Inspection of war-damaged buildings and structures by the example of urban settlement Borodianka

Inthe first 100 days of the full-scale armed aggression of Russia's armed forces against Ukraine, more than 1600 rocket strikes were carried out, not including other shelling.In this regard, numerous buildings and structures suffered various damages. Using the developed "Methodology of surveying and registration of its results", surveyors developed a procedure for surveying many buildings and structures in a short period. KNUCA (Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture) specialists inspected multi-apartment, communal, and administrative buildings in the Borodiankavillageinthe Kyiv region.Based on the results of the surveys, damage to buildings was systematized depending on their causes, namely explosions, and their impact on structures – explosive shock wave, fire, and bullet or shrapnel damage. The direct damage caused by the explosive shock wave included: destruction, cracking, distortion, and declination from the axis of symmetry, damage to window glasses and frames, for brick structures: knocking out (individual bricks or sections of the wall), protrusion (indentation) and displacement of masonry elements, cracks in masonry and spilling of seams between building elements.The direct damage to structures from shrapnel and bullet injuries includes: through holes, splinters, damage to coatings and the roofing layer, jamming of structures, et cetera.The direct damage to structures caused by thermal effectsincludes fire damage, including irreversible thermal elongation of reinforcement and destruction of concrete; damage to the finishing layers; destruction of window and door frames and their filling; the collapse of the roof; destruction of wooden walls and ceilings. KNUCA specialists established that buildings suffer significant damage and destruction when an aerial bomb hits. The most destructive effect is the damage caused by multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), artillery weapons, and tanks. However, buildings (building structures) suffer minor damage when hit by Armory Personnel Carriers (APVs) and small arms.