Shimizu : Full-scale Operations Begin at Institute of Technology’s Advanced Earthquake Engineering Laboratory

March 4, 2015

Shimizu Corporation (president: Yoichi Miyamoto) launched full-scale operations at the Advanced Earthquake Engineering Laboratory, a facility and research center built on the premises of the Institute of Technology (Koto-ku, Tokyo). The facility is equipped with the industry's most powerful large-scale shaking table, designed to simulate the full range of severe earthquake motions, as well as the world's first 3-dimensional large-stroke shaking table for simulating real long-period seismic motions in high-rise buildings. Applying this facility as an earthquake disaster prevention research center to advance integrated testing, measurement, and analysis, Shimizu is single-mindedly pursuing research and development on both hardware and software earthquake countermeasures. The facility also offers an earthquake demonstration program, designed to help improve disaster prevention skills for customers.

Up to this point, Shimizu's Institute of Technology has pursued research and development on earthquake countermeasure technologies using a shaking table located in the Vibration Testing Laboratory, completed in 1986. Measuring 4 m in both length and width, this conventional shaking table was capable of simulating seismic motions characterized by horizontal accelerations of 800 gals and displacements of ±20 cm. While this shaking table drew attention as the industry's largest and most powerful earthquake simulation equipment at the time of its completion, research on earthquake-resistant technology has moved forward. The Tohoku Pacific Offshore Earthquake struck in March 2011, around the time upgrading this facility emerged as a topic of discussion. To incorporate the lessons learned into the Company's research as quickly as possible, Shimizu launched a project in June 2013 to build a new laboratory facility capable of simulating major earthquakes and long-period seismic motions for vibration tests.

Measuring 7 m square, the E-Beetle, a large-scale shaking table installed at the Advanced Earthquake Engineering Laboratory reproduces seismic motions involving horizontal accelerations of 2,700 gals and displacements of ±80 cm. Since both values exceed the characteristics of any seismic waves registered up to this time, the equipment can simulate all seismic motions associated with inland earthquakes and subduction-zone earthquakes anywhere in the world. The E-Beetle is expected to generate new understanding, including understanding of how structures behave up to the final stage of structural collapse and the anti-earthquake performance of primary building structures, interior/exterior components like ceilings, and fixtures, as well as structural behavior that can't be predicted by analysis alone.

The other system, the E-Spider, a large-stroke shaking table, measures 4 m square and simulates long-period seismic motions.It can reproduce shakings with displacements up to ±1.5 m, and can simulate very large-stroke 3-dimensional earthquake responses in high-rise buildings.The E-Spider is the only shaking table in the world that can simulate real long-stroke earthquake shakings with horizontal, vertical, and rotational motions. Simulations of long-period, large-amplitude seismic motions using the E-Spider will improve our understanding of the swaying motions of super high-rise buildings in the event of a major earthquake, the behavior of furniture and fixtures inside, and the movement of rooftop equipment.

To give visitors a vivid sense of earthquake motions and the benefits of earthquake countermeasures, Shimizu offers an earthquake demonstration based on the E-Spider, using a special cabin mounted on the shaking table. An image of a room is projected on the walls inside the cabin, while the results of analysis of the behavior of furniture are displayed in real time in sync with the motion of the shaking table.These demonstrations provide a glimpse of the psychological and physiological effects of long-period, large-amplitude seismic motions and their effects on human behavior.

Shimizu uses the new laboratory facility to explore building design and earthquake-resistance measures; to confirm the benefits of new technologies and disaster prevention countermeasures; to propose earthquake disaster prevention technologies; and to promote awareness of the key role of disaster prevention measures. The ultimate goal is to strengthen safety and security for society.

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