Objective
Objectives and content
Earthquake protection of important buildings and bridges, potentially hazardous industrial plant and vital equipment is of key importance on both safety and economic grounds. Constructors, plant designers and equipment manufacturers have the need for additional techniques for providing that protection. Manufacturers, developers and end-users of anti-seismic devices have identified methods, which together have the potential significantly to augment the options currently available and therefore greatly increase the possibility that economic seismic protection can be provided to any particular structure, plant or equipment. Three types of device -elasto-plastic, viscous dampers, hydraulic couplers - require significant optimisation of existing technology and fabrication methods. Others - viscoelastic dampers, and particularly rolling-ball systems - need even more extensive development and evaluation; the last, however, may be effective for light, complex structures which are otherwise difficult to protect. The principle objectives are to optimise the design manufacture and performance of the five types of device mentioned, to fabricate prototypes and to evaluate the benefits of the devices to design of safe structures. The properties of the devices will be characterised, and theoretical models produced. Structure mock-ups, in particular civil buildings, sections of chemical or other industrial plant (liquefied natural gas tank and curved pipeline segments), and equipment (in particular HV electrical switchgear) protected by the most appropriate type of device will be tested under seismic loadings and the performance of the devices assessed. Comparison with predictions of structural response using a theoretical model of the particular device will enable the adequacy of those models for structural design purposes to be evaluated. The test programme will provide information for the appropriate CEN Technical Committee intending to draw up appropriate standards for anti-seismic devices.
The project will lead to a range of optimised devices which together should provide constructors and equipment manufacturers with sufficient options for seismic protection to cover many of the situations where existing methods are not satisfactory. The collection of the information required for a users' manual will form part of the work programme.
The consortium embraces device manufacturers (ALGA and FIP), construction and equipment fabricators (BOUYGUES and GEC-ALSTHOM), end-users of structures and equipment (BOUYGUES and ENEL), research and development teams who are leaders in the field (ENEA, MRPRA and IST), and laboratories (JRC-ISPRA, ISMES and LIN) with unrivalled facilities in seismic and dynamic testing.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologycivil engineeringstructural engineeringearthquake engineeringseismic loading
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyphycology
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energynatural gas
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeologyseismology
- social sciencessociologygovernancecrisis managementseismic risk management
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
20162 MILANO
Italy