LIFE SAVING MEASURE: SEISMIC ISOLATOR
This week, we would like to talk to you about the 'Seismic Isolator', centered in KahramanmaraÅŸ, which came to the fore after the earthquakes that caused great destruction in 10 provinces, and ensured the survival of many hospitals.
In our country, which is in an earthquake zone, it is vital to have seismic isolators in the buildings we live in. We saw that the hospital buildings, where seismic isolators were applied, were not destroyed in the earthquake, which was called the disaster of the century and caused the destruction of thousands of buildings with its devastating effect. After it was seen that seismic isolators minimize the damage and provide a high level of life safety, it was started to be investigated by everyone. We cannot control the earthquake itself; but thanks to seismic isolators, we can minimize its effect. Seismic isolators divide the structure into two parts and ensure that dynamic loads such as earthquakes are transmitted to the superstructure at a lower rate. Normally, a structure carries a load of 1/10 of its own weight, while structures with this system can exceed these values. The materials used in seismic isolators show rigid behavior in the vertical direction and flexible in the horizontal directions. Thus, seismic isolators, which reduce the intensity of vibration up to 80%, also protect the building against corrosive conditions such as chemicals, rust, moisture or sun rays and can be used for an average of 60 years. After the calculations to be made during the construction phase of the building, the appropriate locations of the insulators should be determined and placed. Although seismic isolations are generally done at the foundation level, these systems are called base isolation, but isolation can be applied in different regions such as under the column, in the middle or above it. Apart from the construction phase of the building, seismic isolators can be applied to the buildings we live in. First, the columns should be suspended with the help of hydraulic jacks and then seismic isolators should be made. The systems placed on the floor, columns or reinforced concrete shears deemed appropriate in the building cut the direct contact between the earthquake and the building.The price of insulators imported from abroad is approximately 6 thousand dollars. However, this price may vary depending on the number of columns in the building, the characteristics of the ground and whether it is located on the fault line. Seismic isolators, the main purpose of which is to reduce the severity of the earthquake, prevent the falling and overturning of items such as vehicles, equipment, machinery, furniture in indoor and outdoor spaces, and thus prevent loss of life and property. It provides stabilization to the building and dissipates seismic energy.
Various studies show that seismic isolations reduce the earthquake force up to 3 times. An earthquake cannot be prevented, but the destructive effects of an earthquake can be prevented with the right intervention. As T-COD Architecture, we wish that the earthquake disaster that occurred in our country will not happen again.
