Japan is, without doubt, a great improving country. Aside from its small vicinity, it never became a hindrance to its success and fame that is being recognized globally. Just lately, I’ve read news about certain Japan’s invention which addresses the problem of the natural disaster.
In the year 2011, Japan stirs the world after it was devastated by the earthquake Tohoku recorded to be the largest earthquake in the country’s history. With a magnitude of 9.0 which triggered a tsunami that killed an estimated 29,000 thousand people and damaged some nuclear reactors, this disaster awakens the mind of every country’s scientist and citizens. Let’s recall that an earthquake is a sequence of vibrations generated in the earth’s crust by the sudden breach and collision of rocks in which elastic strain has been gradually building up, thus, its effects are clearly visible to everyone around the affected area.
By tossing a house in the air when an earthquake comes would be a better way to avoid tragedy then. The Japanese company named Air Danshin comes to an idea of levitating house to improve the lives of its citizens providing security and comfort. Shoichi Sakamoto invented a product where during more stable times the house sits on a deflated airbag. When sensors detect a tremor, it triggers the compressor to switch ON within a second. Then, the compressor thrusts air into an airbag, expanding it within a few more seconds, and eventually, lifting the entire house within three centimeters off as its theoretically earthquake-proof concrete foundation. The structure will hover, enabling its inhabitants to casually go about their business for the period of the quake. The moment it calms down, the airbag shrinks and the house gently returns to its initial state.
Air Danshin constructed such a house on a "shake table" as being shown in the video where the variables being used shows specific differences when it comes to its results during initiation. It demonstrated the relativity of peace and dilemma during the certain occurrence.
The San-Makoto Air Seismic System is the latest earthquake countermeasure device allowing the house to float in the air by the influence of the air and clears it from the earthquake shake. It will not shake is its surface was prevented from touching the ground. It represents the theory of the air seismic isolation device. There is almost no shake, as well as the collapse of the house, which concludes to the prevention of damage to any property and even the protection of lives is precisely guaranteed. Moreover, it is inexpensive compared to a general seismic isolation system, so it is possible to take the ultimate earthquake countermeasure at low cost.
Air seismic system immediately propels the air stored in the air tank in the middle of the artificial ground and the foundation in approximately 0.5 seconds to 1 second after the earthquake occurrence and floats the entire building. If the house was floating at the time of the earthquake it was born from the idea that "I will never feel the sway of the ground". The sensor detects promptly when it senses earthquake shaking, automatically sends air from the air tank, thus making the house float in the air and makes it hard to convey the shaking to the building. The shake of seismic intensity 7 can be reduced to about 1/30.
Earthquake resistance
The house did not fall, but the inside is a mess. Well, this is the common situation we experienced after encountering a slight movement from the earthquake but this shouldn’t give us the idea to just settle.
Improve the strength and toughness of the structure to prevent damage. Since the house sways considerably, furniture and other household materials may scatter and could injure someone.
Air Danshin's shake test dealt only with side-to-side motion and most earthquakes are not limited to a two-dimensional plane. Three centimeters of levitation will only guard a house against earthquakes that don't rise higher than three centimeters. Never mind the question of what would happen to a floating house hit by a tall wave of a quake. It would likely slip right off its foundation or a strong one might more simply carry the structure off.
Damping
Cracks around walls and ceilings really give the doubt and worry to anyone who enters the house with such presence.
It absorbs shaking by the device inside the building and lessens vibration. Initially, it is a countermeasure for high-rise building and can be said that there is an impossibility for housing, especially the first floor hardly works.
Isolation
The tremors will not be transmitted to the building when the equipment is placed between the building and the foundation. Due to its expensive cost, it charges a lot of money. The cost is too high to reach out.
The air seismic system will differ reliant on the size of the building, the balance, the shape, the area to be built and other factors. Implementation of air seismic isolation system is intended for wooden buildings such as wooden shaft assembly with 2 × 4 • 2 × 6 construction method. For large-scale developments for instance steel frame SRC and RC construction, this is under development at this stage. At hand is also a track record of shrines and temples and others that presented the air seismic isolation system.
Though it is likely to mount the air seismic isolation system in existing buildings, it will be a construction that will once again move present buildings such as towers and jack-ups and reestablish them from the basic part. As a result, it turns out to be a major construction. There are cases where you can respond to your request while there’s also a situation that cannot be met, depending on the content of the plan such as site conditions.
Another thing to consider, the first quakes that would trigger the system may be the biggest, most destructive vibrations of the earthquake. The airbag as it inflates might be pushing up against the rubble of an already dented or fragmented house.
In a seismic isolation device, there is a probability that it can be installed even in a challenging ground which is weak and permission is not lowered.
To the customers in the area from Aomori prefecture to Shizuoka prefecture, after confirming the earthquake, the damage was zero as the house surfaced. Including the aftershocks afterward, as the tremor above the set seismic intensity comes up since the house does not break from the residents, it is not only costly which we should bear on our minds but the peace to our mental and physical it could offer and even the physical burden it deprives us to experience. In Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, despite being hit by a strong earthquake of less than six seismic intensities, there is also a report that "the cat which was sleeping did not notice the earthquake and did not occur ".
The warranty period of the equipment of the air seismic isolation system is one year for machinery and five years for others in harmony with the regulations of each tools fabricator. It is promising to use the durable years of the building by carrying out appropriate maintenance.
Though Air Danshin's system is only good for that rare, lateral shaking earthquake which never moves the earth higher than three centimeters, and protects its biggest jolts for its finale, 88 Japanese homes are soon to be retrofit with the airbag and its assemblage, thus providing some data after the next quake. Over $37,000, it's also a sizable chunk of change.
In the air seismic isolation system, the artificial ground and the foundation are shaped like a square, a rectangle, a trapezoid, and many more. In case of L type or uneven type building, thus, consulting individually is highly recommended. Mixed assembly and cellar are technically possible, but now there are many limitations and it is difficult to stipulate.
In contemplation of the center of gravity of the building, the air seismic isolation system has a balancer to float just about horizontally. When the tremor of the earthquake subsides, this time the "position correction device" works, and it is a mechanism to return to the initial position while descending. In the event of a major earthquake, errors may occur in a few centimeters of descent situation but can be easily fixed with a small hydraulic jack by ascending the building with the test button. Gas, water supply, and sewerage, electricity is installed so as not to be damaged by flexible piping so there is no problem. Piping also uses seismic isolation joints, corresponding to operating width.
Even if it descends during a long earthquake ground motion, if the sensor senses a vibration above the set seismic intensity, it will rise again instantly. Once it floats, the pressure in the air tank will fall, so it will be refilled automatically each time. As the calculation of replenishment time, time can be calculated with 200 liters of tank × number of pieces × protruding amount. Although it can be calculated by the above formula, it is designed so that there is no problem with the pattern of earthquake shake.
In the air seismic isolation system, the device itself is very simple and there is little risk of failure. Even if it did not operate on large vibrations, it caused a slip between the artificial soil and the foundation to absorb the tremor, so that damage can be reduced more than a general building. For the control unit of the air seismic system, a floating test can be performed at any time with a manual operation switch. Because you can easily check the operating condition, it is possible to reduce the risk of failure by any chance.
Since the air seismic system is built with the artificial ground and the foundation overlapping at normal times, it is not affected by the typhoon at all like the seismic isolation construction method. Also, as with the base isolation construction method, there is nothing troublesome like unlocking. Even when a big typhoon approaches, there is no phenomenon that it does not change as usual earthquake-proof buildings and the building main body moves.
Normally, electricity is sent from the ordinary household power supply port and the sensor monitors 24 hours, but at the time of a power outage, it will automatically switch to the battery, so do not worry even if there is a power outage after a major earthquake. At the time of a power outage, it is supposed not to float unless it is a shake of a certain in order to cope with the aftershocks that come many times. Even if the compressor does not move, the capacity of the tank is secured enough to float about 5 to 7 times. Also, if you prepare your own generator, you will get more reliable.
The air seismic isolation system is not difficult for maintenance. After the earthquake, refueling of air is automatically replenished to the tank by the compressor. As usual, even if you live yourself, even if you press the operation switch of the control device, it is levitating for 2 to 3 minutes so you can go out and visually check the floating at any time. Furthermore, even if there is no earthquake, you can easily check if the effect can be demonstrated at any time.