The Earthquake Barrier

Résumé du livre

Brittle buildings built before current building codes required ductility, are the greatest safety hazard in seismically active regions. The Earthquake Barrier system can provide such buildings with both a "force barrier" and an "energy barrier," so that the superstructure is protected against forces that could cause damage in its fundamental mode and is further protected against the input of energy. As a "force barrier," the Earthquake Barrier limits the amount of horizontal force that even strong motion earthquakes can physically transmit to the underside of a building. Hence Earthquake Barrier protected buildings are not directly vulnerable to the peak accelerations of the ground. Instead, the inertial forces in the fundamental mode are limited to a pre-engineered value that is well below the elastic strength of the building.