The grant to support this project, “Frame-Spine System with Force-Limiting Connections for Low-Damage Seismic Resilient Buildings,” is administered under the NSF program Engineering for Civil Infrastructure, part of the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation. The project will include testing at an NSF-funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) facility.
The effort, led by Illinois Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Larry Fahnestock (pictured above), focuses on a system that combines the structural frame of a building with a rigid “spine” spanning multiple stories, joined by connectors that limit the transfer of force between the two elements. During an earthquake, the spine will distribute movement across the building to prevent concentrated damage, and the force-limiting connectors (FLC) will dissipate energy and reduce the impact of acceleration on interior contents. If successful, the new frame-spine-FLC system will result in safer and more resilient buildings that can return to use immediately after the earthquake is over.