Dampening earthquake damage

An earthquake engineer at

has successfully performed the first test of wireless sensors in the simulated structural control of a model laboratory building.

Shirley J Dyke, PhD, the Edward C Dicke Professor of Civil Engineering and director of the Washington University Structural Control and Earthquake Engineering Laboratory, combined the wireless sensors with magnetorheological dampers to limit damage from a simulated earthquake load.

Her demonstration is the first step toward implementing wireless sensors for structural control in real buildings and structures, enabling less manpower requirements and far less remodelling of existing structures.

‘This (wireless) is where structural control technology is going,’ said Dyke. ‘If you put a wired system in a building, the cost can be prohibitive. Soon, wireless sensors will become even cheaper, making this a nice application. It will be much easier putting wireless sensors into a building compared with taking walls out and installing wires and cables.’