Frequent and catastrophic seismic events can result in damaging existing buildings and historical architectural assets, the demand for structural upgrading of buildings is increasingly growing. The use of metal tie rods in thrusting structures (i.e. archs and vaults) is a widespread practice, but it can be seriously dangerous in case of an earthquake.
Innovation: EARTO Member CETMA – European Research Center for Technologies Design and Materials developed an innovative anti-seismic device named ANTISISMA and dedicated to all thrusting structures of both industrial and cultural heritage buildings. This device, composed of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) elements, is able to recover initial shapes even after having been deformated. It exploits the pseudoelasticity property of SMA wires and it is capable to dissipate large amounts of energy during the seismic event, thanks to a reversible phase transformation in the solid state.
Impact Expected: This innovation can lead to the reduction of reconstruction and repair cost of buildings, caused by an earthquake and can also increase the turnover of companies involved in seismic upgrading. This project is expected to reach the market within 2 years. Its target market is mainly Europe and especially Mediterranean countries which face high seismic risk.
CETMA, European Research Center for Technologies Design and Materials, is a Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) which carries out applied research, experimental development and technology transfer.