Examining the risk of flotation in structures

Abstract

Lately, an increase in the number of floors in structures that have been built on valuable land canbe noticed. While building these structures, a retaining wall is created, which is necessary for asafe foundation, yet this also causes the formation of a closed pool-like area. If the excavationsite during construction is filled with water due to various reasons, basement floors, which formclosed volume, may move upwards. The same problem may also be experienced in all elementsthat are underground in flood susceptible areas. Unfortunately, engineers often overlook thispotential problem while focusing on the completed structure weight. This flotation damageshould not be confused with liquefaction of ground that occurs as a result of unexpectedmovements in the structure due to the loss of the bearing capacity of the ground. The necessarycalculations to avoid this risk are only conditioned for port and coastal structures in nationalstandards and codes. Hence, this study aims to demonstrate the conditions leading to flotation instructures and necessary precautions to avoid them.