Structural Pathologies in Buildings

The vulnerability of structures is often reflected through pathologies that appear in buildings, causing multiple effects, from small damages and discomfort to their occupants, to large faults that can cause the collapse of the building or part of it, most of which merit a foundation repair. The diversity of pathologies that manifest in the buildings is infinite; besides being a very complex subject. A simple way to classify the pathologies that are presented in the buildings is subdivided per their origin. Accordingly, pathologies can appear for three reasons: Defects, Damage or Deterioration. - The pathologies that appear by Defects are those related to the intrinsic characteristics of the structure, are the effects that arise in the building product of a bad design, a wrong structural configuration, a badly constructed construction, or a use of materials that are deficient or inappropriate for the work. All of them will sooner or later lead to the need for a foundation repair. - The pathologies caused by Damage are those that are manifested during and/or after the occurrence of a force or agent external to the building. The damage can be the product of the occurrence of a natural event, such as an earthquake, a flood, a landslide, among others. But there may also be damage to structures caused by improper use of the same, for example, the case where the building is forced to support a weight higher than that initially conceived (overload) or that produces a foundation settlement. - Another origin of the pathologies can be the deterioration of the building. The works are generally designed to operate over a useful life, but over time, the structure is presenting manifestations that must be attended promptly as the foundation settlement. Exposure to the environment, seasonal continuous cycles, the contact with chemicals present in the water, in the air, in the environment, causes the structure to weaken continuously. Let us now refer specifically to this described origin of last. Many of the damages that can be found in the buildings are consequences of the passage of time, of the action of the environment; the exposure of a structure over time to the air, water, sun, weather, can cause multiple effects, among which may be mentioned:   - Moistures and leaks in walls, ceilings, slabs and other elements. - Cracking and even disintegration, of wood, concrete and clay elements. This can occur when the element is exposed to continuous cycles of water and sun. - Oxidation and even disintegration of metallic elements, resulting from the corrosion of them when exposed to the open air. - Changes in temperature and humidity cause changes in the volume of materials; these changes are manifested as contractions and/or expansions that can crack some structural element and affect its integrity. - foundation settlement resulting from the consolidation of the land. These settlements are generally manifested, with cracks in the elements of the structures. These structural pathologies, especially those that require foundation repair, must be confronted and corrected quickly to avoid a collapse of the entire building or part of it. In addition, the presence of symptoms of these structural pathologies produces a significant loss of the value of the property, which if not corrected properly and can promptly lead to the undesirable fact that demolishing the building is cheaper than repairing it.