CONSTRUCTION FAILURES: CAUSES AND REMIDIES

COLONEL. P NALLATHAMBI
STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT
SAKTHI CONSULTACY, CHENNAI
CONTACT 94440 20706
Mail id: nalla.sakthi@gmail.com
 CONSTRUCTION FAILURES
General thinking is, Collapse of structure
only a construction failure.

But in reality construction failure is the

inability of structure or structural member
to perform its intended function, perhaps
caused by collapse or
excessive deformation.

Structural integrity and failure is the

inability of a structure to support a
designed load (weight, force, etc...)
without breaking, tearing apart, or
collapsing.

A study of breakage that has previously

occurred in order to prevent failures in
future designs.
 CONSTRUCTION FAILURES
A recent study conducted at the Swiss federal Institute of technology in
Zurich analyzed 800 cases of structural failure in which 504 people were
killed, 592 people injured, and millions of dollars of damage incurred.
When engineers were at fault, the researchers classified the causes of
failure as follows:

Reasons for Failure In %

Insufficient knowledge 36%
Underestimation of influence 16%
Ignorence, carelessness, negligence 14%
Forgetfulness, error 13%
Relying upon others without sufficient control 9%
Objectively unknown situation 7%
Unprecise definition of responsibilities 1%
Choice of bad quality 1%
Other 3%
 CAUSES FOR CONSTRUCTION FAILURE
Unknown phenomena.
Human factors.(including both
'ethical' failure and accidents)
Design flaws (many of which are
the result of unethical practices)
Materials failures.
Poor construction and
workmanship
Over Loading due to extreme
conditions or environments.
Combinations of the above.
Failures due to: Unknown Phenomena
Tacoma Narrows Bridge - 1940

The main suspension cables were

thrown violently side to side, twisted,
and tossed 100 feet into the air. They
slipped from their positions in the
cable saddles atop each tower.

And, they fell hard on the approach

spans. On the north cable at mid-
span, where the cable band
loosened, it broke more than 350
wires. Other wires were severely
stressed and distorted

There seemed to be that wind

created vertical movement for
collapse."
Failures due to: Extreme Events
Loma Prieta Earthquake - 1989
Failures due to: Design Flaw
Hartford Civic Center - 1978
Failures due to: Design Flaw
Hyatt Regency Skywalk - 1981
 BAD DESIGN PHILOSOPHIES AND PRACTICES
things are taken for granted
Higher allowable stresses
Lower safety factors
Not considering all possible loads and load combinations
Not following the codes and procedures
No testing of materials or Mix design

A tacit attitude seems to prevail in the

design - construction industry

But a dollar, or a life, lost at a construction site is no less

valuable or less tragic than its loss elsewhere !
 UN ETHICAL PRACTICES
1. Codes and Procedures are well laid out for construction. Construction activity is a
heterogeneous process involving varied construction materials, different methods, diverse
manpower and awareness. Hence, factor of safety in various forms are specified to
overcome the uncertainties. This is taken as advantages and constructed with improper
ways. But, it may not work always, at times this can cause serious consequences. Hence
Construction Failures.

2. Unethical Practice of providing less steel, less cement, covering it below earth ,
Use of substandard materials, improper curing etc.

3. Not caring the workers and their hygiene and welfare.

3. Not making timely payments to all connected with construction.

4. Selling properties without proper documents

 A STRUCTURE IS DESIGNED FOR:
1. Strength- Tension, Compression,
Shear, Flexure and Torsion.

2. Stability- Sliding, Overturing,

Sinking, Settlement.

3. Durability Corrosion, Chemical

attack.

4. Serviceability- Deflection,
Vibration, Cracks.

5. Safety- Fire, Collapse, Earthquake.

6. Economy Less cost of

construction and maintanance.
 FEW IMPORTANT POINTS TO AVOID
CONSTRUCTION FAILURE

The risks that engineered

structures pose to human
life, and environments
pose to society, often
conflict with the risks to
the economy that
striving for absolute and
perfect safety would
bring.
 POINTS TO AVOID CONSTRUCTION FAILURE

1. Major failures are from beam- column joints in RCC

structures and connections in steel structures.
2. Make the joints to hold more forces and convert it as
ductile structures.
3. Have certain quick check points and ensure during
construction.
4. Follow ductiling details of Is 13920 in addition to IS 456.
5. Take care of development length in all joints and lapping
at all places.
6. Appropriate foundation shall be adopted. Pile if necessary
7. Stair is a critical element and give adequate section.
8. Expansion joint shall be considered where it is necessary.
DUCTILE MATERIAL PROPERTIES
 WHAT MAKES EARTH QUAKE
RESISTANT DUCTILE STRUCTURE
1. 135 DEGREE HOOKS SHALL BE
PROVIDED IN LATERAL RFT.

2. LAPING ZONE SHALL BE AT LESS

MOMENT REGION OF THE MEMBER
MAX 50% LAPPING IS PERMITTED.

3. CLOSER TIES NEAR BEAM COLUMN

JUNCTION. CORRECT RFT DETAILS
AT BEAM COLUMN JUNCTION.

4. DEVELOPMENT LENGTH Ld TO BE
CONSIDERED CAREFULLY.
WELD/ COUPLE THE RFT IF
REQUIRED.

5. CONFINED RFT PROVIDED WHERE

EQ ZONE IS OTHERTHAN II.
DUCTILING DETAILS IN A BEAM TO RESIST EARTHQUAKE
 SPECIAL CONFINED REINFORCEMENT IN COLUMN
Special confining reinforcement shall be
provided over a length lo from each joint
face, towards midspan, and on either side of
any section, where flexural yielding may
occur under the effect of earthquake forces.
The length lo shall not be less than
(a) larger lateral dimension of the member at
the section where yielding occurs,
(b) 1/6 of clear span of the member, and (c)
450 mm.
 SPECIAL CONFINED REINFORCEMENT IN FOOTINGS

When a column terminates into a footing or mat, special confining

reinforcement shall extend at least 300 mm into the footing or mat

When the calculated point of contra-flexure, under the effect of gravity

and earthquake loads, is not within the middle half of the member clear
height, special confining reinforcement shall be provided over the full
height of the column.
QUICK CHECK LIST TO AVOID CONSTRUCTION FAILURE
Consider proper load for sunken area, OHT and LMR.

If full brick wall is provided over a cantilever slab without beam support,
the slab will bend and cause crack in the wall after certain period.
Therefore, the wall not to touch the roof or fill with soft material over wall
top to avoid cracks.

6 thick Slab shall be provided for the shorter span more than 4.2m (14)
& up to 5.0m (17) length and 7 thick Slab shall be provided for the
shorter span more than 5.0 m (17) & up to 6.0m (20) length and 8 thick
Slab shall be provided for the shorter span more than 6.0 m (20) & up to
7.0m (23) length.

Slab or Wall thickness more than 175mm (7), double layer of re-bar shall
be provided

Staircase waist slab thickness shall be minimum 150mm and up to 4.5m

slab span (Beam to Beam Distance). More than 4.5m slab span, L/30
thick slab shall be provided. Eg for 6m clear span, 6000/30= 200 mm
thick waist slab shall be provided.
 QUICK CHECK LIST TO AVOID CONSTRUCTION FAILURE
1. Depth of a beam varies from L/10 to L/15. In general ,1 length will have 1
depth ie L/12). But outer beam, without wall beam may be L/15 depth.. The
typical rules are as follows:
SL.NO MEMBER SPAN/OVERALL DEPTH RATIO

1. PLINTH BEAM 15 TO 18

2. TIE BEAM 18 TO 20

3. FLOOR BEAMS 12 TO 15

4. GRID BEAMS 20 TO 30

Beam main bars are more than 20#, stirrups should have min 10#.
Column

Column main bars are more than 20#, ties should have min 10#.
L, T and + shape columns shall be adopted where both direction to be
supported.
Orientation of column is an important factor in carrying capacity.
Stilt floor column width shall be 12 to avoid weak story effect
Strong column and weak beam concept to be followed.
Lapping in the mid h/3 part as per Is 13920
 DEVELOPMENT OF STRESS IN CONCRETE
DEVELOPMENT LENGTH Ld BE
PROVIDED FOR BOTH SIDE OF THE
MEMBER.

Ld DEPENDS ON:-

GRADE OF CONCRTE;
GRADE OF STEEL;
DIA OF BARS;

IN ANY RE-BAR, Ld LENGTH BE

CONSIDER AS EXTRA AND NOT
TO RESIST ANY STRESSESS.

DEFORMED BARS HAVE INCREASED

BOND STRESS THAN MILD STEEL.
HENCE NO HOOKS ARE PROVIDED.

Ld= *s/(4bd)= * 0.87 fy/ (4Tbd)

 BOND STRENGTH OF CONCRETE
Para 26.2.1.1, IS 456 Design Bond Stress in Limit State Design
Ld= *s/(4bd)= * 0.87 fy/ (4Tbd)

Grade of Concrete M15 M20 M25 M30 M35 >=M40

Design Bond Stress in Plain Bar N/Sqmm 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.9
Design Bond Stress in Deformed Bar N/Sqmm
(1.6Times) 1.76 1.92 2.24 2.4 2.72 3.04
Design Bond Stress in Deformed Bar in comp
N/Sqmm (1.25Times) 2.2 2.4 2.8 3 3.4 3.8

Design Bond Stress in Deformed Bar is increased by 1.6 Times.

Design Bond Stress in compression is increased by 1.25 times

DEVELOPMENT LENGTH OF BARS

fy
N/Sqmm Tension Bars Compression Bars
M20 M25 M30 M35 M40 M20 M25 M30 M35 M40
415 48 41 38 34 30 38 33 31 27 24
500 57 49 46 40 36 46 39 37 32 29
550 63 54 50 44 36 50 43 40 36 32
COLUMN ON EDGE
OF FOOTING
1. U-BARS TO RESIST DIAGONAL TENSION.
2. PLANE OF SHEAR FAILURE.
CONSTRUCTION FAILURE DUE TO POOR DETAILMENT
 Learning from Failures:
Case Studies
As engineering professionals,
or as individuals in every day
life, it is important to learn
from your mistakes and the
mistakes of others, and to not
repeat them.

As engineering professionals
its also important to learn
how we can help prevent the
kind of destruction
We learn more from buildings
that fall down than from
buildings that stand up.
In fact, it is often easier to learn from
failures rather than from successes.

Silver River Bridge -

1967
The evaluation of
engineering failures:

Mianus River Bridge - 1983

Hartford Civic Center - 1978

Forensic Engineering
Early engineering was all
done using experience.

Roman Aqueduct in Nimes, France

Little math and science, incremental

advances, learning from failures.
Modern engineering uses
extensive math and science.

However, there is always some

level of uncertainty, and thus
some small probability of failure.
55 Feet Cantilever Roof Truss for
a Highway Restaurant
30 Feet Cantilever Roof Truss for
an Entrance Gate at Yercard
50 Feet High Tower for a Temple
COLLAPSE OF RCC SLAB DUE TO STEEL PROP
FAILURE DUE TO SHEARING OF NUT
 11 STORIED BUILDING COLLAPSE AT
MUGALAIVAKKAM, CHENNAI DURING JUNE 2014
Possible Reasons for Collapse of 11 storied Building
1. Moulivakkam is the catchment area for a lake and Adyar river. The collapsed
building is just around 500 metres away from the Porur lake. There is a
possibility of irregularities in the project's soil testing, whether the soil in the
area is strong enough to bear this kind of load. Till a few decades ago this site
used to be part of a huge wetland, a catchment area for the Porur Lake

2. 10-member team of the PWD, inspected, one of the team members said neither
The basement nor the soil quality had caused the collapse. The columns and
beams, constructed by the promoter were not as per the design/drawing created
by the architect.

3. A senior Engineer from PWD involved in this operation

had revealed that the columns were removed to have free
drive way space without consulting the structural Engineer.
From his experience, he said that the beam and column
Sizes were small when compared to span length and the
concrete quality was poor.

4. A senior person, who has analysed the building stated that

Out of 37 Columns in Basement area, 22 columns were overloaded
and pullout of rft at beam column junction is the main cause
for sudden collapse.
Possible Reasons for Collapse of 11 storied Building
4. The promoters to trust height had started the process in Feb 2012, initially
received approval from CMDA for six storied building. The police said that the
promoters used political influence to secure exemption from safety norms during
Jun 2013 and added six more floors. It is not known weather strengthening of
buildings foundation and columns were take care or not.

5. The causes for failure is due to negligence of structural design and quality
Control aspects. There was no proper mechanism and procedures to monitor and
regulate the construction activity. No one can be fixed responsible for the
collapse of building and accountability is not known
 DELHI METRO BRIDGE FAILURE IN JUNE 2009

The failure of pier cap

occurred due to inadequate
prop / jacket. This was
coupled with failure of
cantilever pier cap due to
inadequate development
length of top reinforcement
of the cantilever pier cap.
 HYATT REGENCY WALKWAY COLLAPSE
INTRODUCTION
On July 17, 1981, two suspended
walkways collapsed in the Hyatt
Regency Hotel in Kansas City,
Missouri during a dance festival
As the United States' most
devastating structural failurein
terms of loss of life and injuries
the Kansas City Hyatt Regency
walkways collapse left 114 dead
and an excess of 200 injured.
In addition, millions and millions of
dollars in costs related to lawsuits,
etc., resulted from the collapse,
and hundreds of lives were
adversely affected.
A powerful, painful lesson about
the meaning and practice of
ethics in engineering.
 HYATT REGENCY WALKWAY COLLAPSE

HYATT REGENCY WALKWAY COLLAPSE

Figure 1
The original design consisted of long suspension rods hanging down
from the ceiling.
These hanging suspension rods would then support upper and lower
beams.
The two beams would, in turn, bear the weight of the two walkway floors.
In the proposed design, the rods were hung from the ceiling, then the
upper deck beams were threaded on and slid up the rods, then heavy
washers and nuts where run up the rods to support the upper beam.
The lower beams were then similarly fitted onto the rods at the bottom,
and again were supported with nuts and washers under each end.
HYATT REGENCY WALKWAY COLLAPSE

Original Design Modified Design

 Failure of Temporary Structures
More failures occur during . construction
than during the life times of structures.
Many aspects of temporary structures work
are different from those of permanent
structures.
The design and execution of temporary
structure Are taken lightly and failed due to
negligence
 Hartford Civic Center - 1978
On January 18, 1978, 30 years ago today,
the 1400 ton 2 1/2 acre roof of the Hartford
Civic Center, covered by a blanket of snow
and ice, suddenly and
completely collapsed, damaging almost all
of the seats underneath. Just four hours
earlier there was a basketball game
packed with 5000 fans. Had it collapsed
then, many, if not most, of the fans and
players could have died.

The roof was designed with help from

some of the best civil engineering
consultants, universities, and professors
in the industry and had a
special computer analyzed 'space frame'
design--meant to equally balance the load
so that lighter and cheaper material could
be used.
 List of Temporary Structures
.
Loads Created by Construction Equipment
Construction Dewatering
Construction Ramps / Platforms / Vehicular Runway
Cofferdams
Earth Retaining Structures
Diaphragm / Slurry Walls
Underground / Tunneling Supports
Underpinning Foundations
Bridges
Scaffolding
Falsework / Shoring
Concrete Formwork
Bracing / Guying for Stability
Temporary structures in Repair / Restoration
Utilities Underground / Overhead
Temporary buildings
Structures for the entertainment industry
MOST FREQUENT OCCURRENCES OF CONSTRUCTION
.
FAILURES IN TEMPORARY STRUCTURES

Unbraced
excavations.
Scaffolding.
Falsework.
Formwork.
Excavation supports.
Temporary erection
and shoring.
Temporary erection and shoring.
Bracing and guying.
 CONCLUSION
CHANGING MINDSET TO LATEST
TECHNOLOGY IS MUST

USE GOOD QUALITY OF MATERIALS.

MAINTAIN QUALITY CONSTRUCTION.

DO NOT HESITATE TO CONSULT

SPECIALIST.

HIGH STANDARD OF PROFESSIONAL

ETHICS AND SOCIAL COMMITMENTS.

NEVER EVER GIVE ITUP FOR YOUR

PERSONAL BENEFIT !!!