Earthquake and wind testing in Adelaide

Earthquake and cyclone engineering combined last week in Adelaide to gather data on the construction of 1960s housing, all in the name of CRC science.

The University of Adelaide earthquake engineering research team were doing experimentation to find out how much displacement the walls of such housing can take before losing their structural integrity. This was achieved by inflating airbags to apply pressure to the walls until their maximum strength is reached and significant cracking takes place. The data will inform modelling on predicting damage in the event of different scales of earthquake.

“It’s rare that researchers get the opportunity to collect detailed measurements and do experimentation on real buildings that are typical of housing in at risk natural hazard areas,” said Project Leader Prof Mike Griffith of the University of Adelaide.

“The 1960s unreinforced masonry buildings are typical of the most at risk buildings in the event of an earthquake. We’re grateful to the Dept of Transport, Planning and Infrastructure in SA for giving us access to these building scheduled for demolition in the next few months.” 

But why are cyclone and severe wind researchers in Adelaide? Dr Daniel Smith of the James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station was able to shed some light on what at first would appear it be an unusual opportunity.

“Adelaide may be better known for its bushfires and heatwaves than cyclones, but the buildings we’re looking at are common along the Western Australian coast, and that coast is hit by more cyclones than the east coast of Australia," he said.

"So this was a valuable opportunity to understand the characteristics of a significant style of housing found in cyclone affected areas, and use the information in our experimentation and modelling program," Dr Smith said.

The data gathered will greatly benefit both projects.

Engineering research in Adelaide