GUWAHATI, Dec 1 - In a bid to popularise the use of earthquake-resistant technology in building construction, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority is going to construct its district operation centre for Kamrup district at Amingaon with fibre reinforced elastomeric isolator (FREI).
It will be a three-storey building and ASDMA has already entrusted the Public Works Department (Building) with the job to construct the same. Work is expected to start soon.
The technology was developed by a team of the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati led by Prof Sajal K Deb and comprising Prof Anjan Dutta, Dr Animesh Das and Dr Ngo Van Thuyet.
The team had developed the technology in 2016. It is a laminated rubber bearing or isolator reinforced with bi-directional carbon fibre fabric in place of steel plate which is generally used in conventional steel reinforced elastomeric isolators (SREIs).
FREIs are light weight and installation of the device does not require highly skilled manpower and therefore is suitable for implementation in developing countries. Additional cost for implementation of this technology would be approximately 10 per cent of the cost of conventional building of similar typology. However, extra cost may be reduced by appropriate choice of structural system, sources said.
The technology, according to experts, would reduce transmissibility of high intensity earthquake ground motion to the superstructure significantly. Therefore, structural system and non-structural system (false ceiling, partition wall, etc) including content of building (furniture, etc) would be subjected to very low level of vibration and hence there will be no damage or minor damage even during a high intensity earthquake, believe experts.
Notably, as per the plate tectonics theory, Assam is in the easternmost projection of the Indian plate, where the plate is thrusting underneath the Eurasian plate creating a subduction zone. Therefore, Assam falls under the seismic zone V making the entire State prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity.
