Tuesday, May 7, 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.

Rely on shear walls. Shear walls are vertical structures installed between walls to create enough strength that can stand seismic movements. The walls are either placed as flagged sections or as planes. You can put them up at the center of a wall to cut down on your expenses. Such an approach is quite rare, but it is ideal for someone with a limited budget and a place with low seismic rates.

Choose the sill plates. Sill plates have been common over time. They are horizontal structures which offer attachment bases for vertical members to create reinforcement against lateral movements. Timber has been a common material for these structures, but modern constructors are adopting other cost-effective materials. You can have the still plates custom made with the prefabricated walls from the factory.

Use the braced framing. Braced frames are not far too different from the trusses or shear walls. They all protect a building from lateral movements just like the other types. Most constructors prefer installing the braces in a diagonal form to create additional strength to the existing framing. You can decide to have them installed straight from the factory or have them retrofitted from your home.

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.

Depend on the pier structures. The pier structures are the most common structure in mobile homes. They offer protection from lateral forces caused by earthquakes. Homeowners install the piers beneath their houses and connect them to the structures to provide support. The piers require a firm footing which they should stand on and create enough support for the home.

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.

Even though there are a lot of options to consider, homeowners must consider a couple of things to make this process a success. The best procedure involves acquainting with the maximum seismic rating in your area and choose a bracing method that can withstand such force. Besides that, look for a professional contractor who can manage to employ your favorite method effectively.




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