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| Thread ID: 108575 | 2010-04-03 04:06:00 | how did the wall collapse? | lance4k (4644) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 872244 | 2010-04-03 04:06:00 | Toddler dies by collapsed wall: www.nzherald.co.nz Is it because maybe the concrete got loose? |
lance4k (4644) | ||
| 872245 | 2010-04-03 04:23:00 | Wall was built by tree, tree grew bigger, roots grew bigger, wall started to lean until it reached critical angle, child attracted to shade or look of tree touched wall whilst playing near tree, wall then fell squashing child. | zqwerty (97) | ||
| 872246 | 2010-04-03 06:11:00 | .....Because it wasn't built correctly in the first place, going by the photo on the website, and from what I saw on TV news. You will notice that firstly the wall is only a single brick thickness. That is ok, but it was built separately to the end pier or "gatepost" whereas it should have been keyed in, ie built as part of the pier. The wall fell over and left the pier intact, I couldn't see any other buttresses either, but most likely the wall wasn't built into the pier at the other end either, if there was another pier. If the wall had been built as part of the end piers and any intermediate ones, it would not have fallen over. The footings should have been concrete with reinforcing rods,(edit) running up through the brickwork, then the wall could not have fallen over, this is after all an earthquake prone country, mortar alone cannot be relied upon Brickwork in NZ can be dodgy as there isn't the same widespread traditional use as elsewhere. The ancients of course could build walls without any mortar, and then there are drystone walls :banana |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 872247 | 2010-04-03 06:24:00 | Is it because maybe the concrete got loose? I think gravity may have had something to do with it, |
hueybot3000 (3646) | ||
| 872248 | 2010-04-03 06:57:00 | I think gravity may have had something to do with it, Right, Sam. Plus shoddy workmanship, possibly suspect materials? Construction before a council invoked standards? And a little kiddie who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. :horrified |
WalOne (4202) | ||
| 872249 | 2010-04-03 23:49:00 | I found this site which shows how a stretcher built wall should be interlocked as it is built, into the piers. www.gardeningdata.co.uk Looking at the photo of the fallen wall again, again it can be seen that there are two piers with the wall just built between them, no headers used. There was an inane comment on radio this morning that the mortar had become brittle, suggesting that was why the wall had fallen over. What nonsense. |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 872250 | 2010-04-04 00:08:00 | I found this site which shows how a stretcher built wall should be interlocked as it is built, into the piers. www.gardeningdata.co.uk Looking at the photo of the fallen wall again, again it can be seen that there are two piers with the wall just built between them, no headers used. There was an inane comment on radio this morning that the mortar had become brittle, suggesting that was why the wall had fallen over. What nonsense. Yes going by the picture the wall was built separate to the piers, basic logic would have seen this outcome. If you don't understand that Lance go buy some Lego and have a play |
gary67 (56) | ||
| 872251 | 2010-04-04 00:20:00 | Terry Porritt;892228 There was an inane comment on radio this morning that the mortar had become brittle, suggesting that was why the wall had fallen over. What nonsense. The inane comment seems to have originated in the Royal NZ Herald report (see lance4k's post), although it was attributed to the Police: The boundary wall was described as "very, very old" and the mortar holding the wall together appeared to be extremely dry and brittle, he said. :( |
WalOne (4202) | ||
| 872252 | 2010-04-04 02:10:00 | Brick fences often aren't like a reinforced concrete block wall, where you pour in concrete to give them it's stength. Brick is only held together with mortar, which is very weak in tension. Unless it was butressed or reinforced in some way, you could just push a brick wall over if you push hard enough, and it will crack at the mortar joints. In NZ brick is hardly ever used as he structure of a building, it is only used as a veneer cladding system, so in a big earth quake you will see a lot of these brick veneer houses, the brick part collapsing. The building won't fall down, as the structure behind is timber or steel. |
robbyp (2751) | ||
| 872253 | 2010-04-04 02:19:00 | Brick fences often aren't like a reinforced concrete block wall, where you pour in concrete to give them it's stength. Brick is only held together with mortar, which is very weak in tension. Unless it was butressed or reinforced in some way, you could just push a brick wall over if you push hard enough, and it will crack at the mortar joints. In NZ brick is hardly ever used as he structure of a building, it is only used as a veneer cladding system, so in a big earth quake you will see a lot of these brick veneer houses, the brick part collapsing. The building won't fall down, as the structure behind is timber or steel. Correct, however the wall still needs to be built as one if it is a standalone |
gary67 (56) | ||
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