Engineers call for seismic technology in new construction
Media release – for immediate
release
August 9
2011
Available, affordable and here. Earthquake engineers call for seismic technology in new construction
Advanced, cost-effective earthquake resistant technology, essential for the rebuilding of Christchurch and all future construction in New Zealand, is already available here says the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering.
NZSEE Executive Officer Win Clark said that base isolation and Precast Seismic Structural Systems (PRESSS) should be considered for all new buildings of up to nine storeys, and other technologies are available for more high-rise construction.
“The base isolation and PRESSS techniques have already been put to the test under extreme conditions in Christchurch,” said Mr Clark. “The Christchurch Women’s Hospital, which is base isolated, and the Southern Cross Endoscopy building, which is built using PRESSS technology, have both performed very well in the recent earthquakes.
“Not only are these technologies effective in mitigating the damage caused by earthquakes, they are also quick to build and cost effective. These should be used, where appropriate, for the construction of all new buildings in New Zealand.
“It is absolutely essential that those responsible for decisions on the rebuilding of Christchurch, central and local politicians and building developers, investors, designers, contractors and the general public countrywide understand how effective these technologies are and that they are already being used in New Zealand.”
Base Isolation, originally developed at Industrial Research at Gracefield, near Wellington, involves the superstructure of the building being separated from the ground by rubber bearings with lead inserts to provide damping of the building’s sway motion.
It is now used worldwide for building protection against earthquakes. As well as the Christchurch Women’s Hospital, buildings constructed using base isolation include the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa and the Wellington Hospital.
PRESSS uses un-bonded post-tensioning to allow controlled rocking of a structure’s joints. This softens the blow of an earthquake, springing the building back to upright without significant structural damage even after a major seismic event.
There are already eight PRESSS buildings in the US and four in New Zealand.
Timber Frame Joints - News
“The beauty of PRESSS technology is that it can be used for both precast concrete and timber frame buildings that are quick to build and cost the same, or slightly less, than conventional construction,” said Mr Clark. “Base isolation is slightly more
He worked as an auto mechanic and general contractor before going to a workshop and discovering timber framing. "At the end of the day, you're tired and sweaty, but you have a sense of pride. Most people don't make anything, they work for a paycheck,"
the structure becoming damp in wet weather and allowing other trades to start internal work earlier. Furthermore, the system offers some thermal mass (to help regulate the temperature in hot weather) over and above standard timber frame options.”
To restore an upholstered chair or couch, the cover is removed and the piece is brought back to its bare frame. Cabinet-makers will then repair or replace mortise and tenon joints and missing pieces of timber which will be shaped to match the original
"This fact has urged the country's action plan to adapt, improve awareness and develop a legal frame work and timber legality assurance system," she said. These negotiations will help Vietnam maintain and expand markets and avoid a recession in a
Timber Frame Lesson 3 | More about Wood | New Heritage Woodworking
Overview
An aspiring timber framer must learn about the strength and characteristics of wood if they hope to master the craft. The characteristics of wood play a role in the decision process at each step, from general strength characteristics in the designing and engineering of the frame to final weight calculations during the raising and installation of the frame. We will leave a discussion of the design values, to the tomes of books and plethora of characteristic and engineering tables dedicated to this topic. Rather the information here is concerned with the characteristics of wood that go into the decision process of the timber framer where it concerns the timber placement and more specifically layout and cutting of joinery.
The Initial Shake Out. Some of the this life-cycle is known; what mill or maybe even what woodlot the timber came from, the wood species, and the eventual placement in the building. Other aspects are deduced from looking at the timber; what type of environment the tree grew in, the growth rate of the tree, how the timber was sawn, and the spacing of minor or major branches. Future behavior of the timber can also be predicted; the amount of and effect of shrinkage, the severity and location of checking . This may seem like a lot of information to process at once and in many ways it is but the decisions are actually made in an instant. All of this information is taken in and processed consciously and subconsciously based on experience. For example, a novice when initially identifing a wood species may be perplexed and may require some sort of reference book. On the other hand, the experienced timber framer will know the species in a fraction of second; either from a glance, the scent, the slightest of touch, or all of these sensory inputs in combination. Similarly within seconds the lead timber framer will identify dominate characteristics of each timber and match it to its eventual location in a building using a grid identification system. But we get little ahead of ourselves here as we are still in the introductory lessons and the above is more on the intermediate and advanced levels of training.
Lessons on intermediate and advance timber framing will be published as well so if you have not joined our other subscribers we suggest you subscribe to our e-newsletter to stay up to date.
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