Improving the seismic performance of buildings

Overview

Join ICE East Midlands Graduates and Students (G&S) Committee for the next webinar: ‘Improving the seismic performance of buildings‘. The event will look at the results of two research projects focusing on improving the seismic performance of buildings through dynamic interaction with secondary structures, currently under development at Loughborough University.

The first research project is looking at the possibility of using nonlinear viscous-fluid dampers connecting a primary building with secondary reaction towers will be demonstrated as a viable retrofitting strategy, able to overcome some of the limitations of more traditional approaches. The effects of the key design parameters will be quantified, including the nonlinearity of the dampers, their relative size and location, the primary/secondary stiffness ratio, the ductility of both primary and secondary structures, the intensity of the seismic hazard.

The second study shows that double-skin façades (DSFs) can be optimally designed to minimise the effects of seismic forces on mid-rise building structures. The combination of these two studies highlights the tremendous potential of primary-secondary dynamic interaction when trying to minimise the seismic demand in existing and new structures.

This lecture will be delivered by Dr Alessandro Palmeri.