The notion of blasting, even in a controlled setting such as a limestone quarry, can be alarming to residents and business owners within earshot. Because humans are inherently sensitive to blast-induced vibrations, they perceive that the structures in which they live in are equally sensitive. The goal of this project is to compare effects caused by ground motions with those caused by everyday events. By so doing, it is hoped to provide a rational basis for judging the sensitivity of a structure to vibration. This project reports the effects of ground motion caused by blast vibrations on the structural response and crack displacements in a one-story house. More importantly, these effects are compared with those caused by thunder, occupant activity, and long-term climatic factors. These comparisons show that hourly, daily, and seasonal variations in temperature and humidity cause cracks to displace orders of magnitude more than the dynamic events by which people are very concerned.

Last modified

• 08/14/2017

Creator

• Charles H. Dowding
• Jeffrey E. Meissner

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/N2K77V

Publisher

• Northwestern University Libraries

Language

• English

Keyword

• Ground motion
• Concrete block structure
• Structural health monitoring

Date created

• 2009

Related url

•  http://iti.northwestern.edu/publications/dowding/acm/Jones%20Report%20(Phase%20II).pdf

Resource type

• Report

License

• All rights reserved