Earthquake Structure Damage

Floor Leveling Wallbracing Reinforced Wallbraces Dampproofing Earth Quake

Earthquake Structure Damage

The area around Vancouver Island and Victoria, BC experiences quite a bit of movement and buildings are very susceptible to earthquake movements. When any of the Cascades start to rumble it is common to feel the shocks in Victoria, and the adjacent fault line provides an ever present possibility of sudden earth movement that could damage local buildings and residences.

Shear Considerations of Earth Movement

Since It is impossible to build a building that is earthquake 'proof', engineers strive to design earthquake resistant buildings. These 'shear' engineered buildings are designed to perform better during the period of movement a moderately moving earth. The shear panels will prevent some earthquake structure damage in a moderate occurance.

The simple diagram below shows how a building wall tends to deform in an earthquake.

____                         ____
|         |                       /         /
|____|     shear->    /____/

To accomplish the stability necessary to avoid this destructive shear it is necessary to ensure that foundations are attached to floor systems effectively, and depending upon the desired strength, inserting plywood shear panels into exterior walls.

Other earthquake methods exist that minimize damage such as setting the building on springs and/or rollers. These methods are usually quite costly to retrofit and used mostly in new construction in areas of high earth movement.

I have had much experience in foundation reinforcing and structural repairs and can assess what modifications are necessary to improve your building's earthquake response. Many improvements can be done quite inexpensively to facilitate good earthquake preparation.

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