With the recent spurt in vertical growth of buildings in a developing country like India, earthquakes pose an even greater threat to the safety of life and property. The discussion on how safe buildings and houses are in India has again gained prominence, after the recent earthquakes in Nepal.
During an earthquake, a wave propagates from the rock to the soil and then into the structure, creating a sway in the structure; the damage depending on the location of epicentre (both horizontal and vertical distance below the ground), type of foundation soil, and the earthquake resistance of the building. The key to designing an earthquake-resistant structure is to build a ductile structure rather than a stiff structure.
Load bearing structures are typically built prior to the 1970s, and have low resistance to earthquake. The bricks are stiff and have no way to either pull the structure in the direction opposite of the sway or be ductile enough to allow for small movement in the structure; exhibiting instantaneous failure. One way to avoid such catastrophic failure is to create a disconnect between the foundation of the building and the rest of the above ground structure by the base isolation method. This can be done by the use of Anti-seismic bricks or Sisbrick.
Sisbrick is a new class of earthquake-resistant building materials that seismically isolates partition walls from the main building structure, significantly reducing the tension between these two elements and, therefore, the damage incurred. The key to the Sisbrick lies in the way different materials have been combined to achieve its objective. It is able to absorb horizontal seismic movements, while also supporting vertical loads (for instance, partition walls, which sets it apart from other anti-seismic technology available) that act on the integrity of the building frame. Moreover, its brick form means it can be readily incorporated into traditional construction techniques, without the need for additional equipment. Researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia (Polytechnic University of Valencia, UPV) have confirmed about the improved response of buildings with Sisbrick to earthquakes.
References:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151125083932.htm
http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/standpoint-earthquake-resistant-structures-how-safe-is-your-home-2082169
