Earthquake "safe" Building Techniques

[Jack Peterson]

 

 

Back in school I learned frames with TRIANGEL shapes are much stronger than having square shapes ONLY.  (But it's possible to combine TWO triangels to one square

 

Back in Roman times they learned that an arch is better than either of those.

 

 

 

Egyptians used triangles in the pyramids   :thumbsup:

 

Very true but over the years with much neglect, many have come Domed.  :rolleyes:

[Thomas]

Nipa hut on poles?  

Yes. In a test they found the FLEXIBILITY being very good.

Do anyone know if they have any triangel to make the squares stronger?

 

Studies from the earthquake in Haiti some years ago showed that columns failed because there were not enough stir ups ( the rectangles around the main bars) in the columns to keep the steel from bending outwards. I think building methods are fine here, but the real question is is there enough steel in your concrete, have they not used too much water whilst making the concrete ( halves the strength of the concrete by just adding 1 bucket of water per sack of cement) and is concrete cured? Up to this day I have not seen anyone curing concrete in this country. My house was build rather well, at least better than all other houses I've seen build, but no curing at all.

Yes, strength at the columns

and the supporting walls in between them are of course important IF the frame isn't built strong enough.

Many use to far to litle cement. And to much water to make the concrete float better, but it make it much weaker. (Few builders have shaker which is needed if using the stromg mix.)

 

Compare:

Industrial shelves built to manage to carry very high weights. They have NO wall support, some flexible square sides. This would fall with even very small load. But adding diagonal supports (=making triangels) THIN ones but strong in STRETCH direction make the shelfs/walls very strong...

[ironmaiden]

Back in school I learned frames with TRIANGEL shapes are much stronger than having square shapes ONLY. 

 

 

Triangle shapes make steel's compressive strength better but they put steel in concrete to increase the tensile strength, cause that's the real strength of steel. Concrete is strong in compressive strength but weak in tensile strength and steel is the opposite. So making steel triangles to put in concrete would not make much sense I think...

[Thomas]

 

Back in school I learned frames with TRIANGEL shapes are much stronger than having square shapes ONLY. 

 

 

Triangle shapes make steel's compressive strength better but they put steel in concrete to increase the tensile strength, cause that's the real strength of steel. Concrete is strong in compressive strength but weak in tensile strength and steel is the opposite. So making steel triangles to put in concrete would not make much sense I think...

Perhaps.

But if making the steel frames in houses strong enough by triangels. then wouldn't the house fall even if all concrete walls fall  :)

 

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I have forgot who, but a Filipino told his (grand- ?)father had built a very strong concrete house up in north Luzon somewhere (=earthquake region) many years ago and it was still intact. But it have over meter thick compact concrete walls   :)