Multi-Storeyed Buildings that Use Thermocol in Construction Could be Earthquake Resistant in Future

Buildings with thermacol are earthquake proof…learn more…

Monday, 6th September 2021

Researchers at JamiaMilliaIslamia (JMI) and IIT – Roorkee are of the opinion that Thermocol or Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) may have the ability to resist earthquake forces on buildings that are up to four stories if used as a composite material in the core of reinforced concrete sandwich.

Thermocol, with its thermal insulation can also save energy that goes in the making of construction materials and thus can very well be the material of the future.

The thermal insulation can go on to keep the interiors of the building comfortable in different kinds of weather and at the same time reduce the carbon footprint of buildings.

Tests have been conducted by the researchers on a full-scale building and a number of wall elements constructed with thermocol sandwiched between two layers of concrete at the National Seismic Test Facility (NSTF) of the Department of Earthquake Engineering, IIT Roorkee developed under Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure (FIST) program of Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India.

Prof Yogendra Singh, ex-faculty member, Department of Civil Engineering, JMI and presently Professor at Department of Earthquake Engineering, IIT Roorkee, also supervising the research, said that according to their analysis a four-story building that is constructed with this technique will be able to withstand earthquake forces with no extra structural support, even in the most seismic zone (V) of the country.

The technique involves the use of an EPS core and a wire mesh reinforcement that is produced in a factory. The skeleton of the building is erected first with the help of the core made in a factory and reinforcement panels on which concrete is then sprayed. It is a fast process as it does not need any shuttering.

Large chunks of concrete that would have otherwise been used in roofs and floors are easily replaced here with extremely lightweight EPS that not only reduces mass but also cuts down the use of natural resources and energy required to produce the cement concrete.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source:

Indiatoday