UBC researchers have developed a new structural system that helps high-rise buildings withstand major earthquakes—keeping both the building and its occupants safe.
UBC researchers have developed a new structural system that helps high-rise buildings withstand major earthquakes—keeping both the building and its occupants safe.
Led by Dr. Tony Yang, a structural engineering professor in UBC’s faculty of applied science, the research team built a scale model of a typical 30-storey Vancouver high-rise. The model was subjected to intense earthquake simulations at the International Joint Research Laboratory of Earthquake Engineering (ILEE) in Shanghai, one of the few facilities in the world equipped with a “shake table” large enough to test tall buildings.
Researchers tested the structure with over 100 simulated earthquakes of different types and magnitudes, including large-magnitude and long-duration shaking, similar to what might occur in the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the B.C. coast. The large-scale shaking table test demonstrated that the new structural system equipped with high-performance dampers remained intact and fully functional after strong shaking.
Read More: University of British Columbia
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