Looking to assist in disaster recovery, a team from Texas A&M has been examining how wood-framed building can be damaged during earthquakes. Working in a partnership with researchers from Japan’s Nagoya University, as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Rapid Response research project, their goal is to use shaker tables to see how the motions caused by earthquakes affect the structures.
Says Dr. Maria Koliou, leader of the Texas A&M team and assistant professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, “This research provided a unique set of data on the performance of wood-frame structures and non-structural elements within them under strong earthquakes via use of advanced monitoring equipment from the NHERI RAPID Facility at the University of Washington within a well-controlled laboratory environment. This allows us to identify damage patterns, perform measurements, and see how damage occurs and propagates in these structures.”
Testing not only examined the building frames, but also the interaction of components inside during the shaking, including pipes, electrical, and ducting aspects. While research is still ongoing, the early results have given some insights into how these structures may be damaged, which also opens up areas of research for damage mitigation strategies, improving building resilience in earthquake zones.
Source:
https://today.tamu.edu/2019/03/27/researchers-use-shake-table-testing-to-improve-disaster-recovery/
