LITERATURE REVIEW: INCLINE-RECTIFICATION IN HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

Inclination in high-risers is a sign of impending danger that must never be ignored as it often warns of
a building failure or collapse, sometimes, in the nearest future. Tilts are usually developed over time
and is due to varying factors and conditions that can be anthropogenic or natural. Sometimes
however, they are due to a lack of professionalism on the part of the engineers in charge of the
construction of such a building as certain processes must first be undergone before construction
ensues. This paper has been written to sensitise the civil engineer in the roles that he must play in
order to avoid failures in structures due to inclinations and to rectify such a problem when they it does
occur.

INCLINATIONS AND THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE:

An inclination is a deviation from the normal plane or vertical. Inclinations are otherwise known as
‘tilts’ and can exist in varying degrees. Sometimes, the angle of tilting is so minimal it can be
overlooked or just never noticed, other times, it is so obvious as it is with regards to the Leaning Tower
in Pisa, Italy. In such cases, it not only is a sore to the eyes of the observers( except in cases where it
becomes a tourist attraction), but becomes very inconvenient to use and can pose a serious threat to
a number of lives in the long run. The following are the main known causes of inclinations in high-
risers;

 The condition of the soil strata.

 Anthropogenic factors I.e. due to human activities.
 Natural disasters (which are usually beyond the control of man).
 Poor professionalism on the part of the civil engineer.

Briefly, the above causes of tilting shall be discussed.

A. Soil strata conditions: This is the primary cause of inclinations in structures seeing as bothe
the substructure and the superstructure are carried solely by the soil strata immediately
beneath and surrounding them. This sis why soil tests before any construction activities
cannot be overemphasised as it is with the results obtained that foundation
recommendations can be made, and other soil improvement methods can be employed if
the need be. Soil is consistent of varying mineral and granular contents. Even in the same
soil sample, soil particles can exhibit varying characteristics under certain changes in
external conditions. Soils have differential bearing capacities which can only be exposed
after the application of external loads which leads to settlement and thereby causes tilts if
the differences are high. Also, factors as Swelling due to absorption of water can cause tilts
as some soil particles are more absorbent than others. This implies that seasonal changes
which come with a form of precipitation will cause changes to the soil and this can in turn
lead to deviation of buildings from the normal plane.
B. Anthropogenic factors: human activities such as underground-mining can affect the stability
of rock strata which are usually disturbed during explosions. These disturbances worsen the
resulting instability especially when repeated over a long period of time, which is usually the
case in mining. Soon enough, buildings located in such mining zones are affected and have
further settlements due to the faults in the strata, causing tilts in the structures.
C. Natural disasters: unforeseen circumstances, which are often times beyond human control
can affect the state of stability of structures as huge amounts of energy are released at such
times that cause permanent damages even in the soil strata which in turn immediately or
subsequently affect the structures, causing tilts. Such events can range from earthquakes to
hurricanes and the likes, and are termed natural disasters. Measures cannot be taken to
prevent them as they are beyond human control and happen in the nick of time, but
measures can be taken to reduce the amount of damages they cause.
D. Poor professionalism: this directly falls onto the civil engineer who should be very well
trained and qualified to be called one in the first place, which means more is expected of
him in terms of structural stability than it would an ordinary builder. An engineer is
responsible for all the levels of construction I.e preconstruction, during construction and
post construction. In a country like Nigeria where enough emphasis has not been placed on
certain professional Cultures, and even if they were, have most likely been ignored, very
little attention is usually paid to the preconstruction stage. Soil tests are very important in
foundation selection, but sometimes, this is overlooked and a foundation is just assumed to
be the best for a building most likely due to the fact that that is the most commonly used
type in that environment. Other times, soil tests are carried out but the engineer fails to
make the necessary provisions needed to make the foundation function at the optimum
level due to the fact that it might incur more costs than is willing to be expended or would
take a longer period of time to undertake. Some engineers are willing to compromise on the
already known standards that should never be ignored, this is another cause of inclinations
in buildings as such could have been avoided in the first place if the necessary had been
done.

It is important to know the reason for such occurrences but even more so to know ways in
which they can be avoid or rectified. In engineering, safety is the principal thing and if
construction is done without putting safety as the first consideration, it is as good as a
failure. Highlighted below are some known ways to rectify inclination in high-risers.

METHODS OF INCLINATION RECTIFICATION:

 Watering/ dewatering of water channels
 Soil extraction from raised areas
 Underpinning of foundations
 Combined methods.