Seismic isolation is one of the most effective ways to minimize structural damage and save lives during and immediately after any seismic event. It is also a cost-effective method to meet performance-based design requirements for minimal or repairable damage.
The installation of Goodco Z-Tech seismic isolators at key locations in a structure will increase its horizontal flexibility at the isolation layer. When an earthquake hits an isolated structure, the displacements will be concentrated in this isolation layer, resulting in a structure that will “sway” more softly with respect to the ground compared to a non-isolated (fixed-base) structure (Figure 1). Most of the displacement will be felt by the isolators instead of the structure.
A conventional fixed-base (FB) structure
Fixed-base construction leads to large accelerations and considerable inter-storey drift. Even though a building may not collapse during an earthquake, significant damage occurs to its structural and non-structural elements, rendering it unusable.
A base-isolated (BI) structure
Deformations are concentrated in the isolation layer. The superstructure remains nearly intact. Structural and non-structural elements have little to no damage, and the structure remains usable so that operations can continue during and immediately after the earthquake.
