DEPARTMENT OF

CIVIL ENGINEERING
Assessment of Risk/Damage in Structures:
Preliminary investigation-
visual, history collection etc.

Er. Ramprasad Kumawat

M.Tech
 INTRODUCTION
• A structural damage in walls and floors of
houses, churches, and stores in communities .
• A gallery of photos showing typical cracking
damage appears in Figure 1
Figure 1a Vertical Wall Cracks in Adobe
Figure 1b Vertical Wall Cracks in Adobe
• The residents report that the damage began to
appear with the construction and operation of
the mine.
• They believe that mine blasting and increased
heavy vehicle traffic through their villages
causes the damage, as the mining is the only
new large-scale activity in the area and they
have not had this type of problem before.
• Seismic activity since mining began has been
minimal and so is not a possible cause of the
structural damage in the area.
Figure 1c Incline Wall Crack in Adobe
Figure 1d Crack in Concrete Block Grout
 METHODS
• Cracks can occur in buildings from underlying
ground movements, extreme air pressure from
blasting, and construction practices.
• Damage from extreme air pressure from mine
blasting is rare, as a building must be very
close to the blast.
• This study focused on discovering possible
sources for any ground movements and
evaluating any faulty building construction.
• The possible causes of ground movement
include subsidence, landslides, and swelling
clay soils; and ground vibrations from seismic
activity, vehicle traffic, and blasting.
• The study was conducted in four phases, which
were
• (1) inventory and monitoring of damaged
buildings,
• (2) review of literature,
• (3) field observation of possible causes for
structural damage and comparison with the
control villages, and
• (4) analysis and reporting of information
collected.
 • THANKS!

• Gmail: ramkumawat001@gmail.com