Only about 10 buildings in San Francisco have accelerometers. The lack of uniform implementation highlights the need for a new and more efficient system. The new technology, called Discrete Diode Position Sensors, is being pilot tested on a building on the campus of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory this summer. Credit: Public domain
Lasers speed up seismic damage assessments
By Alka Tripathy-Lang
July 28, 2019
The Mw 7.1 earthquake on July 5, 2019, was the largest quake California has seen in 20 years. Part of the so-called Ridgecrest earthquake sequence, the Mw 7.1 event served as a reminder of the seismic hazard associated with living on the West Coast of the United States. Although these tremors struck a relatively sparsely populated region, significant damage was sustained, with the estimated economic impact in excess of $100 million. Determining the extent of damage to individual buildings is an arduous and time-consuming task. Now, engineers are testing a state-of-the-art laser-based system that could dramatically speed up post-earthquake damage assessments by accurately measuring displacement between floors of multistory buildings.
For the full story, head to Temblor.
Sed purus sem, scelerisque ac rhoncus eget, porttitor nec odio. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.