subject: A Brief Account of Foundation Repairs And Earthquake Retrofitting [print this page] A Brief Account of Foundation Repairs And Earthquake Retrofitting
The foundation of your house is the basic cause of its support and strength. As long as your foundation is in good condition, you do not have to worry about the strength of the house during mild storms and natural disasters of a moderate sort. No matter which type of foundation your house has, stone, concrete etc it is prone to damage over time. Foundation damage is not because of the quality of the work done or material used but has more to do with the type of soil around it, the atmospheric conditions, soil density, soil shifting and water content. Foundation repairs should be carried out as soon as you see your house's foundation showing cracks. Cracks can be caused because of many reasons from water seepage, leakage to soil shifting and roots of plants and trees digging into it. Even if the cracks are smaller to begin with they can expand in size if foundation repair is not carried on time. One thing should be kept in mind with regards to foundation repairs that only experts should be called on to inspect and fix. Extensive foundation damage is also caused during earthquakes and you should always call a foundation repair service to inspect your foundation for any damage after an earthquake.
Earthquake retrofitting is carried out to make a building resistant to the stress caused during an earthquake. An extensive stress is caused to a building during an earthquake because of the ground activity, shift and shaking. Earthquake retrofitting is that process in which measures are taken and changes are made within an already existing structure to make it less prone to the pressure and strain caused by earthquakes. In 1960s seismic codes were introduced which defined a particular manner in which buildings were to be constructed to avoid damage due to seismic activities or earthquakes. However, before these codes buildings were constructed without considering the effects and the toll ground shift would take on them. Therefore, earthquake retrofitting is carried out to make the older buildings more resistant to violent shakes and shifts of the earth. However, it should always be remembered that there is not fool-proof earthquake retrofitting and although it makes the building resistant up to a certain level, it does not guarantee a complete proofing against earthquakes.
Basically during an earthquake the most damage to a building is caused by the side-to-side shift of the earth, much like a pendulum. Due to this, the consequent shift of the foundation can causes the building to literally slide off its foundation. Also, if the foundation is weak, it can crack causing the building to collapse right there. For that purpose, most types of earthquake retrofitting include strengthening the contact between the building and its foundation, reinforcing the dry walls, strengthening the roof and any other support structures.
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