New seismic isolation system

A team from the Universitat Politècnica de València, part of the ICITECH Institute, has developed and validated a new seismic isolation system for laminated plasterboard partitions, capable of significantly reducing damage to buildings during earthquakes.

The system, known as SISPYL, has been tested under conditions similar to those of a real earthquake and has already been patented, opening the door to its future commercialisation and implementation in buildings located in seismic zones.

Laminated plasterboard partitions are prevalent non-structural elements in modern construction. However, during an earthquake, they can interact with the building structure in ways not anticipated in the design, resulting in significant damage and compromising safety.

'Until now, there was no effective, experimentally validated solution to this problem. Our system makes laminated plasterboard partitions, commonly known as plasterboard or drywall, safer and more robust,' says Luis Pallarés, a researcher at the UPV's ICITECH Institute.

The SISPYL project has demonstrated that it is possible to seismically isolate partitions so they respond more effectively to earthquakes and do not collapse. Thanks to this system, the partitions suffer less damage and, in addition, the overall stiffness of the building is reduced, enabling a better earthquake response and seismic behaviour that is more appropriate and consistent with the design calculations.

Tests on two full-scale pilot buildings

To validate the effectiveness of the system, the ICITECH Institute team has constructed two full-scale demonstration buildings. One of them was built with traditional laminated plaster partition walls, while the second incorporated the SISPYL system, which introduces minor modifications to conventional partition walls. Both buildings were subjected to seismic actions in experimental tests, allowing their behaviour to be compared.

'The building equipped with SISPYL showed total seismic isolation of the partitions, significantly reducing damage and ensuring performance in line with the structural design for earthquakes,' explains Francisco J. Pallarés.

In addition, the system devised and patented by UPV researchers has passed all fire-resistance and reaction tests, thus meeting the same requirements as traditional partition walls.

'There is currently nothing similar on the market; our system will contribute to improving the safety of this type of building, which is widespread in both residential and tertiary areas,' concludes Luis Pallarés.