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.

An object, such as a building, provided with a system for preventing damage from earthquakes to the object, said system comprising: a foundation anchored to the ground; guide means mounted on said foundation and on said object arranged to allow relative displacement between the object and the foundation in at least one horizontal direction; at least one actuator arranged to displace said object in said at least one direction relative to said foundation; said at least one actuator being connected to a central processing unit;
said central processing unit being connected to at least one displacement sensor;
said at least one displacement sensor being arranged to detect in real time displacement of said foundation and/or the ground and/or said object and to input in real time data about said displacement to said central processing unit; and
said processing unit being programmed to activate in real time said actuator in dependence on said data in such a manner that said object is displaced relative to said foundation in real time, such that the maximum displacement vector of the object relative to the earth's gravitational field is kept substantially smaller than the maximum displacement vector of said foundation relative to the earth's gravitational field.

An object, such as a building, provided with a system for preventing damage from earthquakes to the object, said system comprising: a foundation anchored to the ground; guide means mounted on said foundation and on said object arranged to allow relative displacement between the object and the foundation in at least one horizontal direction; at least one actuator arranged to displace said object in said at least one direction relative to said foundation; said at least one actuator being connected to a central processing unit;
said central processing unit being connected to at least one displacement sensor;
said at least one displacement sensor being arranged to detect in real time displacement of said foundation and/or the ground and/or said object and to input in real time data about said displacement to said central processing unit; and
said processing unit being programmed to activate in real time said actuator in dependence on said data in such a manner that said object is displaced relative to said foundation in real time, such that the maximum displacement vector of the object relative to the earth's gravitational field is kept substantially smaller than the maximum displacement vector of said foundation relative to the earth's gravitational field.

A seismic isolation assembly is defined by a first support plate and a second support plate disposed in parallel relation with a spacing being provided between the support plates. The first support plate is connected to ground and the second support plate is attached to a structure to be isolated. A set of wire rope isolators are disposed between the first and second support plates as well as at least one linear damper that is angularly disposed and mounted between the first and second support plates.

A seismic isolation assembly is defined by a first support plate and a second support plate disposed in parallel relation with a spacing being provided between the support plates. The first support plate is connected to ground and the second support plate is attached to a structure to be isolated. A set of wire rope isolators are disposed between the first and second support plates as well as at least one linear damper that is angularly disposed and mounted between the first and second support plates.

A vibration damper device comprising: a rigid bracket having a substantially flat side shoulder including a substantially rectilinear longitudinal groove or slit thereon, and which is anchorable in a rigid manner on the body of the lintel or of the pillar, next to the covering beam or the plug panel, to arrange said side shoulder facing the lateral side of the covering beam or the surface of the plug panel, with the longitudinal groove or slit locally substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the covering beam or to the longitudinal axis of the plug panel; a movable slider slidably engages the longitudinal groove or slit, and is anchorable in a rigid manner to the body of the covering beam or to the body of the plug panel; and a deformable connecting member with elastoplastic behavior, which is connectable to the movable slider in a rigid manner to the bracket.

A vibration damper device comprising: a rigid bracket having a substantially flat side shoulder including a substantially rectilinear longitudinal groove or slit thereon, and which is anchorable in a rigid manner on the body of the lintel or of the pillar, next to the covering beam or the plug panel, to arrange said side shoulder facing the lateral side of the covering beam or the surface of the plug panel, with the longitudinal groove or slit locally substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the covering beam or to the longitudinal axis of the plug panel; a movable slider slidably engages the longitudinal groove or slit, and is anchorable in a rigid manner to the body of the covering beam or to the body of the plug panel; and a deformable connecting member with elastoplastic behavior, which is connectable to the movable slider in a rigid manner to the bracket.

A bracket for use in a seismic cable sway bracing system to attach a bracing cable to a support structure or to an object to be braced is disclosed. The bracket includes a planar base having a base aperture therethrough, and at least one planar arm integrally formed with and extending from the planar base. The at least one planar arm being angled upwardly relative to the planar base and having an arm aperture therethrough. The bracket is configured so that a ratio of a first distance to a second distance is about 1:1.2 or greater, the first distance being defined from a center of the base aperture to an edge of the planar base opposite the at least one planar arm in a pre-angled arrangement, and the second distance being defined from the center of the base aperture to a center of the arm aperture in the pre-angled arrangement.

The rapid consolidation and compaction method comprises (i) first driving a hollow pipe, (ii) driving a pipe with a removable end plate after filling and compacting the sandy material in it, through the hollow pipe, to required depth, creating high excess pore-water pressures in the range of 50 to 300 KPa in clayey soils, (iv) pulling out the pipe section leaving behind the removable end plate and thereby installing porous displacement piles which allows dissipation of the excess pore-water pressures horizontally to the porous displacement pile, in which the excess water flows out vertically to the ground surface, and (v) the length of the drainage path is reduced to half the spacing between adjoining porous displacement piles, allowing rapid consolidation resulting in increase in density. Installing the porous displacement piles in the layer of loose to medium dense sand layer results in the instantaneous increase in its density.

The rapid consolidation and compaction method comprises (i) first driving a hollow pipe, (ii) driving a pipe with a removable end plate after filling and compacting the sandy material in it, through the hollow pipe, to required depth, creating high excess pore-water pressures in the range of 50 to 300 KPa in clayey soils, (iv) pulling out the pipe section leaving behind the removable end plate and thereby installing porous displacement piles which allows dissipation of the excess pore-water pressures horizontally to the porous displacement pile, in which the excess water flows out vertically to the ground surface, and (v) the length of the drainage path is reduced to half the spacing between adjoining porous displacement piles, allowing rapid consolidation resulting in increase in density. Installing the porous displacement piles in the layer of loose to medium dense sand layer results in the instantaneous increase in its density.