Collapse: 5 things to know to prevent the collapse of floors

Breakdown: a widespread problem

Falling is a phenomenon that affects brick and concrete floors, one of the most widespread construction techniques in Italy between the 1950s and the 1990s: 49% of school buildings, for example, were built before 1976 (data from XXIII Cittadinanzattiva Report on School Safety). There are various causes that lead to the detachment of part of the attic:

• Design causes, due to ceiling lights that are excessively different from each other or the absence of section breakers.
• Installation errors that lead to excessive grain size of the concrete or failure to wrap the bars.
• Poor quality of materials such as irregular shapes of the piñatas, bad clay mix and anomalies in firing, which can cause defects and stress states.
• External causes such as infiltrations, seismic events or settling movements which can alter the behavior of the pinatas.

Why is smelting considered risky?

It is essential to clarify that collapse almost never compromises the load-bearing capacity of the attic, but can still have serious consequences on environments and people.

The detachment, in fact, although it only involves the non-structural parts of the attic, can reach considerable weights, from 35 to 75 kg/m2, and cause discomfort to those who live in the building, making it necessary to close some rooms or the entire building.

Signs to watch for

The collapse is a sudden, but not unexpected, phenomenon. Its phases are two: initiation and evolution. During the evolutionary phase, alarm signals may appear that indicate the presence of critical issues in the attic.

• Moisture stains and mold are clear signs of infiltration which, if they reach the piñatas, can compromise their quality.
• Cracks, even in the plaster, indicate movements and changes in the original structure of the intrados.
• Depressions and bulges appear at an already advanced stage and indicate portions in the process of detachment.
• Small detachments are a strong alarm bell that signals the possibility of detachments in all areas of the structure with similar construction characteristics.

Preventive maintenance

Since blowout is an unpredictable phenomenon, which can occur even in the absence of visible signs, preventive anti-breakdown interventions allow safety to be guaranteed. But what must be the fundamental characteristics for an effective safety intervention?

1. The choice should fall on a certified, non-invasive and quick-to-install system, since generic solutions not specifically designed to contain detachments may prove ineffective over time.
2. The design of the intervention must be carried out according to the peculiarities of the environment and the evolution of the phenomenon, since each attic has unique characteristics.
3. Finally, installation by specialized personnel is essential to guarantee the effectiveness of the system.

Anti-breakage systems: certified and easy solutions

For 35 years Sicurtecto Srl has been studying demolition and designing and installing certified, effective and easy floor safety solutions:

• R-TECTO® is the shatterproof glass fiber mesh studied, designed and certified in every component to guarantee maximum safety performance in the event of shattering.
• SICURTECTO® is the anti-breakage system that solves and prevents non-structural problems of the attic, such as breakage and detachment of plaster.
• PRETECTO® is the false ceiling that protects against collapse, but also performs a function of improving the structural behavior of the ceiling.