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<br /> <br />PART VI: PROTOTYPE HOME TESTS <br /> <br />Allenville, Arizona <br /> <br />BackKround <br />Since tests had been performed to determine the structural integrity of <br />brick and block test walls and since materials and systems had been tested for <br />effectiveness in keeping floodwaters out of homes, the next step was to test <br />an available water-resistant system on a prototype house. The US Army Corps <br />of Engineers District, Los Angeles, was involved in relocating a previously <br />flooded subdivision in Allenville, Arizona, a few miles west of Phoenix. All <br />of the homes in the subdivision were vacated, and the homeowners were being <br />relocated to another site. This situation presented a prime opportunity to <br />select a suitable house on which to test flood-resistant systems. <br />The Los Angeles District was very helpful in acquiring the best available <br />house and in helping with the test setup. Representatives of WES, the Lower <br />Mississippi Valley Division (LMVD), and the Los Angeles District met at Allen- <br />ville and finished test setup preparations and tested the house. <br />The objective of the prototype test was to (a) determine the practicality <br />of using a durable, impermeable sheeting mechanically attached to the house <br />slab as a flood-resistant system, and (b) substantiate earlier tests which <br />determined acceptable design levels for such systems. Factors such as water <br />seepage and uplift under the house and sewer closure systems were not studied <br />in this test. <br />Test setup <br />The floor plan of the house is shown in Figure 53. The garage was not <br />included in the testing. A plywood bulkhead was constructed in the garage <br />along the side of the house (Figure 54), as shown in Figure 55. An earth berm <br />was constructed around the rest of the house and tied into the plywood bulk- <br />head (Figure 56). The earth berm and plywood bulkhead were used to retain a <br />slowly increased water level. A plastic sheet was placed over the earth <br />enbankment and plywood bulkhead and extended downward and under an aluminum <br />channel, which was to act as a bottom seal for the flood-resistant system <br />(Figure 57). The aluminum channel was attached to the house with screws and <br />plastic inserts. The rest of the flood proofing system consisted of a rein- <br />forced plastic sheeting which had its top reinforced with gray duct tape and <br /> <br />67 <br />