|
Chamfered corner
What's the purpose of the chamfered corner on a concrete column?
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Work & School category?
Maybe give some free advice about: School?
As I understand it, it doesn't impart any additional strength; rather, its to help maintain the integrity of the column. My guess is that one small benefit would be the removal of any 'sharp' edges, though I am not sure if that would be more than a trivial benefit or not.
Think of a 3-sided column (triangular)...the 3 corners will be sharper angles than even a square column. The sharper the angle, the weaker the material can become...I would imagine that if you were to wield a sledgehammer, on a triangular column, it wouldn't take long to chip off pieces of the corner. On a square it would be more difficult but still somewhat possible. And on a round column...well, I wish you luck (being that there wont be any corners lol). I also highly doubt that the extreme corners, which are the parts being removed by chamfering, add any significant strength at all. So by chamfering, you remove this extraneous part of the column and reduce the chance of the column taking damage from chips and the like.
This might very well tie into sealing concrete as well. Any cracks, chips or other defects would pretty much make any type of sealent pointless, so it would be even more desireable to reduce the chance that the surface would be damaged. Bear in mind that the decay of concrete, which happens over time, often happens when an edge, corner, or what have you wears away and the amount of moisture that enters the concrete is increased - to the point that the freeze and thaw effect will pretty much destroy the concrete. Most concrete is somewhat porous and can allow moisture through if not waterproofed if I recall correctly, and this moisture can shorten the life of the concrete.
But I'm not an engineer, so I could be wrong lol.
]
More Questions: |