Long-Term Structural Deficiencies in a Mat Foundation on Clay Soil
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27, Issue 3
Abstract
A 3-story building with a mat foundation consisting of a slab on a grid of grade beams performed poorly on clay soil. Cracking of the slab became progressively worse as a result of the incorrect design and fluctuations in the groundwater pressure under the foundation. The cyclic presence and absence of water rusted the steel reinforcement, and the sulfates in the clay soil caused formation of ettringite in the concrete. Plastic hinges formed in the slab and settlements occurred, causing damage to the beams. The situation is still in progress and may lead to the collapse of the structure under normal service conditions. The geotechnical and structural investigations performed to survey and assess the aforementioned problems are described in this paper. The causes and the consequences of the detected anomalies are analyzed, and a prediction of potential future structural problems is provided. A strengthening procedure is proposed, and an estimate of the cost to realize it is provided. Recommendations are offered to help avoid the problem in new constructions.
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Acknowledgments
Support for this research by the Italian Department of Civil Protection under the auspices of Executive Project DPC-ReLUIS 2010-2013 is gratefully acknowledged.
References
Cestelli Guidi, C. (1980). Geotecnica e tecnica delle fondazioni, Vol. 2, Hoepli Publishing House, Milan, Italy (in Italian).
Comité Euro-International du Béton (CEB). (1990). “CEB-FIP model code.” Bulletin d’Information 195, Lausanne, Switzerland.
European Committee for Standardization (CEN). (2005). “Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures—Part 1-1: General rules and rules for buildings.” EN 1992-1-1, Brussels, Belgium.
Ministry of Public Works (MPW). (1996). “Norme tecniche per le costruzioni in zone sismiche.” Italian Ministerial Decree D.M. 16/01/1996, Rome (in Italian).
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27 • Issue 3 • June 2013
Pages: 295 - 302
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 29, 2011
Accepted: Jan 13, 2012
Published online: Jan 19, 2012
Published in print: Jun 1, 2013
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