Monday, May 6, 2019

Preferences For Earthquake Bracing For Manufactured Homes

By Patrick Evans


Mobile homes are at the highest risk of damage during an earthquake due to their lightweight. Therefore, state authorities in earthquake-prone areas demand that such buildings should use the right bracing methods to protect themselves from damage. This article provides various types of earthquake bracing for manufactured homes to consider.

Decide on the shear wall. A shear wall is a vertical structure made to withstand seismic loads. Homeowners should use flagged sections or planes when setting up these structures. You can place them at the center of a wall to accommodate both ends of each wall. It is rare to use this method, but it saves quite a lot of expenses and installation time as well. Identify barriers that do not have an opening to make the process more effective.

Consider the sill plates. In most places, people usually consider the sill plates as sills. They are horizontal structures attached to their vertical members to create resistance on lateral earth movement. Lumber has been the most common material used for this process, but modern structures have adopted other materials. Homeowners can have the sill plates made from the factory if they intend to purchase a custom house.

Consider using braced frames. The braced structure is ideal for preventing lateral movement of a house during a seismic movement. Their functionality is similar to trusses and shear wall. However, it involves vertical blocks attached to the walls to make them stronger. You can rely on ordinary or special braced frame depending on the level of seismic movement in your area.

Choose the isolation method. Base isolation detaches a house from the earth surface reducing the effect of lateral movement. Therefore, it works by decoupling the earthquake force from home. These structures use two elements to be effective. These include an isolation unit and isolation components. The isolation components work as a connection between two elements while the units provide the decoupling effect.

Consider the pier structures. Pier structures are modern techniques that work similarly to the isolation panels. However, they are quite different since they do not have a rigid frame compared with the isolation panels. They have structures that support the building from different points. You need to attach the house onto the end of the piers to ensure that they offer a remarkable decoupling effect.

Use the rigid framing technique. These are load resisting skeletons interconnected by rigid connections. They resist any force created at the joints of their members. They offer the stiffness needed to withstand movements during an earthquake. Constructors use two assumptions to the behavior of a building frame to determine whether to use this structure. These assumptions include that the beams are free to change and structural frames do not change under any load due to their connection.

Homeowners who have to consider these methods should look for several that are cost effective. You can rely on one or two bracing way depending on the availability of professional input and enough capital as well. Look for an authorized builder who is familiar with these aspects in consultation and installation of the structures of your choice.




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