A connecting element is provided for connecting an essentially vertically arranged or arrangeable upright for a non-bearing wall structure with an essentially horizontal bar, in particular a steel profile with a U-shaped cross section, preferably a ceiling profile, to allow a sliding compensation movement in essentially the vertical direction, and with at least one fastening section for fastening to the bar or the preferable ceiling profile of a load-bearing or non-loading-bearing ceiling structure and with a least one sliding guide for the upright.

In a column end joint structure for joining an end of a column made of flat wooden material having a rectangular cross-section to a joining member, splitting generation at the end of the column is controlled. An expansion of crack is controlled when splitting generated. A cutout portion is provided in each of ends in a longitudinal direction of a column end face, and a joint fitting is coupled inside the cutout portion by a joint bolt. The joint fitting is coupled to a foundation by an anchor bolt. Joint fittings are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the end face inside each cutout portion. One joint fitting is located contacting or close to a surface of the column inside the cutout portion such that the joint fitting side face and the surface of the column inside the cutout portion restrain a displacement orthogonal to the column axis.

A corrugated sheet metal wall sheathing for resisting external excitations such as wind or earthquake of light-framed wall structures. The sheathing has sheet profile proportioned to insure the top flutes deform laterally and yield at the end of the flute before the onset of any failure mode. A transverse slot in included in each top flute and adjacent web of the sheathing and spaced at intervals along the length of the sheathing.

A beam coupler adapted to couple two beams mounted side by side. One coupler comprises a central plate mounted to the first beam, comprising two central-plate side faces in the coupling orientation; and a longitudinal oblong hole providing a passage connecting the two side faces. The coupler also comprises a pair of side plates mounted to the second beam, each comprising an interior face to neighbor the central plate; an exterior face; and a circular side-plate hole providing a passage connecting the interior face with the exterior face. The coupler further comprises compression means applying an inward preload over the plates, comprising a body extending between the exterior faces through the circular and oblong holes. The oblong holes allow displacement of the body of the compression means therein in the longitudinal direction upon a displacement of the plates resulting from a deflection of the beams.

Axial buckling restrained braces are provided. In various embodiments, a device comprises a plurality of cylindrical sleeves arranged parallel to each other. Each of the plurality of sleeves has an interior surface defining an interior region. A plastically deformable rod is arranged within the interior region of each of the plurality of sleeves. The plastically deformable rod is adapted to assume a helical shape upon compression.

A spatial mass pendulum includes a pendulum mass and at least three, preferably four, pendulum rods. The pendulum rods are arranged distributed around the pendulum mass and are each coupled at a first coupling point to the object and at a second coupling point to a lower section of the pendulum mass. At least two pendulum rods are dimensioned and spread in such a way that the distance between their first coupling points is greater than the distance between their second coupling points, so that during a movement of the pendulum mass its center of gravity is guided by the pendulum rods on the surface of a virtual ellipsoid.

A vibration absorber which, in addition to a main mass which is fixed thereto and moved along a curved trajectory by a driving mechanism, comprises a substantially smaller variably adjustable rotating flywheel mass which is moved together with the main mass along the trajectory thereof, enabling the adjustment of the frequency of the absorber. The rotating flywheel mass is driven by a novel belt device independently of the driving mechanism. A rotating vibration absorber which, along with the main mass and the rotating flywheel mass, comprises its own damping unit, such as an eddy-current damping unit.

A stay-in-place lining is provided for lining a structure fabricated from concrete. The lining comprises a plurality of panels connectable via complementary connector components on their longitudinal edges. Each panel comprises a first connector component on a first longitudinal edge thereof and a second (complementary) connector component on a second longitudinal edge thereof. The lining comprises at least one edge-to-edge connection between the first connector component of a first panel and the second connector component of a second panel, the edge-to-edge connection comprising a protrusion of the first panel extended into a receptacle of the second panel through a receptacle opening. The receptacle is shaped to prevent removal of the protrusion from the receptacle and the receptacle is resiliently deformed by the extension of the protrusion into the receptacle to thereby apply a restorative force to the protrusion to maintain the edge-to-edge connection.

A three part foundation system for supporting a building is described. Three part foundation systems can include a containment vessel, which constrains a buffer medium to an area above the containment vessel, and a construction platform. A building can be built on the construction platform. In a particular embodiment, during operation, the construction platform and structures built on the construction platform can float on the buffer medium. In an earthquake, a construction platform floating on a buffer medium may experience greatly reduced shear forces. In a flood, a construction platform floating on a buffer medium can be configured to rise as water levels rise to limit flood damage.

Method, apparatus, and systems are disclosed for damping the movements of structures undergoing dynamic forces. The disclosed dampers are a new type of steel plate dampers, intended to reduce the cost and improve the performance of structures subject to severe seismic loading. While in these dampers the metal plates undergo plastic deformation as a method of absorbing and dissipating energy, the disclosed designs do not allow the stress and strain in the metal plates to go above a predetermined design value and; therefore, the new dampers have long lives and do not need repair or replacement after a big earthquake or similar events. These dampers may be used for building and non-building structures. In such applications the required damping capacities are relatively high and different scales of sliding force and stroke are required.