Abstract:
In Arba Minch city, most of the residential buildings are low-rise buildings, which are
susceptible to damage caused by expansive soils. These buildings are mainly constructed from
hollow concrete blocks, brick or masonry walls and local material mud/chhika (wood and soil
paste)
This paper aims to identify the factors that cause damages to buildings constructed on expansive
soils and suggests practical solutions to avoid swelling problems. Literature of buildings failures
associated with expansive soils and techniques experienced to prevent the swelling damages
were intensively reviewed. Ten different locations of expansive soil areas were selected for this
study. Fifty buildings were randomly selected for investigation.
A field survey of damages was conducted to diagnosis and point out the causes, extent and type
of damage that was observed in the buildings. It was observed that. Most of the residents of Arba
Minch are low-income people. They usually construct by unskilled man power and lightweight
building, they are not consider/couldn‟t counteract the uplift pressure caused by the expansive
soil. Common failures observed were cracks in walls and floors and foundation movement‟s
typical damage cases. It was found that poor surface drainage, gardens watering close to
buildings, source of water leakage and improper design of foundation contribute to most failures
and damages in buildings. Based on the causes of failure and other factors, practical measures
are suggests for the damaged buildings. Finally, conclusions are drawn from the study findings.
