Foundations for Housing on Reclaimed Mined Lands
Ground conditions in coal-mining regions require special attention when residential development is considered. Today, surface-mining operations can alter landforms through mining and reclamation, thus increasing land suitability for housing and related development. Such “made land,” however, is typically composed of deep soil and rock fills. Such fills undergo long-term settlement under their own heavy weight. Subsurface-mining operations can also affect surface structures by causing land subsidence.
Geotechnical Investigation into the Causes of Cracks in Building: A Case Study of Dr. Egbogha Building, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
The study examined the geotechnical properties of soil supporting Egbogha building that has been revealing deep cracks around its wall. Soil samples were collected around the building for laboratory study. The properties determined were natural moisture content, particle size, Atterberg limits, compaction, and consolidation. The results of the tests show that the site is dominated with poorly graded soil with specific gravity (2.482.63), liquid limit (26%-53%), optimum moisture content (13.50%-26.20%) and maximum dry density (1.50kN/m 3 -1.94kN/m 3 ). According to the soil settlement estimated, the result indicated insignificant settlement at 1.5m depth. According to the classification of potential swell of the soil, the soil has medium potential for shrinkage or swelling. This could be attributed to high clay content in the soil. Hence, the soil has tendency for expansion. This therefore suggested that the cause of the noticed cracks on the structure under study could be as a result of the expansive soil supporting the structure’s foundation. Massive infiltration of water into the foundation occurs during raining season, and on dying up results into differential heave and the effect is pronounced on the wall through cracks.
Solidarity. Reflections on an Emerging Concept in Bioethics. Summary
1. References to solidarity are currently on the increase in public discourse. In the UK and beyond, during economic crises and in a political climate where many feel that mutual assistance has lost currency, calls for a new and forceful emphasis on the meaning of solidarity are increasingly heard. Such appeals to solidarity are inevitably linked to ideas about how societies function, and about how and where the boundary between individual, familial, communal and societal spheres of responsibilities should be drawn.