Linear Discontinuous Deformations and Building Damages - the Height of a Ground Step and the Value of a Terrain Inclination

The subject of the article is related to the observation and analysis of changes in the values of terrain inclinations. They were created due to the occurrence of linear discontinuous deformations of the ground surface (ground steps) near and under the buildings, which were caused by underground operation of a hard coal. The paper analyses research material from 3 residential buildings, 20 measurement points and 5 linear deformations. The aim of the research is to attempt to determine the relationship between the geometric parameters of linear discontinuous surface deformation (the height of fault) and the values of terrain inclinations observed along its the horizontal, transverse and longitudinal axes. Studies have shown that appearance of a ground step with the height of 1 cm may result in an increase of the terrain inclination value by 0.26 mm/m. In the case of the occurrence of linear discontinuous deformations with height values of several centimetres, the increase in the terrain inclination can be almost 1 mm/m for each centimetre of its height.