How Soil Destroys Buildings

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  • Опубліковано 24 жов 2017
  • Okay this is the last video on the hazards of soil mechanics for a while :)
    Expansive soils cause more property damage per year than earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. Expansive soils are a slow-moving geologic phenomenon, which makes them not very news-worthy. However, they still cause a tremendous amount of damage to buildings and the public infrastructure we rely on every day.
    USGS Map of Expansive Soils: ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/prodde...
    Watch this video and the entire Practical Engineering catalog ad-free on Nebula: go.nebula.tv/practical-engine...
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    -Website: practical.engineering
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    This video is sponsored by Brilliant.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,7 тис.

  • @HydraulicPressChannel
    @HydraulicPressChannel 6 років тому +3944

    I think it's time to build orbeez press to show their full destruction potential :D

    • @philiphugoofficial
      @philiphugoofficial 6 років тому +87

      Please don't or else Trump will think NK tested another nuke

    • @bobsayamundae9976
      @bobsayamundae9976 6 років тому +93

      Velcome tu ze hydrulic press chenel

    • @TheDaniel366Cobra
      @TheDaniel366Cobra 6 років тому +71

      Ultimate orbeez hydraulic press w/1000 degrees knife vs fidget spinners.

    • @DJAsHeRMusic
      @DJAsHeRMusic 6 років тому +15

      Please do Laurie that would be amazing I really think they could lift/crush a lot

    • @snowcoalRC
      @snowcoalRC 6 років тому +9

      press orbeez in hydraulic cylinder

  • @QuilloManar
    @QuilloManar 6 років тому +1482

    “The wise man built his house on rock, but some civil engineer had to build a road to that guys house.”
    I love the deconstruction of the meaning of that quote right there.

    • @trevorh6438
      @trevorh6438 5 років тому +24

      Nah, just dirt roads, all of them. no engineers necessary.

    • @InfernosReaper
      @InfernosReaper 5 років тому +107

      until no one can get to the house because of how horrendous the mud is....

    • @trevorh6438
      @trevorh6438 5 років тому +10

      @@InfernosReaper
      Tamped Earth?

    • @nzzenith
      @nzzenith 5 років тому +15

      Truth rocks.

    • @JackFlashTech
      @JackFlashTech 4 роки тому +3

      Trevor H That’s how my great-great-grandfather built the road to his house.

  • @trevorh6438
    @trevorh6438 5 років тому +509

    The wise man built his house upon a rock, and made his road with compacted dirt,
    thus sparing himself the difficulty of painstaking concrete engineering, and expensive maintenance.

    • @badlandskid
      @badlandskid 5 років тому +7

      Trevor H and sealingeth the joints.

    • @bretterry8356
      @bretterry8356 4 роки тому +53

      The capitalist built his road out of the cheapest asphalt he could get away with because government contracts go to the lowest bidder and he knew he'd get repeat business when it broke down in two years.

    • @steveo6016
      @steveo6016 4 роки тому +4

      But the wise man never got any CBR or plate load testing, so the road buckled when plant moved over it to build the house.

    • @Keithjustkeithwastaken
      @Keithjustkeithwastaken 4 роки тому +13

      @@bretterry8356 government intervention goes against everything capitalism is about bad example

    • @javejave1870
      @javejave1870 4 роки тому +1

      But what if soil that isn't compacted swells underneath the compacted soil?🤔 I'm guessing the foundation stays leveled but sinks evenly without damaging the building.what do you think? We have to come up with a solution to this because it's needed.

  • @Fede_uyz
    @Fede_uyz 5 років тому +266

    Im in medical school....
    Never thought of being a civil engineer
    Never thought of being an engineer
    no particular interest in civil engineering
    Yet i've watched most of your videos, that good of a story teller you arr

    • @oussamabourbab589
      @oussamabourbab589 4 роки тому +6

      Im first year medical school
      I was thniking engineering isn't intersted
      But now i having that i would change my path

    • @blahblahblahblah2837
      @blahblahblahblah2837 4 роки тому +4

      Sitting at home
      Watching a 7 minute demonstration for free
      Passively learning about expansive soil = entertainment
      vs
      Going to campus for several years
      Spending hours on each topic and lots of money to get the degree
      Melting your brain, exhausting each concept = trap.
      Civil engineering. Not even once!

    • @ShangZilla
      @ShangZilla 3 роки тому +6

      @@blahblahblahblah2837 College is free in my country. You can study anything you want from medicine to engineering, provided you pass the exams. Sometimes the college PAYS YOU if you study a critical field like nuclear physics.

    • @oriontigley5089
      @oriontigley5089 3 роки тому +1

      Well, at least your major is English...

    • @JustinShaedo
      @JustinShaedo 3 роки тому +1

      Graduated from medical school 2 years ago .. but this is my first Practical Engineering video...

  • @gasa1165
    @gasa1165 6 років тому +663

    "I got a bag of... Instant viral video" lmao

  • @trulyinfamous
    @trulyinfamous 6 років тому +724

    I truly adore your content. I don't think I'll ever specialize in civil engineering, but that doesn't mean it's not cool. Please never stop making videos, they're just so good.

    • @tomsegev7338
      @tomsegev7338 6 років тому +5

      Truth

    • @Fridgemusa
      @Fridgemusa 5 років тому +3

      DIABEETUS!!!

    • @_hector__
      @_hector__ 5 років тому +3

      @David You're wrong, no kind of engineering is better than the other. Besides, civil engineering is the oldest kind of engineering and the ancestor to the ones we have today :)

    • @hasnan7
      @hasnan7 5 років тому +4

      @David How can you say one engineering is better than other? Without Civil engineering there are no infrastructure for mechanical engineers to apply their machines like cars, airplanes etc. We can live without machines as our ancestors did but we can never live without Civil engineering structures.

  • @1945d18
    @1945d18 3 роки тому +44

    This is why it important to have the soils tested and analyzed for construction projects prior to design. However even a good program of sampling can miss some pockets of expansive soils. This is why a good contractor with good construction oversight by a geo tech engineer can help resolve issues that arise during the construction process itself

  • @cadenorris4009
    @cadenorris4009 3 роки тому +70

    "don't tell my wife" wait who's holding the camera if not his wife- "just kidding, she knows who she married"

  • @PozesD
    @PozesD 6 років тому +191

    I'm a civil engineer here in South-Africa and do consulting work for banks regarding insurance claims. Most of the cracks caused in the houses I inspect are as a result of poor workmanship (narrow foundations, improper joint detail). With most insurance claims where there are cracks in the walls I will ask the lab to do a test pit investigation to determine the size of the foundation and properties of the founding soil (Atterberg limits and grading). Various buildings I investigated are built on active soil (shrinks upon drying and heaves upon wetting). This poses a big problem for many house owners as insurance brokers do not cover for damage caused as a result of active soils. It is therefor important to know what you are building on and how to mitigate any future problems. Many property developers skip the process of doing material investigations. It is a cheap and important part of construction work and can save a ton of money and hassle in the future.
    P.s. Thanks for the video, very well done. :P keep up the good work

    • @reizayin
      @reizayin 6 років тому +9

      In South Africa? That sucks...

    • @unkelpipit7157
      @unkelpipit7157 6 років тому

      Charl Ellis any tips for the public searching for a new home?

    • @PozesD
      @PozesD 6 років тому +12

      I can only give advise regarding the structural integrity and overall condition of the building, I'm not a property sales agent :P.
      Shortly:
      -Look at how well the building is maintained; any leaks in the roof? Fascia boards in good condition? Damage to wall paint as a result of moisture seepage (mostly in brick walls)?
      -Look for cracks at the corners of doors and windows. If cracks are localised (say for instance only on the Southern side of a structure) it will probably be as a result of differential settlement (clay, collapsible soil, inadequate foundation). Don't be shunned away by hairline cracks. Those are easily fixed. If there are numerous cracks larger than 2 to 3 mm I would be worried. :)
      Hope this helps. There are obviously a bunch of other things one can look at, but these are the major ones.

    • @unkelpipit7157
      @unkelpipit7157 6 років тому

      Charl Ellis hey thanks alot man. Will definitely look for the signs. You have a nice day

    • @wino0000006
      @wino0000006 6 років тому

      Charl Ellis
      Do you have any regulations and standards for building foundations in South Africa? What about foundation slabs under the whole buildings instead of foundation walls - does it help? Do you have standards for ground freezing depths while building foundations?

  • @kevcraft9852
    @kevcraft9852 3 роки тому +60

    "Remember kids, 'Ya gotta have dirt under your concrete!'"

    • @ppppugh7892
      @ppppugh7892 3 роки тому +1

      "Dirt" being the opposite to "clean"! Thank fully the title of this vid has the word "soil" in it.

    • @justayoutuber1906
      @justayoutuber1906 2 роки тому

      "Well there's yer problem right there"

    • @Crusader1815
      @Crusader1815 2 роки тому +1

      After seeing this, that's the last thing you want under your concrete. How about digging all the way to bedrock before building anything?

    • @mureithikivuti
      @mureithikivuti 2 роки тому

      @@Crusader1815 Expensive AF!!!!

  • @magi163
    @magi163 5 років тому +12

    I live in wisconsin, and the moment you mentioned soil expanding I went "oh yep, ground heave". We get massive problems with ground heave in winters around here, so a lot of our older roads and driveways are in bad shape and need repaving every couple of years

    • @KristianRobertsen
      @KristianRobertsen 5 місяців тому

      Same here in Norway.
      The amount of gravel used under new roads to combat this is staggering.

  • @entropicgirl8648
    @entropicgirl8648 4 роки тому +93

    And this is why I was surprised that geology isn’t required for a undergrad in architecture.

    • @nubreed13
      @nubreed13 4 роки тому +8

      It's like how a lot of engineering classes dont require you to source the parts for the item you designed.

    • @SecretSquirrelFun
      @SecretSquirrelFun 3 роки тому +1

      Wow, seriously 😳

    • @adityabayu7646
      @adityabayu7646 2 роки тому

      already there hired geologist

  • @slashsnemesis
    @slashsnemesis 6 років тому +183

    This is one of the best educational channels on UA-cam. Your presentation is professional and your explanations are easy to understand. Your visuals and models are very well made. You deserve many more subs. That's what I think :)

    • @dolzaolcom
      @dolzaolcom 6 років тому +2

      You forgot to mention the self depreciating humor he throws in.

    • @playandsplash1329
      @playandsplash1329 6 років тому

      it's just sad to see him wearing a NASA shirt...

  • @yangrichardd
    @yangrichardd 6 років тому +255

    Next on the wife's shopping list, "Dirt from outside the lawn, expandable dinosaurs, Orbies, and 20lb dumb bell." ... Yup, another day of experimenting.

  • @sarcasmo57
    @sarcasmo57 4 роки тому +45

    "General Out-of-plumbness" is my super hero name.

  • @EnraEnerato
    @EnraEnerato 5 років тому +104

    Autum 2007, in Germany the city of "Staufen" thought it was a good idea to to restore a historical building and go geothermic with it. An austrian company put seven heatprobes(?) in the ground down to a depth to -140m. Problem most buildings are hundresds of years old and most of them have no or just minor levels of foundations, somewhere below the city is a layer of plater/gypsum and with these holes a connection between groundwaterand this layer was made -> catastrophic for the city.
    The layer contains anhydrite, anhydrite + H2O-> gypsum the volume expands the soil rises and the city literarily breaks appart over this (not just because of people pointing at the responsible parties).
    2017 the ground was still rising, estimates point out the possibility of the ground rising about 2m in total, it was found, that the city as well as the boring company hadn't informed themselves about the geological structures beneath otherwise no one would have attemptet this in first place.
    ua-cam.com/video/PezGv4gPYdE/v-deo.html
    (unfortunate only in German but the pictures of the devastation are of "good" quality)

    • @alveolate
      @alveolate 5 років тому +14

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staufen_im_Breisgau#Geothermal_drilling_controversy
      it's apparently significant enough o have its own wikipedia section!

    • @etheraraf
      @etheraraf 4 роки тому +3

      I've been there, it really is impressive.

    • @Atarian6502
      @Atarian6502 4 роки тому +7

      Here is Tom Scott's video about it: ua-cam.com/video/zOgle88sKro/v-deo.html

    • @MarcusWolschon
      @MarcusWolschon 4 роки тому

      @@alveolate 1 page in the english Wikipedia or 1 line in the German one.
      de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staufen_im_Breisgau#Geologie

    • @kvakerbillduck9500
      @kvakerbillduck9500 2 роки тому

      Looks like that some cuties have self solving solution to seal lvl rising.

  • @macharmon4852
    @macharmon4852 6 років тому +7

    I'm studying Mechanical Engineering currently and it's people like you that make me want to continue my studies even though it seems very arduous and time consuming at the moment. Your channel makes me see the potential of engineering. Thanks!

  • @drewwest428
    @drewwest428 6 років тому +788

    "she knows who she married". lol

    • @MR-nl8xr
      @MR-nl8xr 6 років тому +2

      ngentotsemua. Doesn't matter.

    • @babyflor5377
      @babyflor5377 5 років тому +8

      Best part lol

    • @grandcarriage1
      @grandcarriage1 5 років тому +19

      Well, Science is sexy, so can you blame her?

    • @peregrination3643
      @peregrination3643 5 років тому +14

      I knew a wildlife biologist who would put field collections of poop in the fridge. He always praised her for putting up with him. (It was a second fridge though and double bagged.) I collect insects and plants, so I also track in nature.

  • @boneheadd911
    @boneheadd911 6 років тому +3

    Thanks for the video! In Colorado we have plenty of expansive soils. In residential construction most soils engineers that I see choose remove a portion of the expansive soils and replace with select fill. Select fill is usually just better dirt but sometimes includes a stabilizing layer of rock or fabric. Grading is always used in conjunction with drain systems around foundations to prevent water from ever touching the expansive or potentially expansive soils. Fun!

  • @holguacamol8408
    @holguacamol8408 6 років тому +1

    You're EXPANSIVE range of jokes really CRACKS me up and really takes the PRESSURE off such a intensive topic please kill me

  • @ThisOldTony
    @ThisOldTony 6 років тому +396

    love it!
    (off to buy some orbeez)

    • @davidmyers5224
      @davidmyers5224 6 років тому +20

      This Old Tony - fun to see big fish supporting small fish.
      Now go finish the cart.

  • @DataStorm1
    @DataStorm1 6 років тому +126

    Hmm, here in the Netherlands, we scoop away the top layer of bout 1 meter, pound large poles into the ground down to "stand" on the layer of sand below the top surface of clay and other stuff, those poles then get their tops removed to expose the ironwork and then a "frame" of concrete is made incorporating all those poles (bout 8-15 per house) filling the gaps with a small layer of sand. On top of that frame the house is build... The depth those poles have to cover can be between 10 meter up to 23 meter. It makes for a very rigid structure that prevents such issues.

    • @2adamast
      @2adamast 6 років тому +11

      With good reason, even before gas extraction large parts of the dutch polders have shrunk because they are now dryer than before. Even now the NAP is still a moving target.

    • @DataStorm1
      @DataStorm1 6 років тому +5

      de betonnen frames zoals wij doen? sommige, maar zeer zeker niet in de USA. Daar leggen ze een betonnen plaat neer en noemen het klaar.

    • @colincampbell767
      @colincampbell767 6 років тому +24

      That's also how we deal with it in Texas. Slab on pilings. And during the dry season you water your foundations to prevent soil shrinkage. The real problem is roads. They build roads using over 10 inches of concrete that's reinforced with rebar and they still start to come apart after 10 years.

    • @uiomancannot7931
      @uiomancannot7931 6 років тому +11

      The problem is the road isn't as heavy as a house, and it's spread over such large areas it's doomed to get fukt. We had a slip on our road and when they finally reconstructed it, it was steeper than before. The road was nearly unusable before and was all cracked. It was a cul de sac so you basically had to use that shitty road to get up the hill to go back down.
      Dirt is stronger than people give it credit for.

    • @Duntrew
      @Duntrew 6 років тому +1

      DataStorm momenteel les over grond. Op kaart is te zien dat in nederland idd. Heel veel dezelfde grond te zien is met de bovenste 5-20 meter slechte grond waar moeilijk op te funderen is tov de volgende laag die op 20-500m onder de het maaiveld ligt.
      In belgie daarintegen, daar is op elke meter een grote kans op andere grondsoort die andere eigenschappen heeft. Niet alleen
      Vertikaal maar ook horizontaal. Momenteel een project bezig met vloeropp van 5x30m en we hebben horizontaal 6 verschillende grondsoorten. Wat berekeningen wat moeilijk maken

  • @TopFloorEricc
    @TopFloorEricc 4 роки тому +6

    It’s actually crazy how well buildings withstand movement. They’ve been doing construction on the pipes of my home town for years now. I came home one day and there was a whole small apartment building that moved about a hundred feet back from its original location so they could do construction. They just put a new foundation down and moved the whole building. I thought I was tripping, but apparently they can do that 😂

  • @adammadison4618
    @adammadison4618 2 роки тому +1

    I am an inspector of civil infrastructure and deal with geotechnical technicians daily (Alabama). I observe soil/stone compaction testing all the time, and this is the first I have heard about expansive soils. Very informative. Thanks for the video!

  • @JohnYow1
    @JohnYow1 6 років тому +15

    6:32 is a geologically accurate representation of what is happening in the soils beneath us. Expansive soil is basically expanding dinosaurs.

  • @KHouli
    @KHouli 6 років тому +30

    Nice job. This is one of the best pop-sci videos I've seen on youtube. The material was fresh and the pacing was excellent.

  • @MajBlood94
    @MajBlood94 2 роки тому +1

    I work in a district lab for roadway infrastructure and u did a great job explaining what alot of people dont understand and automatically blame the designers and contractors for failing roads and structures.. and some other major tests we do on soils are testing the P.I of the material, moisture density relationships to determine the optimum moisture, dry and wet density. Atterberg tests and many more.

  • @sasjadevries
    @sasjadevries 6 років тому +465

    In stead of building on expansive soil, you can just buy expensive soil.

  • @PlasmaHH
    @PlasmaHH 6 років тому +233

    Around here, 99% of such fractures in walls are because of insufficient dynamic compaction before pouring the concrete basement plate.

    • @PracticalEngineeringChannel
      @PracticalEngineeringChannel  6 років тому +78

      That would assume 99% of structures have basements... ;)

    • @glitchsmasher
      @glitchsmasher 6 років тому +15

      +Practical Engineering that assumes all fractures are evenly distributed between basement and no-basement structures!

    • @TGears314
      @TGears314 6 років тому +5

      Rather B Flyin the most important separation is that we can pass on knowledge without the need for first hand experience. This is why we have cities and no other species does. Other animals communicate, other animals make social structures and things. I'm not trying to give a lecture or anything and I'm sure you can think of other examples, but try to find an example of a species teaching without showing. Clearly we learn from seeing things firsthand, but I don't need to go do every mathematical proof ever in order to know that 5*4 is the same as 4*5. I know that because someone else figured it out and can communicate that knowledge without me having to do the rigorous proof. Same for fluid dynamics or quantum physics.

    • @agilemind6241
      @agilemind6241 6 років тому +22

      But, most of human teaching does include showing. I'm pretty sure my math teacher showed us the proof of 4*5 = 5*4. And there has been an experiment with monkey that had them "teach without showing" - they put a ladder in the monkey enclosure, whenever a monkey climbed the ladder they soaked all of them with cold water. Pretty soon they all learned not to climb the ladder but then when a new monkey was added the others acted aggressively towards that monkey whenever it got close to the ladder thus taught it to never climb the ladder without them ever getting soaked. They gradually replaced all the original monkeys with new ones until none of them had ever been soaked by climbing the ladder but they all continued to never climb the ladder.

    • @rlewis1946
      @rlewis1946 6 років тому

      I have this fact written all over my 1968 basement floor! Good to keep in mind, next I build a house. Thank for your comment! RL

  • @PracticalEngineeringChannel
    @PracticalEngineeringChannel  6 років тому +620

    Best expansive-soil-based free energy device idea gets a shoutout in the next video...

    • @HorzaPanda
      @HorzaPanda 6 років тому +29

      Basic Newcomen type thing. Expansive soil raises a piston when wet, lowers when dry. Want middle of this thing to be on a stable foundation, other end free is to go up and down. I think I'm going to have to draw that out, but still, hopefully fairly clear. Of course, a couple of inches of reciprocal motion for every wet+dry cycle is going to be a very average low power output XD

    • @Luredreier
      @Luredreier 6 років тому +2

      Perhaps, but the soil in question can sometimes lose parts of its capability to absorbe water as it dries up.
      So this could potentially end up as essentially non-renewable...

    • @dykam
      @dykam 6 років тому +20

      Wouldn't that essentially be solar-powered? Where the "energy" to expand again next time is put in by drying up the soil.

    • @mothman.industries
      @mothman.industries 6 років тому +4

      Oh, great, the challenge has been posed and now the ideas are starting to form.
      I already have the week off. I'm going to end up going in too deep.

    • @poseidon4675
      @poseidon4675 6 років тому

      Dykam yup, just as the rain that falls on it is brought over there by evaporating water and blowing it over there by wind

  • @madzen112
    @madzen112 2 роки тому +1

    Your channel is extremely good at giving quite dense information in a digestible way. Love the vibes here, getting smarter and enjoying it!

  • @69A12SuperBee
    @69A12SuperBee 5 років тому

    Grady, I just love your videos. They are not only informative, but you deliver them in such a concise and thorough approach that the most lay person could grasp! I, much like yourself, live in the great state of Texas(approx 60 miles from SA) and I am all to familiar with the devastating affects of our expansive soil base. It wreaks havoc on my homes! Every season I see the same crack in the mortar joints of my brick veneer expand and contract at least 1/2”!
    Thank you for your well thought out and well articulated series’.

  • @coreygrace334
    @coreygrace334 6 років тому +9

    Great video! Another way to deal with expansive soils is to simply allow for them to expand and account for it in your design.
    Examples include: (1) being mindful of location/elevation tolerances for a foundation and allowing it to "float" with the expansion and (2) utilizing products like void forms underneath mat concrete foundations.
    With option (1), factors to consider would be deflection tolerances of whatever's being supported by the foundation (piece of equipment etc.) and how/if it's tied into other items on site. It doesn't work to allow the foundation to float and move only to have a piece of equipment tied to another off the foundation with pipes or have the foundation tied to another with concrete reinforcement.
    With option (2), the bottom of the concrete pad does not actually get placed on the soil itself. A void is created between the soil and the concrete which allows any future expansion to occur within the void and not push on the concrete itself. Common void form systems include ones made of cardboard (which support wet concrete but deteriorate over time, leaving a void) and plastic interlocking "tables" which look like the plastic tables which protect pizzas in pizza boxes. The plastic table void form system maintain a void from the onset of construction as the bottom of the wet concrete is supported by the top of the plastic voids. With each of these two void form options, its important to consider the behavior of the concrete foundation. Most simply, it will no longer be considered as a soil-supported mat but rather it will act like a suspended slab between grade beams etc. (This typically results in a more critical design of the rebar within the concrete itself to support the loads.)

    • @grumpybastard5744
      @grumpybastard5744 6 років тому +1

      Option (2) - the waffle pod foundation, invented in Adelaide, South Australia (or so I understand). Certainly we have a lot of very reactive clay under much of the Adelaide Plains. For some structures, such as our recently completed elevated road, you build on really deep piles, going below the clay layers.

  • @CybranM
    @CybranM 6 років тому +65

    your videos are all great, love it when i see one in my subscription feed

  • @aspencooper8495
    @aspencooper8495 3 роки тому

    I really enjoyed the way you have laid this out in layman's terms. I find your calm and composted demeanor very easy to listen to and learn from. Thank you!

  • @Ratlins9
    @Ratlins9 5 років тому

    Hey Grady, this was a fantastic video. Explanation along with visual display of soil expansion was terrific. Always wondered why these cracks above my door frames and windows appeared, now I know. Appreciate you making these education videos.

  • @grego5838
    @grego5838 6 років тому +144

    Apology accepted. In Australia We use AS1289.7.1.1 to test the shrink/swell of the soil

    • @DMack6464
      @DMack6464 6 років тому +13

      *andy g* ok
      (I don't know what that means)

    • @Huyvovo903
      @Huyvovo903 6 років тому +16

      I remember doing it in college. Fuckin' Mike tried to spike our samples with sand.

    • @TGears314
      @TGears314 6 років тому +5

      D Mack the internet is an amazing thing. Gotta love search engines

    • @richmeisterradio
      @richmeisterradio 4 роки тому

      I

  • @steezydan8543
    @steezydan8543 6 років тому +11

    Love the videos. Keep ‘em coming. I remember being in a hotel in Guatemala, on the second floor, that had a fissure from the floor to the ceiling. Good times.

  • @vincentbarkley9121
    @vincentbarkley9121 5 років тому +2

    Firstly, your videos are simply the highest quality videos on UA-cam. An educational pleasure to watch and learn. Thank you.
    I was wondering if piles sunk into the soil to some depth would find relatively unchanging moisture levels?

  • @er.vijayakumarselvaraj6762
    @er.vijayakumarselvaraj6762 4 роки тому +1

    Excellent... It's not easy to make such videos with high quality precision on its content... Keep up your good work...

  • @mattjmwmatt
    @mattjmwmatt 6 років тому +3

    Gotta say, it’s really amusing to see so much passion for dirt!!!
    Cheers!

  • @ratherbflyin3301
    @ratherbflyin3301 6 років тому +5

    (I realize I previously put this under another comment by mistake)
    Hey Grady! I love your content and soak up all the info in your videos. Really captivating and top notch stuff.
    Just a word of caution when it comes to cutting cylindrical objects with power tools: use a V-block to hold them. There is a strong propensity for the cylinder to spin when it’s being cut, rotating your fingers towards the indifferent cutting implement. It can happen so quickly that you won’t be able to react. Happened to my old shop teacher on a chop saw for “just a quick cut” and he now keeps his thumb on display in formaldehyde.
    I mean, what separates us from the dogs but an opposable digit? Gotta grab your clipboard with something.

  • @mikesacco8457
    @mikesacco8457 4 роки тому

    Simply LOVE this video.
    Been contracting 30 plus years. And customers always ask about this due to damage I find.
    I have sent several customers to this video for a better understanding.

  • @HVAC_Sean
    @HVAC_Sean 2 роки тому

    Your recent video on the condo collapse has lit a fire of interest within me. I started going around my home with a flashlight, camera, and a level to document all of the cracks and signs of deformation that I've been aware of for a while; but never had a cause to attribute to. It's been a curiosity to me why the living room floor's south edge curves downward dramatically, why the front door (also on the south face) is hard to open because the top of the door and frame are squishing together. Why there are long cracks in the west face foundation that extend from the floor to the ceiling (of the basement).
    I don't have the sophisticated equipment or knowledge, yet, to be certain, but now I've begun researching differential settlement, and funny enough, it led me back to you! Unfortunately, Tacoma rests in that uncertain yellow zone on the soil map you used in this video, so I've got to dig deeper; so to speak.
    This rabbit hole has me questioning whether i ought to move from mechanical engineering and register for the civil engineering program. A tough choice indeed.
    Thank you for all of your detailed and informative videos! You've certainly had an impact on my life!

  • @rayakoth
    @rayakoth 5 років тому +4

    Phil: "That's a lotta damage!"
    Grady: "A tremendous amount of damage"

  • @SierraLimaOscar
    @SierraLimaOscar 6 років тому +4

    This explains a lot of stuff I've experienced - Thanks!
    Oh, and Go Spurs Go!

  • @florianburger8026
    @florianburger8026 6 років тому

    I have worked with this kind of projects; the company used to make many tests in soil samples to estimate the tension capacity of locals for pavings projects. You have made nice examples. Thx a lot

  • @josephdestaubin7426
    @josephdestaubin7426 6 років тому

    But you don't make videos about dirt in your garage, you make videos in your garage about dirt. Yours is the best channel ever, cheers!

  • @briannelson605
    @briannelson605 6 років тому +5

    Cool. And most excellent Casio watch!

  • @smadge1
    @smadge1 6 років тому +4

    I love the Casio F91W Watch, I’ve owned several.

  • @murraystewartj
    @murraystewartj 5 років тому

    I've watched a few of your videos, finally subbed. You do a fine job of explaining and illustrating complex concepts for the layman.
    Knowing what's under your home is important, but in addition to what nature put there it is important to know what people put there. I'm talking about what is generally known as "fill". This could be everything from overburden removed from somewhere else (say a road project miles away) or just material from the site that's been cut and filled to make it level. Or, it could be something worse. In these cases it's unlikely that material has been compacted evenly if at all - and differential settlement happens.
    I remember working on a development which straddled what had been an old ravine. Back in the 1910's a fire ravaged the city's Chinatown, and all the debris had been dumped into it. About halfway through the project it was stopped while all the "garbage" was excavated and replaced with proper material compacted to requirements. It was an expensive fix (though the local bottle collectors had a field day). Another case comes to mind of people in a 1950's subdivision in a suburb of Vancouver, BC. The front porch and part of the house started falling off. Turned out the developer had used trash for fill. There was a picture of what the front of the house was built on - the decaying carcass of a car. In both instances expansive soils were not an issue or even present in the areas - it was junk fill. That issue is much harder to predict as it may not show up on soils maps, and is just a ticking bomb.

  • @dyneslair3158
    @dyneslair3158 Рік тому

    I really appreciate that your videos don't just teach the material and topics you cover. Aside from the extremely helpful visual demos, your videos actually teach people how to THINK like an engineer and how the design and development cycle shapes the construction of future projects.

  • @fernosan
    @fernosan 4 роки тому +9

    Me, not an engineer, watching very interesting expandable dirt.
    Someone: what are you watching that is so interesting?
    Me: well it's complicated...

    • @tantamounted
      @tantamounted 2 роки тому

      "What's so interesting?"
      "I'm watching dirt grow!"

  • @jennrodriguezdaluz
    @jennrodriguezdaluz 6 років тому +7

    I had not realized you're from San Antonio! when I started watching this video I was all "jeez sounds like my house." lo and behold 😁

  • @AndrewBlikken
    @AndrewBlikken 6 років тому

    Most informative. I have identical issues with my home right now, and am grateful that you explained the issue so well. Thank you for your research and presentation!

  • @martythestines
    @martythestines 5 років тому

    I love all these diagrams and examples, that you use for all of the subjects you cover. Diagrams and maps and everything you put in these videos, should've just been my schooling. I learn better with these more than anything most my teachers could do. 1 million thumbs up.

  • @jacob-jamescompton5152
    @jacob-jamescompton5152 6 років тому +12

    San Antonio represent!

    • @76argon
      @76argon 4 роки тому

      northwest side here reporting in

    • @oogalook
      @oogalook 4 роки тому

      West side here. We need to do a meetup, maybe go to some caves and get a real geology fix. Or maybe an exciting visit to an overpass to look at pre-stressed concrete!

  • @mikeh5722
    @mikeh5722 4 роки тому +5

    I see expansive clay soil break foundations in my neck of the woods almost daily

  • @zeening
    @zeening 2 роки тому +1

    i know alot of these videos are old but they are incredibly informative and interesting, would love to see more you make great content keep it up!

  • @scottyj6226
    @scottyj6226 6 років тому +2

    great video and as someone who intends to build a house, thank you for the practical knowledge laid out in layman's terms. much appreciated.

  • @photographeratlarge
    @photographeratlarge 5 років тому +3

    Thanks for this great illustration. My house (on clay soil) goes up and down with the weather causing doors and gates to go way out of alignment just like this. We have had 2 weeks of -30 weather here in Saskatchewan and everything has just shifted again. I understand the soil getting wet and dry in the summer, but the ground has been frozen for months. How did my garden fence shift 3 inches when everything has been below -20degC for weeks? Is the moisture able to move out of the soil even in Arctic conditions?
    Thanks for the great channel

    • @victorvonsteuben1728
      @victorvonsteuben1728 2 роки тому

      I think the ground a few feet below wont be freezing. If the soil is permeable to that deep, the water in those lower levels of soil will continue to drain. Most of the big rivers and streams continue to get water, so Im pretty sure its water from soil.
      Im not an engineer and dont know this for sure.

  • @bdafeesh
    @bdafeesh 6 років тому +4

    Wow, absolutely amazing work on this video. Clean, concise, and you sprinkled in the right amount of humor. But I'm a person on the internet, thus I have to give it an 11/10.

  • @griffinhall8
    @griffinhall8 5 років тому

    Grady, your videos outperform every one of your competitors in content and entertainment value. Bravo!

  • @italomillermachado8965
    @italomillermachado8965 4 роки тому

    I work in a soil laboratory, i'm studying expansive soils and how they can cause damage to road pavements. I loved your video. Greetings from Brazil

  • @smac919
    @smac919 6 років тому +3

    3:40 "ooo Brownies!"

  • @Vladimir_4757
    @Vladimir_4757 5 років тому +3

    I want "You gotta have dirt underneath your concrete" on a t-shirt

  • @ricardoleite7933
    @ricardoleite7933 4 роки тому

    Hey man! Just so you know, your channel is watched in Brazil. You're fantastic, thanks for taking ur time to teach and remind us of some concepts.

  • @ullisses
    @ullisses 5 років тому +1

    Hello there, I am not an engineer, but I have just found out about your channel and I must say I love it. The way you explain makes it easy for non specialists like me. Congratulations for your work and thank you for sharing your know-how in a fun and clear way. This is why the internet is the best invention ever. Cheers, from Central Brazil.

  • @reamuji6775
    @reamuji6775 4 роки тому +9

    4:05
    "i got a bag of instant viral video"
    *actually get viral*

  • @cedric4928
    @cedric4928 6 років тому +45

    Im a simple guy. I see a practical engineering vid, i click.

  • @whateverrandomnumber
    @whateverrandomnumber 3 роки тому +2

    As an architect, I had a teacher who said the Pisa Tower was located in such a place - with hydrophilic soil, and that "they" carefully control the soil humidity to keep it at the ideal tilting.
    He said a very specific name for the soil at the time. I remember looking it up online and never found anything. At the time, I dismissed it as a ducktale.
    But here it is! And it's just about any clay! Duh!

  • @bobellison7752
    @bobellison7752 4 роки тому

    Very informative bite-sized chunks of useful knowledge - love it!

  • @GraveUypo
    @GraveUypo 6 років тому +53

    the solution is simple: flying structures.

    • @trevorh6438
      @trevorh6438 5 років тому +4

      Aha! Someone know's what's up.
      Simple Airship base is all one needs.

    • @entropicgirl8648
      @entropicgirl8648 4 роки тому

      The problem is Hydrogen is out because it can’t pass code; fire hazard and all, and helium being a rare Noble gas with finite reserves would be to expensive and not sustainable😜

    • @riccardoorlando2262
      @riccardoorlando2262 4 роки тому +2

      @@entropicgirl8648 Big steel balls pumped to near vacuum is the way.

    • @seanconnell622
      @seanconnell622 3 роки тому +1

      Suspended structures

    • @danthemango
      @danthemango 3 роки тому

      why don't we put the structures in space?

  • @berys76
    @berys76 6 років тому +6

    This hapens in my city (šilute,Lithuania) all the time . Specaly in old rusdian buldings

  • @pixequil
    @pixequil 6 років тому

    I love what you added to that parable

  • @lynnhayes2363
    @lynnhayes2363 3 роки тому

    Mid-way thru 2020. So glad I found a channel that is interesting, informative and REAL.

  • @xabibilboful
    @xabibilboful 6 років тому +8

    1:00 shapePOP

    • @IqbalJamzuri
      @IqbalJamzuri 6 років тому +1

      Xabier G. so satisfying

    • @games1004
      @games1004 6 років тому

      Xabier G. I very much missed it watching the video. Thanks for pointing out that unexpected bit of humour. ;-)

    • @ewerybody
      @ewerybody 6 років тому

      I was about to make exactly that comment 😁

  • @SonOfFurzehatt
    @SonOfFurzehatt 6 років тому +3

    Sending you some cheap Casio watch love.

  • @JonAnderhub
    @JonAnderhub Рік тому

    Thanks for doing these videos in an easy to understand and quick way.

  • @LR_Bushido
    @LR_Bushido 4 роки тому +1

    Yep I can confirm I live in the great plains and we do have this.
    We've had quite a few water mains break when I lived in the city particularly during dry seasons.

  • @jasckon7994
    @jasckon7994 6 років тому +4

    Bruh you live in San Antonio? Me too!

  • @Eucal
    @Eucal 6 років тому +13

    That's not a barbell, its a dumbbell @ 5:11

  • @Kinsanth_
    @Kinsanth_ 3 роки тому

    This was top notch informative on a simple and very practical shown level. Impressive examples

  • @JohnSmith-td7hd
    @JohnSmith-td7hd 5 років тому

    That was awesome :) I was especially impressed by the power of expansion under pressure. Oh and my grandmother's house had cracks just like those and I always wondered why!

  • @Bo-uh9id
    @Bo-uh9id 4 роки тому +8

    0:59
    "where the shaPUHHe and arrangement..."

    • @matthewdelgado7515
      @matthewdelgado7515 3 роки тому

      I came to the comments searching someone who also noticed it lol 😂

  • @JaCkTheRIpPeR1999
    @JaCkTheRIpPeR1999 4 роки тому +5

    "expansive soil?" More like *RIPPED SOIL*

  • @joshransley
    @joshransley 6 років тому

    I enjoy watching your videos, they’re interesting, well explained and with practical examples. I’m glad I found your channel.

  • @francescakho7750
    @francescakho7750 5 років тому

    I learnt about soil creeping...i believe this is it, the best representation/video i have seen so far. Thanks a lot!!

  • @Quancheese
    @Quancheese 2 роки тому +3

    Do you think this, expansive soils, had something to do with today’s building collapse in south Florida?

    • @charleneknighton
      @charleneknighton 2 роки тому +1

      That is exactly what I was thinking when I saw this pop up in my feed. Perhaps one day he will do a show on what happened in Florida and is it something that could have been prevented.

    • @Joseph93
      @Joseph93 2 роки тому +1

      There’s an interview with a superintendent of that building from the 90s and he talks about the sump pumps being constantly overwhelmed by salt water in the basement. I’m guessing the rebar just corroded away.

    • @martymcfly3153
      @martymcfly3153 2 роки тому

      I believe there is never one single factor and it almost always combines with human error if not human nature in avoiding fixing things by pretending the problem isnt there until it arises

  • @drhfhs
    @drhfhs 6 років тому +3

    Damn civils

  • @studentsrecoursedha5514
    @studentsrecoursedha5514 5 років тому

    Just continue with your videos they're remarkably informative and interesting.
    Good job!

  • @avianivy0775
    @avianivy0775 5 років тому

    This explains SO much. The first house in my neighborhood has shifting driveway and sidewalk panels, and on the sides of the driveway, the dirt is lower down. Also, sometimes a lizard that has scales like a snake lives under there. But it’s not a snake, it has arms.

  • @calebr4191
    @calebr4191 4 роки тому +7

    "Don't Tell my wife! Just kidding, she knows who she married!"
    My poor fiance is in the same boat as your wife!

  • @GabrielTobing
    @GabrielTobing 4 роки тому +3

    3:42 “Don’t tell my wife, just she know who she married” HAHAHAHAHAH

  • @omarbryant7930
    @omarbryant7930 4 роки тому

    Very nicely explained, well demonstrated and well narrated video. ✊🏾

  • @nonichan8829
    @nonichan8829 6 років тому

    Thank you that was so informative, because I had a small research about sinkholes caused by saturated soil that leads to collapse construction

  • @forestreese1704
    @forestreese1704 6 років тому +4

    could you use orbeez to convert rain into energy?

    • @superalvin7208
      @superalvin7208 6 років тому +2

      No, but you could use rain to convert energy to orbeez

    • @comethawk2663
      @comethawk2663 6 років тому +3

      The real trick would be using energy to convert orbeez to rain.

    • @OfficialYouTube3
      @OfficialYouTube3 6 років тому

      No, but but you can use energy to convert rain into orbeez

  • @behrensf84
    @behrensf84 3 роки тому +4

    when buying a house, ask if the foundation is made of post tensioned concrete. smart buyers know that is a huge value adder...

  • @Youth4technology
    @Youth4technology 4 роки тому

    Hi bro, I am a non-engineer, and I love the way you simplify it for laymen to get you point in all you videos I have seen so far. Thanks for such simplicity, and practical visual everyday examples, instead of complex math equations.

  • @jenniferstinert5498
    @jenniferstinert5498 Рік тому

    In your video about “why foundations are needed”, you briefly talked about water washing away soil. This video takes about the swell factor, but how else can water affect the soil under a foundation.
    In my situation, we bought an older home like yourself. The neighbourhood that I live in, used to be farm land with areas of muskeg close by as well. Interestingly, when a new school was built 2km away from our house, construction was shutdown because a pocket of methane gas was discovered and had to be safely removed.
    The soil underneath the driveway settled after 20+ years, causing the driveway’s concrete to sink lower the our home’s garage foundation. Instead of adding more or better soil and replacing the concrete, it was “mudjacked” to raise it back to the same level. Every year after, the driveway would rise a bit over winter and then drop back down over the rest of the year. A fact you stated about the power of freezing water. Those are the joys of living in Canada ☺️ However, recent events out of my control caused flooding, digging and poor drainage in the area next to the driveway. Some of the soil directly underneath the driveway was disturbed because some of it was removed. This occurred right before winter and large amounts of snow accumulated in this same area right next to the driveway. Last year was the first year that our driveway did not heave up over winter; instead it continued to sink more and started to move horizontally away from the house’s foundation. When the snow melted large pools developed because the water wasn’t able to drain properly towards the street’s storm drain system. Now even rain is not draining properly because the grade is poor.
    So I’m wondering if you have time to explain a few things…
    #1. Are foundations affected by the improper water drainage and disrupting the soil that supports the concrete underneath? Could the flooding and poor drainage be the cause for the concrete moving? In your opinion, what is the most important thing to do first to rectify this situation.
    #2. What exactly is Mudjacking, and is it affected by the soil underneath (for example: high clay context), extreme temperature ranges (for example: -30°C to +30°C), large amounts of water and/or droughts?
    #3. What exactly is“Muskeg”, and are there any specific considerations when building; what issues affect homes that are built in areas that have this type of areas nearby. For anyone who is considering building a new home, are there are any major things to consider.
    #4. Does previous farm land or areas with muskeg have any affect on drainage, ground swelling or sinking?
    I know this is a lot to think about. There really isn’t a lot of available engineering information for Canadians living in this type of landscape. Your one video talked about the worker in BC that got sucked into the ground. Would a type of soil like muskeg be a contributing factor in this types of event?
    Thanks again for the videos, I’m learning a lot of great info. I’ve even repainted the inside/outside of my pool frame to prevent more rust from developing.