ViBa

Project timeframes

Project aims

The proposed research aims to introduce for the first time innovative devices for reducing the vibrations impacting a group of structures due to seismic action. This would allow alternative strategies to protect cities from earthquakes by reducing the vibrations caused by earthquakes through vibrating barriers (ViBa) hosted in the soil and detached from structures.

Vibrating barriers (ViBa) are massive structures tuned to reduce the vibrations of existing structures in the event of seismic action. The approach proposed here therefore represents a step change in seismic vibration control by considering novel non-localised solutions able to reduce the vibrations of a cluster of buildings. The efficiency and effectiveness of the ViBa will be established through theoretical, numerical and experimental studies and researching different barriers using a ‘shaking table’ with multi-storey miniature buildings.

Experimental shake table set-up: prototype structure made in aluminium and acrylic connected to the shake table through elastic springs and controlled by the ViBa made of a rigid acrylic box with a 1 d.f. internal mass unit.

Schematic of the proposed strategy for the seismic protection of cluster of structures thought the novel ViBa.

Discrete model adopted for the study of vibration control of two structures through the ViBa.

Project findings and impact

It is expected that the main short term beneficiaries of the project will be the Nuclear Industry via the industrial partner, LaMSID/EDF. The industry will firstly benefit from the development of software and numerical procedures for the study of the structure-soil-structure interaction, a topic of rapidly growing interest for nuclear power plants. Furthermore, the technology developed for reducing vibration through the ViBa offers an alternative strategy for protecting existing power plants that might otherwise require costly refurbishment or seismic improvement.

The technology for ViBas requires industrial manufacturing. Therefore it is expected that in the mid-term the outcomes of the research will impact the Vibration Control Industry, fostering industrial and research development through the commercialisation of the novel devices. Furthermore, as the proposed study is strongly related to the wider topic of reducing soil vibrations including those caused by trains, traffic and construction work, it will also impact on the academic and industrial community in areas unrelated to seismic studies. The creation of a new technology with a number of different applications will also foster the global economic performance and economic competitiveness of UK Industry.

BEM/FEM model of a reactor building protected by the ViBa.