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Making Buildings Safer

Is Your Building Safe During an Earthquake?

Earthquakes can happen suddenly and without warning. And while they may not happen as often as some other natural disasters, they can be the most destructive and costly when they do.  Fortunately, building codes have been continuously improved over time to be better prepared against the massive destruction these events create. In California, building codes are typically modified after major earthquakes.

Structural damage from the Loma Prieta Earthquake
Structural Damage from the Loma Prieta Earthquake.(Credit: J.K. Nakata, U.S. Geological Survey. Public domain.)

Earthquakes & Code Improvements

1971

San Fernando
Code improvement: concrete detailing

1989

Loma Prieta
Code improvement: wood frame and soft story issues

1994

Northridge
Code improvement: welded steel frame detailing

While it is important to continuously update codes and make our buildings safer, this can take time. Several cities have begun implementing seismic ordinances requiring the upgrade of certain structures, but improvements can still be made. Did you know that current California Building Codes only require that buildings avoid collapse for people to evacuate safely? Current codes allow for damages to occur, meaning your building may not be functional or habitable after a moderate or large earthquake.

Seismic Dampers in Building Design

One method building engineers use to meet the required codes is to stiffen the building, which will make the structure stronger than the earthquake. While this will keep the building from collapsing, extreme shaking can still occur leading to additional problems such as broken pipes and vents, toppling shelves and light fixtures, water damage, and more. These damages can lead to unsafe living conditions or the need for the entire building to be demolished.

An alternative and more efficient solution is to add seismic dampers to the building to absorb the energy of the earthquake. Similar to how shock absorbers work on your car when driving on a bumpy road, dampers can be added to the structure of a building to limit the shock and vibration during an earthquake.

 

Graphic of dampers stroking

Taylor Devices makes it easy to retrofit existing buildings as well as protect new buildings from the harmful effects of earthquakes. Our devices allow for immediate occupancy after even the worst predictable design level earthquakes allowing you to reenter your home or workplace after an event. Our seismic dampers will be immediately ready for the aftershock or next seismic event and will last the lifetime of the building.

Case Study: Torre Mayor

Mexico City faces many challenges when it comes to developing high rise buildings. Weak soil combined with the high seismicity of the area limits the size of structures due to their weight and accelerations they face. However, Torre Mayor was able to avoid these problems by incorporating fluid viscous dampers as the primary means of seismic energy dissipation – the first of its kind. Rather than making the building stiffer in hopes of making the structure stronger than the earthquake, engineers added 98 Taylor Dampers in mega-braces to absorb the earthquakes energy and dissipate through heat. This reduced the frame weight by removing steel, while also meeting and exceeding all building code requirements.

On January 21, 2003, the Mexico City area experienced a 7.6 magnitude earthquake. Even though the epicenter of the quake was in an area of low population, damage was extensive. More than 13,000 residential structures and 600 commercial structures reported damage. Of these, more than 2,700 structures were totally destroyed.
When the quake reached Mexico City it was amplified by the soft soils in the area. This resulted in a relatively strong response with some 30 seconds of shaking. Meanwhile, the occupants of Torre Mayor became aware that a quake was occurring when hanging light fixtures began to sway. One person reported that he heard a slight noise, then turned toward the noise and saw that the large damper outside his office was stroking. This, of course, signified that an earthquake was occurring. Building occupants reported that from inside the building the quake felt far less severe than it actually was. Torre Mayor is a dominant structure in Latin America and its earthquake performance will continue to be watched very closely by the world’s engineering community as a precursor to the design of future urban office towers.
Read Full Case Study

Taking the Next Steps

To make sure that you and your family are safe, it is important to talk to your property owner about what steps have been taken to ensure that your building is designed to handle an earthquake. Here are some questions you can ask:

  1. When was my building built?
  2. Has my building been retrofitted?
  3. Are there foundation issues?
  4. Are we living on a fault line?
  1. Has this building been affected in a previous disaster?
  2. What if my apartment becomes uninhabitable after the quake?
  3. Is this building insured for earthquake damage?
  4. Have you heard of Taylor Devices’ seismic dampers?

Along with making sure your apartment building is safe, you should also consider talking to your coworkers and managers at your place of work about adding our seismic dampers to your office building. We encourage you to share this information with family, friends, and loved ones across social channels to ensure that they are aware of their own building protection systems as well.

Thank You!

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