Collapse of Prefabricated Cement Houses

The collapse of prefabricated cement houses can be caused by various factors, mainly including the structural characteristics of the houses, quality issues, and load factors.

Structural Characteristics

There are gaps between the prefabricated panels of prefabricated cement houses, which are usually connected by grouting. This results in poor overall integrity of the houses. Under external forces such as earthquakes, the floor slabs are prone to swaying left and right, causing the gaps to widen further and the panels to fall off, ultimately leading to the collapse of the houses. For example, in the early morning of May 18, 2026, a magnitude-5.2 earthquake struck Liuzhou, Guangxi. Thirteen houses in the area collapsed directly, most of which were prefabricated panel houses, while fully cast-in-place houses remained intact. This is because cast-in-place houses have good overall integrity and can deform together under the force of an earthquake, dispersing energy and making it less likely to experience local collapses.

Quality Issues

The quality of prefabricated cement panels on the market varies greatly, with a large number of inferior products. These inferior prefabricated cement panels may have problems such as unqualified raw materials and defective production processes, resulting in their strength, durability, and other performance indicators failing to meet requirements and having extremely short service lives. During use, these inferior prefabricated cement panels are prone to causing collapse accidents due to aging and damage.

Load Factors

When the temporary load stacked on the floor slabs of prefabricated cement houses is too large and exceeds the bearing capacity of the prefabricated panels, the floor slabs may undergo brittle fracture and fall off, leading to the collapse of the houses. For example, on April 11, 2024, a three-story prefabricated panel house in Fengshouchang, Guanba Town, Zhong County, Chongqing, collapsed, resulting in 2 deaths and 3 injuries. According to on-site investigations by experts, the preliminary cause of the accident was that the temporary load stacked on the second-floor slab was too large and exceeded the bearing capacity of the prefabricated panels.

In addition, long-term exposure to wind, sun, and rain erosion and other natural factors may also damage the structure of prefabricated cement houses, reducing their bearing capacity and stability and increasing the risk of collapse.