April 17, 2012
San Diego, CA NBC San Diego by Lauren Steussy: A five-story building in Scripps Ranch will be experiencing an 8.8-magnitude earthquake this month. The quake is part of a UC San Diego earthquake simulation test which should help seismologists learn more about the way earthquakes affect even the most secure of structures. Tuesday morning’s simulation only shook the building slightly. However by the end of the month, the building will likely be significantly damaged, said Tim Strack, a commissioner with the state’s Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. The five-story hospital building at the Englekirk Structural Engineering Center in Scripps Ranch was built on a shake table. Underground isolators serve as shock absorbers. The magnitudes of the earthquake simulations will range from 6.7 to 8.8. The simulation will take place over a series of weeks. Cameras and sensors placed throughout the building will help researchers identify the methods of construction that hold up well in an earthquake and those which need to be revised.
Helmer, a manufacturer and worldwide distributor of high quality laboratory equipment and refrigerated product, is a sponsor of the UCSD seismic test project.
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