Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has unveiled their latest breakthrough for the construction industry here.
Question : How do you prevent walls from collapsing during an earthquake?
Answer : All you need are canvas strips then glued onto the wall. It's as simple as that.
Result : It'll save more lives.
It's just like, during hurricanes, we stick tapes onto our glass windows to prevent it from shattering. So, I believe that was how the whole idea came about.“During an earthquake, the building will shake and sway. When it sways in one direction, one of the crosses will act in tension, and pull it towards the other direction. It’s a simple design. What we did is use canvas and glue, and stick it onto the brick wall.”Researchers find that the wall reinforced with canvas and glue can withstand twice as much shaking compared to other walls.That translates to more time to escape as well as less danger of injuries from falling bricks in the event of an earthquake.
Amazingly, it can withstand twice the impact and only affect 10% increase in the overall construction cost. This noble invention is simple, yet very pragmatic.
More details here : http://zuetech.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/ntu-researchers-use-canvas-strips-to-fortify-buildings-against-quakes/
