Indonesian people recognize various types of foundations, one of which is the chicken claw foundation. Even though it is widely used for various construction foundations, there are still many people who are not familiar with the facts about this type of foundation. One of them is, did you know that the chicken claw foundation comes from Indonesia? Not only that, there is still a lot of ins and outs of information about this type of foundation that you can find in the following article.
History of the Chicken Claw Foundation
The chicken claw foundation is a building construction foundation technique invented in 1961 by the Construction Director of the State Electricity Company (PLN), Prof. Dr. Ir. Sedijatmo. The initial emergence of this idea was when Sedijatmo was going to build five power towers on soft and watery swampland.
Then, the foundation frame is prepared by combining concrete plates and pipes as supports. Thus, the two of them joined together to grip the ground and were finally given the name chicken claw.
Chicken Claw Foundation
From the history and brief description of the characteristics of this foundation framework, you may already be able to guess why the name is called chicken claw foundation. This is because, this foundation does have a shape similar to the legs of these poultry animals. This anvil frame model is formed from thin plates arranged vertically. Then, it is strengthened by installing concrete pipes or claws at the bottom of the slab in a monolithic manner.
The thickness of the plates and the diameter of the pipes used differ depending on the building to be constructed. However, in general, the plate thickness used ranges from 10 to 20 cm. As for the concrete pipes, construction workers usually choose a 1 m diameter variant with a length of 2.5 m.
The Function of the Chicken Claw Foundation
At the beginning of the appearance of the chicken claw frame, its use was only used for construction on soft soil. But over time, the chicken claw foundation is the top type of foundation which is also used in other constructions such as flyovers, large bridges, skyscrapers, to airplane runways.
However, if you are just building a house, this type is rarely chosen. Apart from being a more expensive cost factor, house construction does not require a foundation as strong as other large buildings. Making houses more often use the type of foot plate foundation.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Chicken Claw Foundation
Selection of the foundation for a building must be precise. You have to consider whether the foundation is strong enough and proportional to the load resulting from the building construction. That way, the resilience of the building will last longer in the future.
A chicken claw-shaped foundation is a foundation that is known to be sturdy and strong even though it is built on watery soil. However, that does not mean that this foundation framework does not have flaws. Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of this foundation in the two points below.
Advantages of Chicken Claw Foundation
1. Popular and Suitable to be Built in Indonesia
As we know, many areas in Indonesia have swamps and soil that tends to be soft. So the chicken claw foundation is the type that is very suitable for use.
2. Strengthening the Building
Still related to soil conditions, the shape of the framework at the bottom of this foundation has the advantage of strengthening the building. This is due to the combination of the depth of the chicken claw foundation, plate frame and steel pipes which are directly buried in the ground. So that the durability of the building can last longer.
3. No Drainage Required
This foundation consists of concrete pipes that are very strong and have no room for natural drainage of water masses. That way, the construction of a building with a chicken claw frame requires a shorter time.
4. Recognized at the World Level
The next advantage of the chicken claw design is that this type of foundation has been recognized worldwide. There are even some tests to see the strength and durability scale of this foundation. Until finally there were 40 foreign countries that stipulated patent recognition at the international level.
Disadvantages of Chicken Claw Foundation
1. Required Costs Are More Expensive
When compared to other types, the cost of a chicken claw-shaped foundation drains the wallet more. This is because the manufacture of this foundation requires large amounts of material and uses sophisticated equipment. In conclusion, besides being expensive, it also tends to be complicated to manufacture.
2. More Fit for Large Buildings
The concrete that is commonly used in this framework has a fairly large size, so it will not be suitable for the construction of small houses. A chicken claw-shaped foundation is more suitable for large infrastructure such as skyscrapers or airstrips.
