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Architectural/ Structural Designs

Volcano ash is more than twice as


heavy as snow, it is corrosive, the air
is potentially toxic, and the eruption
brings with it a series of other
disaster events, such as a much
more severe wind force.
Distance from a volcano is not very
relevant. Proximity to lava and
pyroclastic flow zones will determine what
will happen.
But as far as falling ash is concerned,
prevailing winds, topography, and
chance determine areas that will be
affected
Lateral Support

Prevailing wind becomes a more


important issue, as eruptions whip
up a fierce storm and the flying mud
applies a much greater lateral force.
Researchers found that buildings
with steeply sloped roofs were much
more likely to fail in the Mount
Pinatubo eruption of 1991. This
might seem counter intuitive when
you consider that more ash settles
on flat roofs, but it might have been
wind blowing against steep roofs
that caused them to fail. One-third of
building affected experienced
collapsed in the Mount Pinatubo
eruption.
Triple Roof Support Snow weighs
50-300 kg/m3, but ash is 400-700
kg/m3, or more than double that if
saturated with rain. This means more
than triple the weight of the thickest

snow on the roof, and there is no


telling how much ash will get
dumped on the roof.
Hopefully ash is the worst that will
happen. Flying boulders are much
harder to design for.
Steep Slope Roof Researchers in
New Zealand found that metal roofs
with 15o slopes retain most of the
ash that fall on them. Roofs with a
25o shed some of the ash. Roofs with
a 45o shed most of the ash. As long
as they are well laterally braced,
steeply sloped roofs are preferred.
Wet ash accumulates 15 cm on a
sheet metal roof of a 25o slope. This
is still up to 30 kg/cm2!
Smooth Roof Material As with snow,
smooth roof materials will slide the
ash away and avoid the complicated
assembly that accumulates

additional ash. Imagine you dumped


two feet of dirt on your roof. Would it
slide off?
Concrete Structure Researchers of
the Mount Pinatubo eruption found
that timber framed buildings were
much more likely to fail, and that
reinforced concrete fared the best.
Concrete is suitable against the wind
and earthquakes associated with
volcanic eruptions.
Short Spans Researchers of the
Mount Pinatubo eruption found that
roofs with long structural spans were
five times more likely to fail.
Simple Geometry Keep the corners
and turns as simple as possible on
the structure. Ash will settle at
chimney flues and roof interfaces,
much like snow. Avoid complicated
shapes and materials that not only

capture ash but are susceptible to


wind damage.
Gutters and drain systems are
almost certain to become clogged, so
install them in such a way that
accumulating debris will not stack on
top of the roof and contribute to
major structural collapse.
Rule of thumb is to avoid gutters if
possible, as they can lead to
problems in many kinds of ways
The simple answer is to not be
downstream from the mouth of a
volcano.
Avoid valleys and evacuate as soon
as possible. But otherwise, there is
not much you can do against this
force. It will destroy anything in its
path. The speed will be greater if the

mountain slope is steeper. Also,


dont think you are protected by
rivers or lakes. Pyroclastic flows can
cross water.

Corrosion
Ash usually contains acid. The
hydrochloric and hydrofluouric acid
becomes sulphuric acid when mixed
with rain water, which is very
corrosive to buildings. It probably
will not corrode through a sheet
metal roof while the eruption is
happening, but considerable
corrosion can be expected if the ash
is still there after a month.

http://www.architecturerevived.com/how-to-design-buildings-forvolcano-eruptions/

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