What is foundation Failure – And Possible Causes?

Foundations are the most important elements for the stability of buildings in general, and that’s not only for the stability of the building structure but also for the stability of its finishing works such as plaster, tiles, furniture etc. There are many reasons that foundations can fail - anything that causes a foundation to move can have a detrimental effect on it. Lateral pressure and differential settlement (when some foundation settles more than others), there are two major categories of foundation failure.

Rather than focus on foundation failures, focusing on the causes of these failures is important. Knowing what to watch out for can help save a homeowner time and money, by knowing when to check the foundation for potential failure. There are several major causes of foundation failure - when these things happen around the home, it's a good idea to check for any foundation cracks, holes, and uneven settlement.

Possible changes in soil

Heavy rains can cause soil to swell, and, if we don’t have a properly draining, then the water will reach to the soil layer under or near the foundations cause pressure on the foundation walls. After a long time, the walls will start to crack slowly, and this is both a problem of erosion the soil under foundation and hydrostatic pressure (from the weight of the water in the soil, pushing up against the foundation).

Wet soil is a major problem, but it's not the only problem, drying of soil also can cause problems as well. When the soil gets too dry, it shrinks, and causes the foundation to shift back against it. This movement in the foundation can also cause cracks and shifts and lead to failure.

Frost effects

When the ground freezes in the winter, water in the soil becomes ice. The ice crystal growth causes the ground to move, which causes changes to the thickness of soil all over the site of building. If this occurs near, or under a foundation, it can cause a differential movement, causing the foundation to fail.

Erosion of soil

Soil erosion happens from heavy rain when the drainage of water in site is not enough or bad, the alike can pull away at foundation walls, causing moves, cracks, and foundation failure. Another problem that leads to erosion is improper ground preparation during construction. If not enough soil is used, or it is not compacted properly, erosion can happen quickly around the foundation.

Vibration Changes

Vibration changes don't need to be as stronger as earthquakes in order to have effects on foundation. Neighboring construction projects can cause enough vibrations to shake the foundations and the surrounding soil, causing failure.

Periodic inspections of the foundation walls and area are necessary to stay aware of any changes that may happen on the landscape of our house which might cause foundation failure. Even houses with the best drainage systems can be affected to heavy rains and other causes listed above, which, if not handled early, can cost thousands to repair.

So prevention is always the best way to keep foundation failure from occurring. However, that is not always realistic. In that case, early detection is a must. A reliable foundation repair service can not only help homeowners to know these problems early, but fix them securely and help prevent repeat occurrences of such problems.

This article  written by Taha Mesleh working as an experience civil engineer in the field of building and contracting   , if you want to read similar articles visit:construction-and-architecture.plogspot.com