LOMBRES, Angelica Beatrice

2015121814
CE134P/E02

CPR 4
Beam-Column Failure

URL: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Building-collapses-due-to-
beam-column-joint-failure_fig3_268051847
 Reaction Paper

Our planet had experienced earthquakes for a lifetime. According

to the National Earthquake Information Center or also called as NEIC,
Earth encounters an average of a really huge amount of twenty thousand
earthquakes every year which concludes about fifty seismic activities
everyday around the planet. Imagining the world as shook by
earthquakes by that number of tremors that can cause a huge disaster for
cities around the world and the risks it take for the civilization that will
be disturbed by this kind of massive catastrophe. During the day of the
17th of January year 1994, a devastating Northridge earthquake has
shocked the newsletters and the reports of various newscasters that
didn’t only destroyed more than eighty two thousand buildings in Los
Angeles, Ventura, Orange, and San Bernardino counties, but slain fifty
eight souls with nine thousand people that was injured due to the
collapse of erected buildings near the counties. A hundred and twenty
five thousand citizens were evacuated due to the destruction that
transpired that day and buildings collapsed due to the failures of the
beam-column joints. The magnitude that occurred that day had a peak of
six point seven magnitude with an additional aftershock peak of five
point nine magnitude that was yet inconspicuous to the residents. Some
of the expressways collapsed due to higher magnitude felt to some rural
areas, then some apartments were crushed adding more fatalities to the
calamity, and gas lines shattered that caused a substantial fire outbreak
with thousands of inhabitants that were immediately displaced and
punished by this kind of tragedy. Another earthquake that happened was
dated 17th of August 1999 which was located in the northwest region of
Turkey. It has been recorded as a seven point six magnitude earthquake
that occurred for thirty seven seconds that severely damaged the nearby
city of Izmit which killed around seventeen thousand people and left two
hundred and fifty thousand residents living rough.

This kind of misfortune had always ruined peoples’ lives that were
undeserving of this kind of reprimand and buildings were wrecked to
debris and junk. As civil engineers that designed and floor planned the
whole structure, it is eye crushing for us students because of the mess
the earthquake made to this building. Students from all around the world
which pursues civil engineering like me should be able to understand the
lives that could be ruined with such errors that cannot be taken back
once a substantial tragedy occur to this day.