Developing TechnologyEarthquakes have a devastating effect to the infrastructure with in its reach. Buildings, roads and bridges are all wrecked and destroyed in a matter of a few minutes. The impact of earthquakes on infrastructure can change rapidly due to technologies that will enable buildings to stay in full form throughout an earthquake. These earthquake resistant technologies include; cross-bracing, shock absorbers (base isolators), and shear walls. These three materials can not only keep a building and bridges in its full form but keep the people inside it safe.
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Cross Bracing is a common method used to support buildings and bridges, the diagonals intersect to give strong support. The diagonal beams help make buildings and bridges capable of staying upright, as the seismic waves may hit but the pressure will keep the building standing. This is because the diagonal intersections can support compression and tension so they will not bend therefore keep the buildings frame in place as well as supporting the walls. The cross bracing technique can be used on any rectangular surface such as walls, chairs, tables and bookshelves. This therefore keeps infrastructure withstanding as the walls will not cripple into pieces or fall apart.
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Shock absorbers (base isolators) are another developed technology that can lessen the impact of earthquakes on infrastructure. The technique used here is base isolators that sit underneath buildings, the isolators absorb any tremors so that the building will shake minimally or not all all. The first one was built in Wellington by William Clayton who used approximately eighty lead rubber pieces. The isolators contain bearings which have three main components; rubber, lead and steel. The picture on the left shows what they are made up of. Without the base isolators buildings are extremely likely to tilt and fall due to the tremors but because base isolators capture the tremors the top half of the building does not experience any shaking.
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Shear walls are also a very useful technology that lessons the damage of infrastructure in the situation of an earthquake. Shear walls are made up of braced panel more commonly known to be shear panels. The idea of shear walls is to stop rocking movement by bracing walls, such as concrete with steel bars. This then makes the walls stronger and hopefully keeping a building in its shape during an earthquake. Plywood is the most common material used for shear woods but there is other materials that can be resistant to seismic waves such as sheet steel and also steel-backed shear panels.
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Essentially all three of these technologies will lessen the impact of infrastructure during an earthquake in India and everywhere around the world. These should be located in areas of India where earthquakes are prone to occur. The three technologies chosen will not only keep building from being destroyed but also saving the lives of all inside the building and those who need to take shelter.