Earthquakes are an ever-present danger in many regions of the world. Earthquake-proof construction and strict building regulations are key criteria for protecting the lives, health and material assets of the local population. The first step is to test suitable building components for earthquake safety and resistance.
To this end, GiB tests the static properties and earthquake resistance of various products. The tests are carried out at the IZIIS Institute in Skopje/Macedonia.
Two successful earthquake tests have already been carried out. One was for the raised floor product and the other for a façade system that was used in a project in the UK. The test structure of the façade system consisted of two all-glass elements, a corner element and a standard element, attached to a primary structure made of reinforced concrete and steel beams using standard brackets. In the lower connection, the coupling to the normally underlying elements was simulated. The two raised floor systems tested were subjected to different loads. In addition, the test systems differed in their installation height (500 mm and 1000 mm). The test superstructures were mounted in a specially manufactured steel cube, which was anchored to the so-called ‘shaking table’. To illustrate how a larger raised floor surface behaves, larger surface dimensions were tested in stages.
The complete test specimens - extensively wired with sensors and measuring probes - are placed on a shaking table. This was accelerated horizontally and vertically at certain frequencies during the tests and thus simulated the behaviour of the actual earthquakes in Kobe (Japan, 1995), El Centro (Mexico, 1940) and Petrovac (Montenegro, 1979). In addition, the ‘fictitious’ earthquake standardised in the American AC156 standard was simulated. Both systems were able to fulfil the required criteria for all tested variants without any problems. The knowledge gained regarding preparation, sequence and extent of the loads serves as a template for further tests.
