A THAI academic who is former president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand under Royal Patronage said today (Apr. 7) many buildings in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai were severely damaged in the huge March 28 earthquake because pillars were not reinforced with steel, Naewna newspaper said.
Assoc. Prof. Tortrakul Yamnak, who posted pictures and a diagram to illustrate his Facebook message, said he had found pillars at many tall and eight-storey buildings in the capital and Chiang Mai severely damaged in the quake.
“These cracks are very dangerous, they are not cracks in the plaster!” he said.
This is because they are a result of the pillar structure not being able to withstand the force of the earthquake and those who see them must immediately notify a structural engineer to inspect as soon as possible, he added.
The cause is not reinforcing the pillars to prevent earthquakes according to the additional announcement of Building Control Act, Tortrakul explained.
Read this law in Thai by opening cba\mr\mr64-68b.pdf
See the example in this announcement’s Figure 3. There is a recommendation to not install rebars in the middle of the column with this having to be done as specified in this diagram.
Moreover rebar stirrups have to be installed especially at the base and top of every floor.
Every Monday morning, read interesting stories about the construction industry under the topic “Open Your Mind to See Construction” by Professor Tor.
This time the topic is on structural engineers who are responsible for designing the stability and strength of every building who should know well the rules and standards of earthquake protection in Thailand, which has three levels of earthquake hazard.
CAPTION:
The photos and diagram shared by Assoc. Prof. Tortrakul Yamnak on Facebook.
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