Recently, earthquakes have become the primary reason behind mass casualties as several buildings collapsed due to them. However, engineers stated that most of the fallen buildings were old ones constructed and built on older designs with weak braces to withstand earthquakes. And in several countries or parts of the world, there still are numerous old buildings which are still standing and people are living in and around them.

So, it becomes essential to ensure somehow that those buildings don’t collapse in earthquakes or other catastrophes. And for this, various structural engineers have come forward with models or techniques of στατικη ενισχυση κτιριων.

How Are Structural Engineers Handling The Situation?

It isn’t easy to reinforce a constructed building by keeping it in the best condition possible. Some buildings are in tightly packed surroundings, that making minor changes affects the other joint buildings. So, the task of reinforcement isn’t straightforward and sometimes doesn’t seem possible at all. Meanwhile, countries have decided on some specific building codes to make the new constructions with proper structure to withstand the seismic forces already.

To practically reinforce a building, engineers have to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the standing masonry. After that, a plan is designed to strengthen the weak points of the building with maximum efficiency and minimum space occupancy so that the volume of the building does not decrease significantly.

Some Commonly Used Ways To Reinforce Typical Weaknesses Of Buildings 

• One of the basic strategies is base isolation, in which a shock-absorbent material is used in the prominent columns and foundation of the building so that, when earthquakes come, the absorbent absorbs all vibrations while the columns and foundation stay intact and keep the building still.
• Other buildings have a shear wall built to accept the earthquake energy, while the rest of the walls transfer their stress on this wall and keep standing.
• Some reinforcement procedures include the application of a new layer of concrete with steel rods. This time the concrete and cement used are reinforced type, and this is also known as shock-crete.

These processes do require some funds, but they are too less when compared to the cost of lives lost in an earthquake or constructing a new building from scratch after it falls to dust. Moreover, procedures of στατικη ενισχυση κτιριων are not limited to the ones mentioned above but are many and depend upon the design and construction of the building.

Stabilization Is The Primary Purpose Of Most Reinforcement Projects 

An old building might be getting weaker due to reasons like soil erosion from its foundation, moisture, poor modifications done to the actual structure, or low-quality material used in the construction, which is now eroding. All in all, whatever may be the reason, the purpose of reinforcement is to maintain the stability of the building, which can be achieved by any of the methods such as underpinning, wood truss repairs, masonry reinforcement, load-bearing columns, and beam modifications, etc. Our structural engineers would study the situation and find the most optimal solution for it