Maintenance of structures as a means to prevent disasters
There is much talk about prevention, we know certain actions to prevent and others that we can do at the time of the occurrence of a natural disaster. However, it is necessary to consider also the maintenance of structures and the importance they have to the moment of witnessing a catastrophe.
First, and to give an example, let’s dig a recent event, a sad fact that no one could foresee, and although struck various countries in the Middle East, it was Turkey who was most affected. This is because it is surrounded by three plates, making it a wonderful area for earthquakes, explains Carlos Miguel Valdés González, phd from the Department of Seismology at the Institute of Geophysics of the UNAM.
Last Monday, February 6, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck Turkey and Syria. Said by the US Geological survey, this has been the earthquake stronger registered in more than 100 years. As A result of this, people have been catastrophic damage in both countries, where there are millions of vulnerable people,.
in Addition, there are many buildings that collapsed, some even say that they fell as “sandwiches”. Which makes us question the importance of the maintenance of structures to earthquakes.
Kishor Jaiswal, a structural engineer with the USGS (U.s. Geological survey), mentions that the rules of building Turkey’s state that construction projects must be resistant to earthquakes, and thus, avoid landslides catastrophic.
Certainly, after an earthquake of this magnitude is expected that there are certain replicas. So it is necessary to consider that the structures that are still standing could collapse, as they have been weak significantly. So it is imperative that people do not let your guard down when you try to enter the buildings.
Why is collapsing structures to earthquakes?
Basically which causes damage to the buildings is the force of inertia that is generated by the vibration of the structure,.
The lateral forces tend to bend the columns and walls, which causes the structure to weaken and also results in the collapse of these.
General maintenance of concrete structures
Many do not take into account the maintenance of concrete structures or passed to the background. This is because they have certain myths, such as that to be more resistant than other materials, this maintenance of structures is not necessary.
At the beginning of making the maintenance of concrete structures, it must conduct an inspection of the structure. The person in charge should be familiar with the material and the structure. In case of observing cracking, the inspector must be able to distinguish the type of observed cracks.
Before performing any type of repair, it is essential to establish the extent and causes of the problem. Because, if not treated properly it can appear again and increase in its consequences.
Surely, you’ve heard on several occasions that it is better to prevent than to regret. The ideal is to perform preventive strategies such as the maintenance of structures before an incident occurs and it is time to correct damage or even, these are irreparable, and there is nothing what to do.
Of course, to perform these actions it is necessary to have a specialist. If you are interested in the topic, don’t hesitate to contact us on our social networks: Facebook, Instagram , and LinkedIn,. you can Also leave us a message in our page of contact.