After large-scale destruction in 11 provinces brought on by earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, “seismic isolators,” which reduce the power that shakes buildings, got here to the fore.
Explaining how the system works, its price and its significance, civil engineer Ömer Faruk Şentürk stated, “If there is a seismic isolator in a building, there are fewer chances of destruction but project work must be done properly.”
An earthquake of magnitude of seven.7 occurred in Kahramanmaraş Pazarcık on Feb. 6 at 4:17 a.m. native time, adopted by a 7.6 magnitude quake on the identical day at 1:24 p.m. in Elbistan. Thousands of buildings had been destroyed, and over 40,000 folks misplaced their lives. While the particles elimination works proceed, preliminary findings present “seismic isolators” minimized the results of earthquakes in some buildings and ensured their security.
Şentürk, assistant normal supervisor of a housing challenge in Istanbul’s Başakşehir, stated that the lateral acceleration as a result of magnitude of an earthquake is usually big. The goal of seismic isolators is to make sure that this acceleration has a minimal impact on the higher flooring of a constructing.
We have now began utilizing it in housing initiatives in Başakşehir and have seen its most essential contribution in metropolis hospitals within the earthquake-affected zone. However, seismic isolators in a constructing can’t totally guarantee its survival.
Explaining that there are various kinds of seismic isolators, Şentürk stated, “You cannot buy and install them directly in a building. The design of the building or even the blocks must be made according to the isolator. Your architectural, static and electrical project should be on par.”
As for the price, Şentürk identified, “When you construct a building from scratch, it has an effect of 10%-15% on the total construction cost. But if you want to add isolators to the already constructed building, the cost increases two-three times.”
Fusun Sümer, Assistant General Manager for Technical Affairs of a housing challenge (TMMOB) in Istanbul’s Başakşehir district added, “A seismic isolator is a tool that reduces the effect of earthquake energy on the superstructure and protects the structure by providing controlled movement during an earthquake.”
“With advanced technological devices placed at the foundation of the building, seismic isolators are convenient for structures that may still need to be evacuated within a short span of time, such as hospitals, fire departments, data centers, schools, bridges and viaducts,” he famous.
“In order for the seismic isolators to be usable, other carrier elements of the structure must also be robust. All stages of design, implementation and inspection should be carried out meticulously. Project work of seismic isolation must be implemented properly and if the ground is weak, ground improvement works must be completed first. It is not enough to just build a raft foundation or rely on seismic isolation device for a structure to be built on very weak soil with the potential for liquefaction,” Sümer stated.
“Necessary ground improvement tasks must be carried out and the foundation of the building must be secured first. Seismic isolators prevent the transfer of energy to the concrete, allow the concrete to move in a controlled manner, and thus can prevent the loss of life and property during an earthquake. Another issue that should not be forgotten here is that the other carrier elements of the infrastructure must also be perfectly designed and manufactured,” Sümer defined.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
