-year service life were less than 0.333 mm. This result meant that every point (from points 1–10) measurements were below the settlement limit which guaranteed the bearing resistance of the building. The result showed that the underpinning technique salvaged the areas that initially settled and showed distress signs.