Distress of RC Structure due to Poor Quality Control and Overloading

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to make a complete investigation into the cause of distress to a four-story residential building in Irbid, Jordan, and to determine the necessary remedial measures for the observed damages. The observed damage in this case study involved crushing and splitting of concrete, along with buckling of reinforcement bars of the 24 underground reinforced concrete short columns supporting the building. Primarily, this damage occurred due to poor quality of concrete in the short underground reinforced concrete columns, combined with overloading. With the exception of the short columns, the design and construction of the building was considered to be adequate by a technical committee from the Jordan University of Science and Technology. The main lesson learned from this case study is that poor quality control of concrete construction will significantly influence the structural integrity of a facility.