We have constructed incredible buildings and settlements throughout history just for them to meet the powers of nature. Earthquake-proof Building is one of the most destructive forces on Earth the seismic waves all over the earth can destroy buildings, take lives, and cost tremendous amounts of money to damage and restore. The architects have introduced new technologies and building materials over the past few decades to better equip buildings to withstand earthquakes.
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How to design an Earthquake-Proof building?
To order to construct an earthquake-proof building, the engineers must reinforce the foundation and mitigate the forces of an earthquake. Since earthquakes release energy from one direction that pushes on a building, the strategy is to move the building the opposite way. Here are some of the techniques used to withstand earthquakes in buildings. These are important parameters of earthquake-proof design:
1. Reinforce the Building’s Structure
To order to withstand collapse, during a seismic event, buildings need to redistribute the forces which pass through them. Shear walls, cross braces, diaphragms and supports that are moment-resistant are key to reinforcing a structure. Diaphragms are a key feature of the construction of a building. Comprising the house floors, the roof, and the decks built above them, diaphragms help relieve friction from the floor and transfer energy to the building’s vertical structures.
Shear walls are a valuable construction technology that allows transfer forces from the earthquake. Such walls are made of panels that help a building retain its form throughout the movement. Sometimes diagonal cross braces are used to protect the shear walls. Such steel beams have the ability to support stress and friction, which helps mitigate back to base strain and drive movements. Moment-resistant frames offer greater versatility in the construction of a building. A device is positioned between the building’s joints and enables the columns and beams to rotate while the joints stay rigid. The house is thereby able to withstand the larger powers of earthquake-proof buildings thus providing more space for designers to structure the structural elements.
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2. Create a Flexible Foundation
Another strategy to combat ground powers is to “lift” the base of the building off the ground. Base insulation includes the design of a structure on top of lightweight steel, rubber, and lead pads. The insulators vibrate when the foundation falls during the earthquake while the frame itself remains stable. It helps withstand seismic waves quickly and stops them from passing through a structure.
3. Shield Buildings from Vibrations
Rather than simply counteracting powers, researchers are experimenting with ways in which buildings willfully redirect and re-route the energy from earthquakes. This invention, nicknamed the “seismic invisibility mask,” involves creating a blanket of 100 mixed plastic and concrete rings and covering it at least three feet below the building’s base. When seismic waves penetrate the rings they are forced to move for faster movement to the outer rings. They are therefore ultimately channeled away from the building and dissipated into the floor plates
4. Counter Forces with Damping
You might be conscious that shock absorbers are used in automobiles. You might not realize, however, that architects are also using them to create structures that are earthquake-prone. Compared to their usage in automobiles, shock absorbers decrease the impact of shockwaves and help slow down buildings. This is achieved in two ways: pendulum dampers and vibrational control devices.
The form of damping is pendulum control which is commonly found in skyscrapers. Engineers hang a large ball with steel cables at the top of the building, with a hydraulic system. The ball serves as a pendulum when the building begins the swing, then shifts in the opposite direction to balance the flow. The first method involves positioning dampers between a column and a beam at every stage of a structure. The damper consists of piston heads filled in with silicone oil within a container. The building moves the shaking energy into the pistons when an earthquake happens, pressing against the steel. Read More
How Earthquakes Impact Buildings?
Earthquakes generate lateral stresses on buildings, leading them to collapse. It is important to understand how earthquakes impact man-made structures. When an earthquake happens, it spreads shock waves across the world in fast quick intervals in all directions. While buildings are typically equipped to handle the vertical forces of their weight and gravity, they can not manage side-to-side forces produced by quakes.
This horizontal load vibrates walls, floors, columns, beams and the connections that keep them together. Extreme stress is caused by the disparity in movement between the bottom and top of the houses, causing the supporting frame to collapse and the entire structure to fail.
