Taiwan earthquake: Tin cans found in the construction of toppled high-rise

[WhiteTara]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- Paper lanterns celebrating the Chinese New Year dot Yongda Road, but there is no holiday spirit.

This is the street in Tainan, Taiwan, where the Weiguan Jinlong high-rise building collapsed in a magnitude-6.4 earthquake that rocked the region on Saturday.

The high-rise is where a majority of the 40 earthquake deaths have been recorded.

At least 24 people were killed in the building collapse, and efforts continue to find another 120 people who are missing, according to the latest government figures.
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The Taiwanese government has ordered an investigation into the building's collapse, as images emerged showing tin cans built into the walls of the toppled complex.

Emergency workers came across the tin cans during the rescue operation, Taiwan's state-owned Central News Agency reported. They appear to have been used as construction fillers in beams

Read more: http://www.ktvq.com/story/31163156/taiwan-earthquake-tin-cans-found-in-the-construction-of-toppled-high-rise

[Eugene]

1. Again?!?!

This isn't the first time this has happened during an earthquake in Taiwan.

[WhiteTara]

2. Apparently it wasn't illegal

but now they use styrofoam instead! Yikes!

[gcomeau]

7. Apparently it used to happen...

...and the building was constructed in 1989 before they made it illegal, from what I hear at least.

[Callmecrazy]

3. Fillers? Nonsense...

You can't use something hollow as a filler.
In my experience, you could find soda cans and other trash inside a hollow wall. No big deal. But who's bright idea was it to put fillers in the load bearing sections of the building? That's a recipe for disaster.

[progressoid]

9. Recipe for disaster indeed. Check out the blue cans in this photo.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/08/asia/taiwan-earthquake/

[Callmecrazy]

10. Yeah, I saw that...

What the hell were the engineers thinking? Concrete is cheap. That's why everybody uses it. Putting fillers in a concrete form doesn't make any sense. And don't they have building inspectors there in Taiwan?

This is criminal.

[jmowreader]

13. There's also rebar in the wall, so they should have had the strength they needed

This is called a "sandwich wall." The cans are filled with air and are there for insulation. The styrofoam they're using now does the same thing. They're also about 18 inches high, so if you look close you'll see the thicker wall is about a foot thick, which should have covered it.

[jonno99]

4. "construction fillers"? What does this mean?

"an engineer told CNA using tin cans "for such purposes in construction was not illegal prior to September 1999, but since then styrofoam and formwork boards have been used instead."

Can anyone here explain why styrofoam is preferable to tin cans as a "construction filler"?

[WhiteTara]

5. sorry, no, I can't explain that at all

I would think you would want something quite solid that would hold a load bearing wall...but I'm sure it was cheap.

[HooptieWagon]

8. Foam is popular in boat and aircraft construction.

Using the foam as the core in sandwich construction...fiberglass or carbon fiber as the 'bread' and epoxy resin bonding the panel together. It saves a great deal of weight, is stiffer, and saves material cost.
I hadn't heard of it being used in buildings, but don't see why not. Of course the entire structure would have to be reengineered to account for the different type construction.

[jonno99]

11. Thanks - good info... nt

[Yo_Mama]

16. It's not structural and load bearing. The beams are load bearing.

The tin cans shouldn't have made a difference as to the collapse.

[geardaddy]

6. I lived in Taipei for four years

I only experienced one bad tremor, but the northern part of the island doesn't get as many as the southern part. I feel for the families and people of Tainan. What a horrible tragedy.

[avaistheone1]

12. Terrible building standards...

[HeiressofBickworth]

14. Here's the question

Are the architects and engineers really that stupid or ill-informed that they think tin cans can bear the weight of a multi-story building

OR

Did some contractor bill for more cement and rebar than was actually used in the construction of the building?

Either way, it is a shocking disregard for the safety of the occupants of the building.

[Eugene]

15. Taiwan earthquake: Developer questioned over building collapse

Source: BBC

Taiwan earthquake: Developer questioned over building collapse

9 February 2016 Asia

Police in Taiwan are questioning the developer of a building which collapsed in Saturday's earthquake.

At least 39 people inside the Weiguan Jinlong (Golden Dragon) apartment complex in Tainan were killed when it collapsed. Two others died elsewhere.

About 320 people have been rescued but more than 100 people may still be trapped under the debris.

It was one of the few buildings to suffer serious damage, prompting an investigation into how it was built.

Questions have been raised about tin cans which were spotted being used as filler in some of the concrete pillar, although some construction experts have said that may not have caused any structural problems.

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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35530722