Anti-seismic technology for earthquake-resistant buildings – Manila Bulletin

The engineer. Roel Ramirez with seismic isolator

An engineer in the Philippines recently presented a pioneering solution to protect the country’s buildings from earthquakes – the seismic insulator. Since the Philippines belongs to the Pacific Ring of Fire and we witness a lot of earthquakes, an anti-seismic device can help and prevent further damage in the event of another earthquake event.

Seismic insulators were the engineer’s thesis. Ruel Ramirez, Director of Ruel B. Ramirez & Associates (RBRA). When he received his PhD from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), he wanted to find a viable solution to protect buildings from the destructive ground motion of earthquakes, which led him to discover countries like Japan, New Zealand, China and the United States were already using basic insulators for their buildings. He then proceeded to study technology and bring it to the Philippines.

His engineering company RBRA is the first in the country to introduce these devices. They design, supply and install seismic isolators. These anti-seismic devices can be applied to new and existing structures, making them an effective and proactive earthquake solution.

Seismic isolator ensures no damage

An earthquake isolation device is an anti-seismic device that ensures that no damage is caused to the building in the event of an earthquake. Its purpose is to isolate the building from harmful ground movement by allowing it to slide with the ground. Because the motions of destructive earthquakes are horizontal rather than vertical, a building with seismic isolators will simply sway rather than vibrate back and forth in different directions due to inertial forces, causing deformation and damage.

Seismic insulators can be of any shape depending on the building requirements, but are usually cylindrical or square in shape, often consisting of natural or high damping rubber with a lead core. The lead core stops and absorbs vibrations, while the rubber acts like a spring. As it absorbs seismic energy, the acceleration of the floor will be reduced, thus preventing damage to the structure, and ultimately preventing damage to the building and its contents.

RBRA team in San Lazaro

“The concept of a solid foundation is wrong,” Ramirez says. “What we have to do is provide a resilient foundation. If you use traditional methods, the top of the building will swing to the ground, so it will tend to bend the structural elements which will eventually damage the non-structural components including the utilities and will disturb all the occupants.” If there is a core insulator, this can be prevented.”

Seismic insulators can be applied to new and existing buildings by cutting structural columns where they can be installed as a base. RBRA customizes the design of the insulator depending on the project – allocating its overall volume, rubber arc, lead core size, and other components needed to ensure the building does not move during an earthquake.

The applications of seismic insulators are endless. RBRA is in the process of designing and supplying basic insulation for the De La Salle University buildings, the new 5-storey building within the old complex of San Lazaro Hospital, the Church of St. Vincent De Paul in Malate, and other government buildings. They are also working with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to install insulators in their regional offices in Cebu and Davao.

seismic isolator installation

Other anti-seismic devices offered by RBRA

Apart from the seismic isolator, RBRA also provides viscoelastic dampers. They significantly reduce the seismic effect on the structural components of the building, reducing vibrations that could lead to damage. The installation consists in strengthening the existing shafts with dampers, which will then absorb the shock of the earthquake and prevent the structure from vibrating. RBRA modified the 100-year-old China Banking Corporation building with viscosity dampers, enabling it to stand strong for another 100 years.

It must always be remembered that the cessation of economic activity and deaths during an earthquake are attributed to the damage to buildings. If the buildings do not collapse, then everything will be fine. So, we must protect the building from devastating earthquakes,” says Ramirez.

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