A Seminar on

STRUCTURAL FAILURES
Presented by

ANKIT KUMAR
USN No.-4JC08CT008

CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. CLASSIFICATION OF FAILURES
3. CAUSES OF FAILURES

Construction errors
Design errors
Earthquake failure
Foundation movements

4. MULTISTOREYED BUILDING FAILURES

Shape Failures
Detailing Failures
Soft storey collapse

5. STEEL STRUCTURE FAILURES

Buckling of Thin Plate

Fracture of steel column

6. CORROSION CANCER IN STRUCTURES

Factors influencing corrosion

Damage due to corrosion

7. REMEDIAL MEASURES
8. CONCLUSIONS
9. REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION
The failure of structure is a very disturbing event for a civil engineer.
It was almost non-existent in the past. Structures were known for the

durability, soundness, and stability.

Modern materials are said to be of better quality and of substantially

increase strength.
There is also today an improved understanding of structural analysis

backed by sophisticated design technology.

There have been rapid advancements in almost every technological

field. Civil engineering is no exception.

This has been backed by computerized support in planning, design

and construction management.

These advances in technology should have produced better and

more durable structures. Unfortunately it is not so.

CLASSIFICATION OF FAILURES
These are usually observed as cracks and deformation in structures.
Cracks could be broadly classified as structural or non- structural.
Structural cracks-

Ex: Extensive cracking of an RCC beam

Non structural cracks-

Ex: Vertical cracks in a long compound wall due to shrinkage

CAUSES OF FAILURES

Sometimes there is a single simple explanation for a failure. But

usually it is a combination of condition, mistakes, oversights,
misunderstandings, ignorance, even dishonest performance, but not
a single item by itself that can be picked as the sole and only cause
of failure.

The dimension between success and failure in any construction

operation is that of the thinnest hair. This is why the failure problem
becomes interesting though uncertainty prevails.

Reasons for failures are either man made or natural.

They can be briefly listed as follows:1.

2.
3.
4.

Construction errors
Design errors
Earthquake failure
Foundation movements

1. Construction errors

They range from defective temporary work to wrong construction

procedures.
Most of the construction failures can be attributed to acceptability
standards, which are mostly left to individuals.
There is usually vast variation in these standards depending upon an
individuals grasp of the situation.
Projects are sublet to sub contractors and their sub agencies. Each of
these agencies look at the project to the extent they are involved without
any regard to other agencies.
Lack of co-ordination among such agencies is quite often because of
failure.

2. Design errors

Deficiency in the basic design of a structure such as the amount of

reinforcement at points of maximum moment, or incorrect dimension of
concrete section to provide sufficient resistance for assumed loading, are
extremely rare

 Another reason for design deficiency is lack of design checks and revisions

after preparation of drawings

Detailing is one of the most important parts of design and drafting. Lack of
proper detailing like position of laps and splices, end anchorages, position of
construction joints, lack of knowledge about length of bars are reasons for
numerous failures.

3. Earthquake Failure
Although codes specify the wind and earthquake analysis and design

requirements, in some cases it may so happen that these loads may be more
than those assumed by the designer.
The engineering approach to earthquake resistant design must recognize the
limitations of ground conditions, available materials And labour.

4. Foundation Movements
Can be classified in two categories:
Lateral spreading
Settlement

MULTISTOREYED BUILDING FAILURES

Multistoreyed building failures may be due to following:
1.
2.
3.

Shape failures
Detailing Failures
Soft storey collapse

Shape failure

Conceptual design is particularly important when designing for dynamic

conditions.

The principal behind conceptual design is to keep the design as simple as

possible and limit the points were stress concentrations can appear.

To prevent this type of failure it is important to keep the designs symmetrical

and simple. The figure is shown below.

Fig. SHAPE FAILURE

2. Detailing failures
With a lot of building failures it is not always easy to see exactly why a structure

has failed. This is especially true for detailing, as bad detailing is often one of a
number of factors, which can weaken a structure.
Bad detailing is the cause of large proportion older concrete buildings, which

were designed using older codes.

In an earthquake a concrete beam/column will vibrate. This will cause the

concrete to crack if it is not restrained.

Figure shows a basic design of a column

3. Soft storey collapse

Soft storey collapse is often resulting of bad conceptual design, however

this is not the only reason it occurs.

A soft storey collapse is named because it occurs when a building has
one floor that is weaker than the others.
The photo shown is a good example of this and has occurred because
the restaurant owner required a glass front.

Fig. Soft storey collapse

STEEL STRUCTURE FAILURES

Steel is largely governed by ductile failure.

Steel members in a dynamic environment like seismic, also suffer

ductility.

Buckling of Thin Plate

The earthquake has caused the structure to twist move in some way

and this in turn has resulted in the plate steel loosing its stiffness and
rigidity and so failing by crushing.
This photo shows the failure of plate steel when loaded vertically.

Fig. Buckling of thin plate

Fracture of steel column

The photo shows a fractured cast steel column of an unknown age.
The column has failed brittle, the most probable reason for this kind of

failure though is that there was either a weld or material defect that
weakened the steel and allowed a crack.

Fig. Fracture of steel column

CORROSION CANCER IN STRUCTURES

Reinforced concrete is a very versatile and highly durable material

suiting any type of structure.

Corrosion of reinforcement in RC structures is one of the phases of the

durability problems.

Factors influencing corrosion

The factors, which generally influences of reinforcement in RC

Structures are:
moisture, oxygen, carbonation, chlorides, temperature and relative
humidity, quality of construction materials, quality of concrete, cover
to the reinforcement, initial curing conditions, and formation of
cracks.

Damage due to corrosion

The process of corrosion once set off, results in deterioration
and distress of the RC member. The various stages of
destruction are as follows:

Formation of white patches.

Brown patches along reinforcement.
Occurrence of cracks.
Formation of multiple cracks.
Spalling of cover concrete.
Snapping of bars.
Buckling of bars and bulging of concrete.

REMEDIAL MEASURES
The remedial measures that should be taken to avoid structural failures
are discussed briefly below

Proper detailing should be done at design office to show the details

of reinforcements etc. at the junctions, where there is a congestion
of reinforcements. Formwork should be designed not only for
alignment but also for settlements etc.
At the site proper shuttering the reinforcement should be aligned
with properly designed constant covers by using bar spacers.
Water/cement ratio must be strictly adhered to. The mix should be a
designed mix with optimum quantity of cement bearing in mind that
cement quantity is required not only for strength but also for
durability.
Proper curing is a must. Curing with membrane forming curing
compounds protects the concrete even in the initial stages.
Steel should be protected by properly coating the steel with suitable
coatings.
Occasional inspection and immediate repairs should be carried out.

CONCLUSIONS

It is evident from the foregoing discussion that precautions are better

than cure. Proper supervision at construction sites by qualified
engineers is essential.
Facilities and structures must be constructed with due and deserving
care, attention and involvement
Proper care should be taken for concrete placing, compaction and
curing while fixing steel, proper covers to steel should be maintained
New and higher strength materials and advanced planning provisions
may have limitations not covered by current codes and practices.
Details of connections, that is, load transfer mechanism and junctions
are as, or even more important than sophisticated computer aided
designs.
In the process of analysis, human factors are as important as
physical. It is therefore, necessary to consider these factors so as to
advance the art of engineering, rather than to get compensation and
keep the failures operating.

 Perhaps every technical and trade organization should award annual

prizes for complete descriptions and analysis of failures, so that every

one can learn from that experience and avoid similar problems in his
own practice.
Structural Failures continue to occur until good effort is put by all
agencies involved in the task of achieving the functional requirements
of structures.
Well-specified procedures and clear documents are very important in
civil engineering. There is no use in trying to shift the blame on to
others as long as a lesson is not learnt from mistakes. Finally it is
worthwhile mentioning that a minute failure wipes out years of success.

REFERENCES

Jagadish, R. (1985),Investigation of structural defects and the

proposed rectification scheme of the partially constructed building,
report submitted to the corporation of the city of Bangalore.
Ravi, S (1989) Case studies of corrosion damage reinforced
concrete over head water tank , a thesis submitted to the award of
M.Tech degree, Karnataka regional engineering college, Surathkal.
Raikar, R. N. (1987) Learning from Failures R & D Centre,
structural designers and consultants (P) Ltd. Raikar Bhavan,
Mumbai.
Jacob (1968) Construction Failures John Wiley and sons.
Vishwanatha, C.S. (1989)Stages of corrosion damages in RC
members, torsteel bulletin.
Vishwanatha, C.S. (1989) Report on the restoration measures for
over head water tank. Submitted to the executive engineer, Zilla
Parishad Engineering Division, Gadag.
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