Isolation and Damping of Shocks, Vibrations, Impact Load and Seismic Movements at Buildings, Equipment and Pipe Networks by SERB-SITON Method

The paper presents SERB–SITON method to control, limit and damp the shocks, vibration, impact load and seismic movements with applications in buildings, equipment and pipe networks (herein called: “components”). The elimination or reduction of shocks, vibration, impact load and seismic movements is a difficult problem, still improperly handled theoretically and practically because many times the phenomena are random in character and the behavior of components is non-linear with variations of the properties in time, variations that lead to the increase or decrease of the energy & impuls transfer from the dynamic excitation to the components. Moreover, the existing supports and dampers applied today, are not efficient enough in the reduction of the dynamic movement for all the frequency ranges met with in the technical application field. The stiffness and damping of classic supports do not allow a good isolation of components against shocks and vibrations so to eliminate their propagation to the environment and neither do they provide a satisfactory protection of the components sensitive to shocks and vibrations and seismic movements coming from the environment. In order to reduce the effects of shocks, vibrations impact and seismic movements on the components, this paper presents the results obtained by SITON on the concept, design, construction, experimental testing and application of new types of supports, devices and thin lattice structure, called “SERB”, capable to overtake large static loads, to allow displacements from impact, thermal expansions or yielding of supports and which, in any work position, can elastically overtake large dynamic loads or impact loads which they damp. The new supports and devices and thin lattice structure allow their adjustment without the occurrence of overstressing in the components due to their non–linear geometric behavior, and the contact pressure among the elements is limited to pre-set values to avoid blocking phenomena that generates great stresses induced by thermal expansion for example. Due to their characteristics of adjustment to the actual position and level of stress, SERB supports, devices and thin lattice structure show minimal effects on the components stress condition whenever the installation and computation errors. Herein below it is a presentation of the actual results obtained by SITON in the isolation of heavy equipment and pipe networks and others in process of application for buildings. Due to the very good results obtained in the isolation against shocks, vibrations and seismic movements at components in the conventional industry, there is the proposal to implement SERB-SITON method to the increase of the safety level at new or existing Nuclear Power Plants or to protect nuclear building against missiles and airplane crush impact.