The Promise of Smart Materials in Earthquake Resistant Design
Reginald DesRoches
William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering, Rice University
ABSTRACT: Damage from recent earthquakes underscores the importance of developing new approaches and technologies to improve the performance of structures during earthquakes. The presentation will highlight applications of one class of smart materials — shape memory alloys — in improving the performance of structures subjected to earthquake loading. Shape memory alloys belong to a class of smart materials that can undergo large deformations while reverting back to their original, undeformed shape. This unique property has led to the development of numerous applications in the biomedical, aerospace, and commercial industries. A multi-scale and multi-disciplinary approach is taken to explore the potential use of these materials for applications in earthquake engineering. Component testing, full-scale testing, and detailed analyses show great potential for shape memory alloys to significantly improve the earthquake performance of nonductile buildings and bridges.
