Posts Tagged Base isolation
Earthquake Resistant Structures | Engineering Tips
Posted by Architect in Earthquake Engineering on June 15, 2010
Earthquakes are a major geological phenomena. Man has been terrified of this phenomena for ages, as little has been known about the causes of earthquakes, but it leaves behind a trail of destruction. There are hundreds of small earthquakes around the world everyday. Some of them are so minor that humans cannot feel them, but seismographs and other sensitive machines can record them. Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates move and rub against each other. Sometimes, due to this movement, they snap and rebound to their original position. This might cause a large earthquakes as the tectonic plates try to settle down. This is known as the Elastic Rebound Theory.
Haiti Earthquake 2010
Every year, earthquakes take the lives of thousands of people , and destroy property worth billions. The 2010 Haiti Earthquake killed over 1,50,000 people and destroyed entire cities and villages. Designing Earthquake Resistant Structures is indispensable. It is imperative that structures are designed to resist earthquake forces, in order to reduce the loss of life. The science of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Design has improved tremendously, and thus, today, we can design safe structures which can safely withstand earthquakes of reasonable magnitude.
Read the rest of this Article » » »
Earthquake Resistant Structures by Planning and Design Approach
Posted by Architect in Earthquake Engineering on June 15, 2010
Earthquakes have plagued man for millennia. It is a destructive force, which was once upon a time declared to be wrath of God for infidelity of human beings. But today, we understand what causes earthquakes, and can design effective mechanisms to mitigate the effects of earthquakes.
Haiti Earthquake 2010
Basically, there is the Conventional approach to achieving earthquake resistance, then there is the basic approach, and nowadays, there are Active Control Devices which can counteract the effects of earthquakes on buildings.
Read the rest of this Article » » »
Concept of Earthquake Resistant Engineering
Posted by Architect in Earthquake Engineering on June 15, 2010
If two bars of same length and same cross-sectional area – one made of ductile material and another of a brittle material. And a pull is applied on both bars until they break, then we notice that the ductile bar elongates by a large amount before it breaks, while the brittle bar breaks suddenly on reaching its maximum strength at a relative small elongation. Amongst the materials used in building construction, steel is ductile, while masonry and concrete are brittle.
Comparison of Brittle and Ductile Building materials
The correct building components need to be made ductile. The failure of columns can affect the stability of building, but failure of a beam causes localized effect. Therefore, it is better to make beams to be ductile weak links then columns. This method of designing RC buildings is called the strong-column weak-beam design method. Special design provisions from IS: 13920-1993 for RC structures ensures that adequate ductility is provided in the members where damage is expected.
Read the rest of this Article » » »
Seismic Base Isolation Technique for Building Earthquake Resistance
Posted by Architect in Earthquake Engineering on June 15, 2010
It is easiest to see the principle at work by referring directly to the most widely used of these advanced techniques, known as base isolation. A base isolated structure is supported by a series of bearing pads, which are placed between the buildings and building foundation.
Base Isolation Technique
The concept of base isolation is explained through an example building resting on frictionless rollers. When the ground shakes, the rollers freely roll, but the building above does not move. Thus, no force is transferred to the building due to the shaking of the ground; simply, the building does not experience the earthquake.
Read the rest of this Article » » »