Page 22 - Built Expressions - Online Construction Magazine - November 2014 Issue

Tech - Bytes Researchers Use Earthquake Data to improve building Safety sourceable.net it’s a complex problem, and different assumptions at various steps of the many methods and approaches can lead to different answers. Common reference points or benchmarks are therefore vital,” explained Pampanin. “The more the various professionals involved in this area work together the better. With the data gathered during the Canterbury earthquakes, we have a unique and valuable opportunity to verify and improve the accuracy and usefulness of the various methods and models used to analyse building performance, and provide engineers with simple but reliable tools for everyday use.” The research team includes both a strong international network as well as local engineering students, who have been challenged with the task of sifting through mountains of technical articles, A team of engineering researchers from the University of guidelines and international codes, scrutinising Canterbury (UC) in New Zealand is using post-earthquake data, engineering drawings and conducting numerous gathered from the city’s own recent disaster, to evaluate the computer model simulations. methods and models used to predict the expected damage to “There are no course readers or textbooks. This multi-storey reinforced concrete buildings. is a very complex area. In earthquake structural engineering there is no single mathematical equation y comparing the outcome of diverse analytical and numerical that can provide you with the correct answer. It is a B(computer-based) models, from the simplest to the most matter of having a holistic view and putting together complex, the team aims to develop and implement more practical all the evidence and information to draw conclusions and effcient building safety improvements. UC structural and allow the end-user to make an informed decision,” engineering professor Stefano Pampanin admits that looking at said third year student Danny Garry. the impact on buildings from the Canterbury earthquake sequence “Good benchmarking or cross-validation between has confrmed the complexity of reproducing and accurately engineers and other technical operators to agree and predicting how buildings respond to earthquake motions. maintain consistency is very important,” said fellow “Reproducing or predicting the seismic behaviour of portions student researcher Henry Wakefeld. of existing buildings under controlled conditions and simulated The fndings will be presented to the University’s earthquake loading in a laboratory is already quite a challenging civil and natural resources engineering research task,” he said. conference later this month. BE “Dealing with the actual three-dimensional behaviour of real buildings, including structural and non-structural elements, foundation systems and soil conditions, subject to highly uncertain ground motions, is clearly an even more challenging task.” The research project is borne out of the new normal for Contributed by Justin McGar; Justin has been writing for the construction and property sectors for more than 15 years. at Sourceable his particular existing buildings needing to be evaluated using the best focus is on "what makes buildings work?" From structural materials to available methodologies to allow clients and insurers to make the latest energy effciency technologies, from future trends to the latest decisions about repairing versus demolition, or strengthening research, he shares new engineering. the building. See more at: http://sourceable.net/researchers-use-earthquake-data- “While the best methods and models available are used, improve-building-safety/#sthash.aXBJbXmi.dpuf PG 22 Built Expressions Vol: 3 Issue: 11 November 2014