Hi-tech '2D' foundation can save buildings during earthquake, says expert

Dipender Manta

Mandi, May 14

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, led by Dr Arpan Gupta has proposed a 2D metamaterial-based foundation for protecting buildings against earthquakes.

Gupta says, “By intelligently designing the foundation of a building, earthquake waves can be diverted/ reflected back without causing much damage to it.”

He says, “The team used two-dimensional metamaterials for this purpose. A metamaterial is created by assembling multiple elements made from composite materials like metals and plastics.”

“The concept of a 2D metamaterial-based foundation for earthquake protection was tested on a computer model. A computer model of the foundation along with the building structure was subjected to earthquake excitations. Two cases were considered — concrete foundation and metamaterial foundation. In the case of concrete foundation, large vibrations were recorded, while in the case of metamaterial foundation, very minimal vibrations were observed,” he says.

Gupta says a comparison between concrete and metamaterial foundations shows that metamaterial can significantly decrease the vibration response of building frames to earthquakes.“This study presents a significant step forward in the development of earthquake-resistant buildings. The metamaterial foundation can help reduce damage to structures and offer protection to people living in earthquake-prone regions,” he adds.

He says, “This innovative research can pave way for the creation of more efficient and effective seismic metamaterial foundations.” “Our work shows the potential of metamaterials to provide seismic protection to structures. We hope that our research will inspire other researchers to explore the possibilities of metamaterials,” he says.