To enhance earthquake resistance in buildings, IIT Delhi develops low-cost braces

Officials informed that these braces have several advantages which include all-steel components, on-site fabrication and assembling process, easy replacement together with the post-earthquake inspection. The patent has also been applied for these braces.

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi developed low-cost braces. These braces are also super elastic and buckling restrained, which will help to enhance earthquake resistance in buildings.

The earthquake resistance of civil buildings is improved by using vibration control devices and seismic force-resisting systems. IIT Delhi developers informed that Buckling-restrained braces are the special structural elements that serve both purposes.

A BRB is a structural brace in a building and it allows the building to withstand cyclical lateral loadings, typically earthquake-induced loading.

Dipti Ranjan Sahoo, Professor at IIT Delhi’s Civil Engineering Department informed “The proposed technology is effective in the new constructions and has a great potential for the up-gradation and retrofitting of seismically deficient Reinforced Concrete (RC) and steel framed structures, such as residential and office buildings, hospitals, and school buildings. We have filed a patent for this technology,”

He further added “These braces can also be conveniently adopted in the steel and concrete bridges to enhance their earthquake resistance. The implementation of this technique in the existing structures reduces overall retrofitting cost and minimises the intervention and downtime. It is possible to design a structure to achieve the required performance objectives in terms of strength and serviceability utilising the hybrid buckling restrained braces,”

He also added “The researchers fabricated the braces and studied the seismic performance of more than ten full-scale HBRBS at the full-scale testing facility of the Heavy Structures Laboratory at IIT Delhi. Tests are being conducted on specimens with improvements and modifications at the laboratory.”

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