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Reinforced Concrete Research Department Consultations
Q. What are the necessary steps required to design a reinforced concrete building?
A.
- Selecting the appropriate structural system for bearing the vertical
dead and live loads.
- Selecting the appropriate structural system for bearing the horizontal loads resulting from earthquakes, wind, earthpressure, …etc.
- Preparing preliminary dimensions for the structural elements to present actual dead loads.
- Computing the internal straining actions resulting from all the loads whether vertical or horizontal.
- Design the structural elements for the actual loads and stresses.
- Preparing all the structural detailing required for all elements to transfer all the loads to the soil safely.
Q. What are the necessary steps required to study the structural safety
of an existing building?
A.
- Studying the related documents from the available drawings and soil reports.
- Comparing the actual construction with the structural and architectural drawings.
- Performing the necessary technical tests for assessing the concrete resistance used in constructing the building and the actual stresses on the soil.
- Structural analysis of the building and computing the actual stresses within the structural elements according to the actual construction.
- Comparing the stresses resulting from the structural analysis with that resulting from the field technical tests, in addition the actual stresses on the soil are compared to the soil capacity.
- Specifying the safety of different structural elements.
Q. What are the main defects in structures?
A.
- Defects resulting from soil-structure-interaction, e.g., total and/or differential settlement.
- Defects resulting from design, e.g., fault assessing of loads or underestimating the strength of materials or wrong selection of the structural system, or lack of detailing.
- Defects resulting from construction, e.g., usingn materials with inappropriate specifications, bad storage of materials, difference in the strength of concrete from the target strength, bad or insufficient detailing, specially in reinforcement.
- The consultant should be referred to in order to assess such defects and specify the necessary remedy.
For more consultations please contact us
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