On the Crest of Wave Energy Nov 20, 2009
A larger version of the system will be tested next year at NSF's Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) tsunami wave basin at Oregon State University, an important experiment for proving the efficacy of the design. The conference takes place from Nov. 22-24, 2009, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. (Science Daily)
Killer earthquakes shake scientific thought Oct 11, 2009
" Kevin McCue, president of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, rejected ideas of any connection between the Pacific and Indonesian quakes, but said the tremors in Samoa and Vanuatu had a historical precursor. McCue said in 1917 a major earthquake rocked Samoa, followed three years later by another of similar size off Vanuatu, with both going off close to the recent quakes' epicentres. But he said the high activity in different areas was simply part of the random nature of... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Earthquakes Crumble Indonesia's Buildings as Construction Codes Ignored Oct 3, 2009
If they could follow an appropriate design code, things wouldnt be this serious, said Kazuo Konagai, an earthquake engineering specialist at the who has led research teams to Padang. Many structures in the area arent built to withstand large tremors or big waves, he said. (Bloomberg -- Asia)
Danger zone just a stone's throw away Oct 2, 2009
Kevin McCue, president of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, said tsunami warning systems were useless in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. All residents and tourists to the South-West Pacific and South-East Asia needed to learn a simple message, that waiting for a phone or radio alert could be fatal. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
WARNING WEAKNESS Oct 1, 2009
"Tsunami warning systems are useless in most of the countries like Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, because the lead time is too short," said Kevin McCue, president of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society. "Far better to educate people to make for high ground immediately after they feel shaking that lasts more than about 30 seconds," McCue said. (AlertNet)
New Design Keeps Buildings Standing And Habitable After Major Earthquakes Sep 5, 2009
Deierlein and his colleagues conducted shake testing of the new system in the last few weeks at the Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center in Miki City, Japan. Using different types of fuses and various shaking parameters, they conducted four major tests, the last on Aug. 24. (Science Daily)
New Design Pulls Buildings Upright After Violent Quakes Sep 4, 2009
The technology, which just completed testing at Japan's Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center, is the culmination of more than a decade of ideas and previous-gen technologies. While many elements of the system have been tested before, this is the first time they've been melded into a complete system and successfully put through the motions. (Fox News)
NTU and Temasek Foundation transfer technology knowhow to China's quake-prone regions Aug 29, 2009
Tapping NTU's expertise in earthquake engineering and seismic-resistant construction technologies, the programme aims to promote safer construction practices, achieve transfer of technology, and enhance the skills of those involved in China construction industry ... Associate Professor Li, who is also an expert in earthquake engineering and seismic-resistant construction technologies, says, "We are glad that Temasek Foundation recognises our expertise in seismic-resistant construction... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Slow-motion earthquake testing probes how buildings collapse in quakes Aug 26, 2009
"One of the key issues in earthquake engineering is how much damage structures can sustain before collapsing so people can safely evacuate," explains principal investigator Gilberto Mosqueda, Ph ... But instead of using a full-scale steel building, this time, the researchers developed a hybrid representation of that test by combining experimental techniques carried out in earthquake engineering labs in Buffalo and Kyoto with numerical simulations conducted over the Internet ... These... (EurekAlert!)
Minor earthquake rattles central Alaska Aug 23, 2009
Compiled from the author's wide design and research experience in earthquake engineering and engineering seismology, this key text provides an excellent treatment of the complex multidisciplinary process of earthquake resistant design and risk reduction. New topics include the creation of low-damage structures. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
* FEATURE: CWB looking for quake precursors Aug 4, 2009
SOURCE: MULTIDISCIPLINARY CENTER FOR EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING RESEARCH, STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO. Seismologists have dreamed for decades of being able to predict earthquakes, but the behavior of quake-prone faults has proved so complex that experts have been forced to conclude that large tremors are isolated, random and unpredictable. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Taiwan)
Quake Machine Shocks 7-Story Condo Jul 24, 2009
The table is housed at the Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center. This shake table is the only one in the world large enough to accommodate the wood-frame building, which weighs nearly one million pounds. (National Geographic)
School issue unresolved 1 year after China quake May 4, 2009
"As would be expected, this type of building did not perform well in the earthquake, and there were many catastrophic collapses," the experts from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the Geo-Engineering Earthquake Reconnaissance Association -- both based in California -- said in their report. Authorities have clamped down on information about the school-related deaths and have never released a death toll from the schools. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
Temporary Seismic Improvement Work at Memorial Stadium Apr 30, 2009
San Francisco-based Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc., one of the nation's leading structural and earthquake engineering firms, was responsible for the project's design. The construction plans have also been reviewed and approved by the university's Seismic Review Committee. (Calbears.com)
BSSA special issue on rotational seismology Apr 28, 2009
Rotational seismology is of interest to a wide range of disciplines, including various branches of seismology, earthquake engineering, and geodesy, as well as to physicists using Earth-based observatories for detecting gravitational waves generated by astronomical sources as predicted by Einstein in 1916. Seismology and earthquake engineering have been based on the observation and modeling of translational ground and structural motions ... Based on the developments described in the BSSA special... (EurekAlert!)
One-story Masonry Building Survives Strong Jolts During Seismic Tests Apr 17, 2009
16, 2009) A one-story masonry structure survived two days of intense earthquake jolts after engineering researchers at the University of California, San Diego put it to the test. The series of tests, performed at UC San Diego's Englekirk Structural Engineering Center, which has the largest outdoor shake table in the world. (Science Daily)
1-story masonry building survives strong jolts during UC San Diego seismic tests Apr 15, 2009
" In January, the same group of researchers tested the seismic response of a wood-stud structure with brick veneer. Results of all these tests will be used to provide design recommendations for new masonry buildings, including concrete masonry shear walls, concrete masonry walls with clay masonry veneer, and clay masonry veneer over wood-frame construction. ### The entire $950,000 project, including analytical modeling and the development of design recommendations, is funded by the National... (EurekAlert!)
Italy's Quake Victims Blame Devastation on Unenforced Building Standards Apr 10, 2009
3-magnitude quake and deaths could have been avoided, said Rui Pinho, head of seismic risk at the European Centre for Earthquake Engineering. Nothing on paper has been put into practice, Pinho said in an interview from Pavia in northern Italy. (Bloomberg -- Europe)
Italy quake exposes poor building standards Apr 8, 2009
Gian Michele Calvi, chairman of the European centre for research in earthquake engineering, said that 80,000 public buildings in Italy were still unsafe despite the enforcement of construction regulations after previous natural disasters. Of these 22,000 were schools in seismic areas. (AlertNet)
* NTU researcher unveils faster earthquake sensor Apr 7, 2009
Central Weather Bureau Seismology Center Director Kuo Kai-wen (Z) said the bureau worked with Wu and other scientists at NTU and the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering for many years, although he said he had yet to read Wus article. Commenting on Wus system, Kuo said: The point is to send out accurate messages in the quickest time possible. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Collaboration leads to success: Most powerful computer of its kind in western N.Y. available worldwide Apr 7, 2009
MCIL has been responsible for grid-enabling critical applications in areas such as structural biology, bioinformatics, ground water modeling, earthquake engineering and computational chemistry. "The new partnership with NVIDIA and our ongoing partnership with Dell have made possible the acquisition of a leading-edge machine, one of the fastest in New York for solving a large set of scientific, engineering and multimedia problems," Miller said. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Straw Bale House Survives Simulated Earthquake Apr 5, 2009
Scientists will analyze the seismic-testing results, and Donovan will write a detailed report and seismic design and construction recommendations to be published in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's World Housing Encyclopedia ... The research was conducted at the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Consortium, Inc. (NEES) shake-table site at the University of Nevada, Reno as a NEES Management, Operations and Maintenance award shared-use project. (Science Daily)
New Building Design Withstands Earthquake Simulation Mar 10, 2009
This research is funded by the National Science Foundation under the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Program. Adapted from materials provided by. (Science Daily)
Disaster Risk Reduction: Investment for a Safer World Feb 24, 2009
Tsuneo Katayama, President, International Association for Earthquake Engineering emphasized that it high time to consider direct investments in terms of both human and financial resources and their proper allocation in reducing the impactsof natural disasters. Prof. (AlertNet)
Simple Method Strengthens Schools, Other Buildings Against Earthquakes Feb 22, 2009
Findings were detailed in a paper presented in October during the 14th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering in Beijing, China. The paper was written by Pujol, civil engineer Amadeo Benavent-Climent from the Department of Structural Mechanics at the University of Granada, civil engineer Mario E. Rodriguez from the Instituto de Ingenieria in Mexico City, and civil engineer J. Paul Smith-Pardo from Berger/Abam Engineers Inc. in Federal Way, Wash. (Science Daily)
Earthquake engineering research aims to save lives, billions of dollars Feb 18, 2009
5 million earthquake engineering study that will lead to improved building codes, which will protect buildings and their occupants, from earthquakes ... The research was funded by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, the National Science Foundation's Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation and Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry, and the Charles Pankow Foundation. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
