Earthquake preparedness is crucial in many areas of North America. From the entire West Coast of North & South America to other inner-mountainous regions like Salt Lake City, Utah, which is a hotbed of geologic activity.
“It will be one of the biggest earthquakes in history. When the Big One finally hits America’s west coast, it will unleash carnage on a scale rarely seen. Buildings will collapse, burying thousands in the rubble. Fires will break out, devastating entire city blocks. There will be landslides, dam failures, chemical spills — things that, taken alone, would qualify as one of the worst disasters this side of Hurricane Katrina. Taken all together, will affect millions. And that’s just for starters.” ~ GEO Graphics
What The Experts are Saying Is A Big Concern
According to the United States Geological Society (USGS) “[Regarding the] long-term records (since about 1900), we expect about 16 major earthquakes in any given year. That includes 15 earthquakes in the magnitude 7 range and one earthquake magnitude 8.0 or greater. In the past 40-50 years, our records show that we have exceeded the long-term average number of major earthquakes about a dozen times.”
Using Salt Lake City As An Example
“Geologists have long known that Salt Lake City, home to 200,000 people, lies atop a network of geological faults. Now, research shows that, during an earthquake, these faults could cause the ground beneath downtown buildings to flow like liquid.
The city, which is Utah’s capital, lies between two large mountain ranges created by geological activity. Active faults snake near those mountains, along with them and beneath Salt Lake City. But it has been unclear precisely how the faults linked underneath the city, and how much damage they might cause during a large earthquake.
Lee Liberty at Boise State University in Idaho and his colleagues probed the buried faults by repeatedly dropping a 200-kilogram weight along the city’s streets. The scientists then analysed how seismic energy from the impact rippled through the ground.
They found that faults shoot through many rock layers that lie beneath the city. Even a relatively small earthquake, with a magnitude of less than 5, could cause the ground to liquefy in these areas. A 6.5-magnitude earthquake could damage buildings substantially.” ~ Nature.com
Who Should Worry And Why Should You Care About Earthquake Preparedness?
Earthquakes still kill hundreds of thousands of people, even though building standards and engineers are able to make buildings much safer and stronger than in the past.
That said, creating sustainable earthquake preparedness infrastructure, both with more carbon-neutrality and in the ability to withstand seismically is important for protecting the lives and assets of building occupants and the continuity of their work. On the whole, communities with more retrofitted structures can recover from earthquakes more rapidly. If you live or work in retrofitted structures, you’re less likely to be injured during an earthquake.
The Solution
Our seismic blend is called SeismicFiber™ – an Engineered Hybrid Cementitious Composites (EHCC). Our seismic concrete blend provides proprietary — and extremely unique secondary reinforcement — to spray on seismic retrofit technologies such as Shotcrete applications. A 10-millimeter-thick (0.4 inch) layer of our EDCC is enough to reinforce existing interior walls and support structures and is able to withstand 9.0+ seismic events.
SeismicFiber™ has been specifically developed to be used globally for a multitude of uses in concrete, including:
■ Seismic Repair of structures especially those with severe surface defects.
■ Seismic Retrofitting in Schools & Buildings
■ Seismic Retrofitting on Bridges and Infrastructure
■ Shotcrete & Seismic Spray Retrofitting Applications
■ Commercial Slabs-On-Ground
■ Precast Products
■ Blast and Impact Resistant Structures
■ 3-D Printing
