Case History of Damage to a School Building Caused by Differentially Heaving Bedrock
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 17, Issue 2
Abstract
This case study considers the question of whether settlement or heave is the principal cause of damage to a school building near Denver. The building, which was underlain by engineered fill in the center and shallow claystone bedrock beneath the outer wings, experienced progressive deformation and significant damage during a 15-year period. With several millions of dollars of rebuilding costs at risk, the most likely cause of failure needed to be ascertained to arrive at an optimum mitigation solution. The investigation described herein considers the regional geology and its known effect on various types of engineered structures in terms of characteristic damage patterns. The focus progressively narrows to concentrate on the geology and damage patterns of the local area and the site. The findings indicate that the major cause of damage to the building is associated with differential heaving of steeply dipping, expansive bedrock layers. This conclusion was adopted as a basis for subsequent remedial planning and design.
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Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 30, 2001
Accepted: May 14, 2002
Published online: Apr 15, 2003
Published in print: May 2003
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