Leveraging Vibration for Earthquake Safety: Development of a Vibration-Assisted Friction Damper to Protect Buildings and Communities from Earthquakes

On average, earthquakes in Europe claim over 1,000 lives and cost 8.5 billion EUR in damages every year. Globally, these numbers rise to 36,000 lives and 35 billion EUR. The high costs are related to the fact that buildings are currently designed to avoid collapse in earthquakes but sustain extensive damage in the process. The widespread damage is often difficult to repair, making demolition the more economical option. This was the case in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand that wiped out 70% of the city-center. Thus, there is an urgent need for more practical and accessible solutions that prevent permanent damage to buildings and make repairs easier after earthquakes. This project proposes a solution for earthquake-proof buildings by developing a novel method of using vibrators to regulate ordinary friction dampers in buildings. The proposed solution could absorb the seismic energy during earthquakes, and allow buildings to re-center after earthquakes, thereby helping to save lives, reduce damage to buildings and the cost of repairs. Moreover, the proposed technology is cheap, efficient, and easy to implement as compared to state-of-the-art self-centering solutions. The project adopts an interdisciplinary (structural and mechanical engineering) and inter-sector (academia and industry) approach to develop the vibration-assisted friction damper, with an application for timber buildings. The methodology involves theoretical and computational modelling of the proposed damper, followed by a search for the optimal damper configuration in timber buildings via earthquake simulations, and finally an experimental test to validate the models developed and prove the concept of a vibration-assisted friction damper. The results of this project offer a solution to improve societal resilience against earthquake hazards and promote timber buildings for a more sustainable future.