News

E-Isolation is up and running

With the increase in the construction of high-rise buildings, seismic isolation technology, which reduces damage by absorbing shaking during earthquakes, is attracting attention. However, until now, there was no facility in Japan that could measure the strength of a full-scale seismic isolation device that reproduces the weight of an actual building and the shaking of a major earthquake. Therefore, there was no other way than to reduce the test conditions and conduct evaluation tests, or to evaluate using full-scale experimental equipment overseas (such as the United States and China). A full-scale seismic isolation facility has been completed on the premises of E-Defense in Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, led by the General Incorporated Association for Seismic Isolation Research Promotion, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Kyoto University, and began operation in June. This testing machine has made it possible to accurately measure the seismic resistance of a full-scale vibration isolation rubber with a diameter exceeding 1 meter. The facility for this testing machine will be owned by the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and the actual operation will be carried out by the Seismic Isolation Research Promotion Organization by the Public – Private System. In Japan, in 2015, there were cases of falsification of strength test data for seismic isolation bearings that support the weight of buildings, and seismic isolation dampers that absorb shaking in 2018. It has become a big social problem. With the operation of this device, third-party organizations will be able to obtain highly accurate inspection data, which is expected to not only prevent such data falsification, but also greatly contribute to the improvement of Japan’s earthquake resistance technology.

Contact

Prof. Shoichi Kishiki（Urban Disaster Prevention Research Core）
http://www.udprc.first.iir.titech.ac.jp/~kishikilab/