Abstract

LARA, M. Lenin; AGUIRRE, Hernan  and  GALLEGOS, Marco. Collapse of Reinforced Concrete Framed Buildings in the Earthquake of April 16th2016, Tabuga– Ecuador. Rev Politéc. (Quito) [online]. 2018, vol.42, n.1, pp.37-46. ISSN 2477-8990.

The present investigation pursuits to determine the structural causes by which so many constructions collapsed in Tabuga community, after the Mw 7.8 earthquake occurred on april 16th, 2016.

An initial visual evaluation was carried out at the site of the tragedy, the buildings were classified according to their affectation degree and the information is collected on the collapsed constructions: construction system, used materials, formal characteristics of the elements of the structure, details of the failure occurred, etc. With this information and with the results of the mechanical and chemical tests, a methodological analysis was carried out that get in evidence the constructive malpractice, the poor quality of materials and the general noncompliance of the Ecuadorian Construction Standard in the constructive and structural aspect.

Is getting to know that the structures failed due basically to the following aspects: by shear failure in the base of the columns, by the soft floor effect, by poor rigidity in the beam – column connections, by lack of anchorage in the foundation, high fragility in the masonry, between others.

Keywords : Ecuador earthquake of 2016; reinforced concrete framed buildings; laboratory tests; post-seism evaluation; constructive malpractice.

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