We cannot predict an upcoming earthquake but just like what engineers have shown; we can prepare for it and eventually save some structures from collapsing.
As specified in a Scientific American report, Seismic-isolation systems constructed into the bases of some buildings in high-risk places like the City Hall utilize complex structures of rubber, metal, and concrete to lessen quake damage by absorbing the horizontal oscillations of the ground, like a suspension of a car does with vertical motion.
Nonetheless, such adaptations are costly. According to the Los Angeles-based University of California's Engineer Jian Zhang, incorporating seismic isolation can increase construction costs by up to 20 percent.
Even though such systems might save more than their price over time, builders in some earthquake-prone regions may not have the budget for them.
The Power of Recycled Tennis Balls
Although these systems might save more than they cost over time, builders in some earthquake-prone regions may not have the budget for them upfront.
A new seismic-isolation approach utilizes the physics of rolling to develop a more straightforward, lower-cost substitute with readily available materials, specifically recycled tennis balls.
Seismic engineer at ETH Zürich, engineer Michalis Vassiliou said everyone is playing tennis, and they do not know what to do with their tennis balls after every game.
The team of this engineer based its method on an early seismic isolation form that's rolling a shaking building to a stop the manner a skater in a half-pipe ultimately comes to rest, Massachusetts Digital News specified in a similar report.
A Method Used in 5,000-Year-Old Peruvian Pyramids
By separating a building from the ground using a layer of cylinders or spheres in concave indentations, rolling isolation converts unpredictable horizontal shaking into a moderate rocking motion and utilizes the resistance to reduce such oscillations further.
The same approach was used in 5,000-year-old Peruvian pyramids, although at present, builders are in favor of costly, standardized isolation systems.
For their modern acceptance of rolling seismic isolation, which is detailed in Frontiers in Built Environment, the scientists injected cement-like mixes into hundreds of balls from neighboring tennis clubs "that had lost their bounce."
They developed a cost-oriented prototype consisting of four filled tennis balls sandwiched between a pair of concrete slabs. They discovered that it withstood replicated earthquake shaking while supporting eight kilonewtons of force for each ball, about double what isolation systems might encounter under single-story houses.
Bigger Prototype with Hundreds of Tennis Balls for Testing
The balls needed to have the right amount of mixture accurately; the scientists used a pastry bag to be filled to dampen vibration minus cracking during tests.
Zhang, who was not part of the study said, the work is worthwhile and that such technology might serve a meet that has not been met. She noted, though, that the results were preliminary.
In agreement with what Zhang thought, Vassiliou said the next steps would mean developing and testing a bigger prototype with hundreds of tennis balls at an earthquake-prone Cuba-based research center, an example of a place where such systems could create isolation viable in standard construction.
Vassiliou explained that he had been granted financial backing to field-test the system and collaborated with scientists on the ground to improve invention.
He elaborated that for this to be executed, there is a need to develop it with engineers from low-income nations to meet their needs.
Related information about the reason buildings fall in earthquakes is shown on TED-Ed's YouTube video below:
RELATED ARTICLE : Indonesia's Semeru Began Spewing Hot Clouds, Villagers Told To Be Vigilant for Signs of Danger
Check out more news and information on Tech & Innovation in Science Times.
