“So ummmmm this is scary.”
“Bounce baby bounce” is not exactly the thought you want to find running through your head as you pull into a parking spot five stories up. Or even two stories up, for that matter. Because as much as parking garages are truly marvels of engineering, they also give concrete tomb vibes.
Pair that with memories of movie depictions of demolished parking garages, and it’s a recipe for uneasiness. At least, that’s what one Tampa, Florida man, TheCrawleyTrio (@thecrawleytrio), is sharing in a recent TikTok. He’s not explicitly saying “implosion” or “collapse,” but he is sharing the literal vibrations of the parking garage.
At first, the TikTok seems pretty unremarkable, raising a question: how has it earned those three million views? And then, the light floods in, literally. Over the cheery sounds of the parody song, “Welcome to the [expletive] Show,” Crawley films the walk from the car to a spot in a garage.
About now, the on-screen caption helps alert the viewer to pay attention: “So I parked and noticed the floor was a little bouncy as a car passed by… And I saw thisssss.” As he walks, it looks like a regular industrial floor: yellow lines and stains. But at the end, there it is: a small (maybe half a playing card-sized) hole in the floor.
A gap in the floor of the multi-story parking garage. Aren’t there news stories about this sort of thing?
Without doubt, a video like this brings out EngineerTok.
Vrandom things (@vrandomthings) doesn’t mince words, saying: “It’s an expansion joint. If those weren’t there the concrete would crack and break even worse due to not having room to expand when hot or shrink when cold. Most bridges have those as well.”
OK. What does the rest of the comments section think?
“Look at how much roller coasters shake when viewing them from the ground. ‘If it shakes, it doesn’t break.’ Allows energy to be dissipated safely instead of breaking apart structural materials,” adds Schmuck named Samson (@whomst_invitedthisscmuck).
Of course, there are always a few jokers in the crowd, and Matthew (@matthew_allen7) can’t resist: “I’m more bothered with you parking on the line,” he says.
Finally, there’s the “expert” who disagrees with fellow “experts.” “That’s an embedded plate missing a weld. Might notify the owners. Looks like water is causing some deterioration. Might be other damage, somebody should do an inspection to see if it’s widespread enough to call an Engineer,” says User2285843469653 (@gregsterama).
So, what exactly does it mean when the parking garage “bounces” and has holes in the floor? Well, the reactions are mixed. Some say that holes and excessive bounce indicate that the structure may need repair. They say that water can cause corrosion of the reinforcement steel used to strengthen the concrete. If the parking garage is a body, this might be likened to “brittle bones.”
That same expert also addresses expansion joints. Because, yes, the folks in the comments section are right: buildings do need to be able to expand and contract. This is not just because of the vagaries of weather (expanding in the heat, contracting in the cold), but also because of the stress it is subjected to by thousands of pounds of rolling steel.
The average vehicle in America weighs about 4,000 pounds—two tons. Multiply that by, say, 100 (on the smaller side of things), and you’re looking at 200 tons. That’s a lot of pressure on a structure.
Expansion joints effectively allow a parking garage (or any other concrete structure) to “allow movement without causing stress, which could otherwise lead to cracking,” explains United Kingdom-based Heidelberg Materials, a major materials manufacturer. So, the bounce is a protective measure against cracks that accelerate deterioration.
How do the cracks form? Overwhelmingly, the culprit is water. Water can cause erosion and deterioration in concrete. In some climates, water can freeze and thaw repeatedly, causing cracks that, in turn, let in more water and cause more damage. And though there are DIY fixes for things like driveways, expert solutions are recommended when the structure has walls.
Thus, the next time you’re in a parking garage and you feel your vehicle “bounce,” take comfort, that’s the concrete bending, not breaking.
Motor1 reached out to TheCrawleyTrio via TikTok direct message and with a comment on the post. We’ll update this article if he gets back to us.
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