Seismic safety
With the ICF ITALIA system, it is possible to design earthquake-resistant structures fully compliant with the new technical standards without any additional cost
Italy is a territory with high seismic hazard. Throughout history, and even recently, numerous earthquakes have occurred that have devastated entire cities, causing thousands of casualties. Until a few decades ago, there were no technical and scientific tools to face this risk, which was endured by helpless populations.
Today, fortunately, the situation is different, as evolution in the field of engineering has allowed us to frame this physical phenomenon and provide theoretical tools to design buildings in a way that ensures the necessary safety to protect human life.
New technical standards for constructions
Recently, the entry into force of the “New technical standards for constructions” has profoundly innovated the field of anti-seismic structural design, both from the point of view of structural calculation methods and the seismic classification of the national territory.
The recent earthquakes that have hit Italy are tragically significant in demonstrating the problems of buildings constructed in a traditional way, or conceived with design criteria responding to old-generation technical standards. It is noted that even recent buildings, which have maintained their resistance capacity, have become uninhabitable following the seismic event, due to the collapse of infill works.
It is a common belief in seismic design that performance allowing constructions to remain in the elastic field (complete usability), even following “violent” seismic events, entails unsustainable costs for society; continuous load-bearing panel structures appear to be able to disprove this common belief by providing highly earthquake-resistant structures at competitive prices
Adherence to new regulations
Buildings constructed in a traditional way in seismic zones, or conceived with design criteria responding to old-generation technical standards, have led to dozens of casualties. Not to mention ordinary masonry buildings, affected by more or less extensive collapses… The new technical standards, to which the load-bearing wall structures made with the ICF ITALIA system show full compliance and ease of verification, were born with the spirit of avoiding the problems described above.
✳︎
More restrictive criteria
The regulator has introduced important restrictions from a design point of view which, in the case of traditional structures, affect construction costs due to the increase in seismic actions to be applied, the construction details to be respected, the minimum dimensions for beams and pillars or for brick masonry walls. With the ICF ITALIA system, it is possible to design earthquake-resistant structures fully compliant with the new technical standards without any additional cost.
✳︎
Distribution of stresses
Structures built with the ICF ITALIA system, thanks to the favorable distribution of stresses in the large resistant elements (extended walls) and therefore to the low stress states, can even be designed in the “linear elastic field”. This means that even following a violent seismic event, a building constructed with the ICF ITALIA system – if well designed – can be immediately usable! Moreover, the reinforced concrete walls that compose it, solidly connected to each other and with the floors, are not subject to overturning or expulsion phenomena.
✳︎
A social advantage
The advantages deriving from such performances (which, it is repeated, are intrinsic to the structure and do not require additional costs) are also appreciable from a “social” point of view, as the post-earthquake phase of precautionary evacuation (immediate occupancy) and temporary accommodation is eliminated.
✳︎
