What is the cause of apartment collapse in the United States? How to correctly check the quality of houses?

On the afternoon of June 24, local time, the incident of "U.S. apartment collapse killed 3 and left 99 missing" attracted everyone's attention. There are many reasons for the collapse of apartments. So, what are the reasons for the collapse of apartments in the United States? If it is a quality problem, then the person responsible must be found. When buying an apartment, you should also learn to check the quality of the house. How to correctly check the quality of the house? Let’s learn more about it below.

What was the cause of the apartment collapse in the United States?

Photo of the collapse of the apartment in the United States

On the afternoon of June 24, local time, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA Daniella Levine Cava updates the search and rescue situation at a press conference on the apartment building collapse. After the building collapse, search and rescue personnel have found 102 people and confirmed their safety, but at least 99 people are still missing.

A high-rise apartment collapse in Florida, USA, has killed at least three people.

The apartment building is located in Surfside, a seaside town about 9 kilometers north of Miami Beach. It was built in the 1980s and has more than 100 apartment units, one-third of which were full at the time of the accident. .

Buildings already showed signs of sinking in 1990

On June 24, local time, according to a researcher from Miami International University, the collapsed buildings in Miami were Signs of subsidence were detected.

According to reports, the researcher released a research report in 2020 and pointed out that since the building was first built in 1981, it began to sink at a rate of 2 millimeters per year after 1990. It is unclear whether the sinking speed has accelerated again. But the researcher also said the study should not be used to arbitrarily conclude the cause of the building's collapse.

In some aspects, house collapse is mainly caused by three factors: the first is the collapse caused by the quality problems of the house itself; the second is the collapse caused by the intervention of a third party; The third type is collapse accidents caused by the house being in disrepair. The liability for each type of primary cause collapse is different. The first type is collapse caused by quality problems of the house itself; the quality of the house itself is not up to par, and the construction unit cut corners during the construction process, making the foundation of the house weak and the materials and workmanship used for the load-bearing walls are not up to standard. The above combined reasons weaken the disaster resistance of the house, causing serious safety problems of the house itself, leading to house collapse disasters.

This year, there have been many house collapse accidents in China. People can't help but doubt the quality and safety of the house. So, how to correctly check the quality of a house? How to inspect a house when buying a house?

1. Look at the foundation

For concealed projects, especially building foundations, there are various forms of foundations For example, the pile foundations and box foundations you see are suitable for high-rise residences, while low-rise villas and multi-story apartments generally use strip foundations. Of course, the form of foundation to be used must be determined according to the local geological conditions. .

2. Look at the wall

The visual inspection methods to identify the construction quality of the exterior wall can be divided into several types: If the exterior wall uses decorative bricks, mainly observe whether there are peeling off and convexity. Unevenness, whether the joints of the facing bricks are horizontal and vertical, and whether the color and texture of the facing bricks are coordinated.

If the exterior wall is made of cement mortar and then coated with wall waterproof coating, it is necessary to observe whether the cement mortar falls off or has cracks; plain brick walls are currently used more in low-rise villas. This kind of wall has It has a classic and solemn meaning. What you should pay attention to is whether the joints of the plain brick wall are full and whether the bricks are dense. If penetrating cracks are found in the exterior wall, then the house must have problems in some aspects of the design or construction, and the house quality appraisal department should be asked to conduct a re-appraisal.

3. Look at the roof

Most of the roofs of residential buildings are flat roofs and pitched roofs. The main functions of the roof are waterproofing, heat preservation and heat insulation. For residents on the top floor, the roof is a very important quality indicator.

First of all, you need to go to the roof to check in person and check whether the drainage slope, outlet, and gutter organization of the roof are reasonable. Downspouts should be installed firmly, and the joints should be flat and tight without leakage. Roof panels are nothing more than integral cast-in-place panels and prefabricated panels. The waterproof performance of cast-in-place panels is much better than that of prefabricated panels.

4. Look at the floor of the building

The floor of the building includes two meanings: one is the ground of the ground floor and the floor of the floor. For the floor slab, first determine whether it is a prefabricated slab or a cast-in-place slab. The floor slabs of low-rise and multi-storey houses are mainly prefabricated components. It is necessary to observe whether the floor slabs are smooth and have no cracks. There are two reasons for cracks: first, the ring beams of the house are uneven and the seat slurry is uneven when laying the panels; second, the quality of the prefabricated panels is not up to standard and the deflection is too large.

The floor slabs of mid- to high-rise and high-rise buildings are mainly cast-in-place slabs. The integrity and waterproofness of the cast-in-place slabs are relatively good. The main observation is whether there are exposed reinforcements or honeycomb pockmarks, and the strength level of the concrete. It cannot be seen with the naked eye. You can look at the quality inspection report. If the quality of the concrete is too poor, you can dig out the protruding areas with your hands. For example, the corners of pillars are good places to check.

To sum up, the cause of the apartment collapse in the United States has not been determined yet and is still under investigation. Judging from the news in recent years, owners are experiencing more and more problems with the quality of their houses, so house safety inspections are very important. Friends who buy a house, it is necessary to learn the skills of house inspection.