A roller partition wall comprises a ceiling bracket, a floor bracket, a partition wall, and a plurality of rollers. A bottom surface of the ceiling bracket forms a first sliding slot, a top surface of the floor bracket forms a second sliding slot corresponding to the first sliding slot, a top surface and a bottom surface of the partition wall are respectively inserted into the first sliding slot and the second sliding slot, and the partition wall is capable of movably disposing between the first sliding slot and the second sliding slot. The rollers are disposed in the second sliding slot and are between the partition wall and the second sliding slot. Since the partition wall is disposed between the ceiling bracket and the floor bracket, the partition wall can be moved left and right between the ceiling bracket and the floor bracket during shaking in an earthquake.

A method of retrofitting a pre-Northridge type steel beam-to-column connection, includes welding the web of the beam to a flange of the column and slotting the beam web in the region of the connection and near the beam flanges. Stress relief holes are made into the web of the beam and slots are cut into the web of the beam. A top backup bar is welded to the flange of the column and a bottom backup bar is removed from the flange weld to the column. The method includes back gouging the flange of the column at a position of the removed backup bar and welding a bottom flange of the beam to the flange of the column.

A vibration control pad (5) comprises a gel elastic body (7) made of an elastic-viscous material and heavy-object support members (8) embedded in the gel elastic body (7). A protrusion (11) is formed only on either the top or bottom surface of the gel elastic body (7) or formed on each of the top and bottom surfaces of the gel elastic body (7) in such a manner as to cover part of the support bodies (8). The protrusion (11) securely contains the support bodies (8) in the gel elastic body (7) to prevent the support bodies (8) from being detached or separated from the gel elastic body (7) when the vibration control pad (5) is taken out of its packaging member for use.

An anti-seismic reinforcement structure using a panel zone reinforcing fixture, according to the present invention, comprises: panel zone reinforcing fixtures which are coupled, to reinforce an existing frame consisting of a column and a beam as existing members, to one side of the frame and which are respectively fixed to sides of the column and the beam at a panel zone where the existing column and the existing beam are joined to each other; a reinforcing column which is installed at one side of the column and has opposite ends thereof fixed to the panel zone reinforcing fixtures; and a reinforcing beam which is installed at one side of the beam and has opposite ends thereof fixed to the panel zone reinforcing fixtures.

The present invention relates to a viscoelastic bracing damper (100), comprising: a cylinder (101); an inner core (102) extended through the cylinder (101) without contacting an inner surface of the cylinder (101), thereby having a barrel portion formed between the inner surface of the cylinder (101) and the inner core (102); a joint (103) connecting a front connector (104) to one end of the inner core (102); a stopper (105) connecting an end connector (106) to an another end of the inner core (102); and characterised by a damping means (107) extended substantially along a length of the barrel portion; wherein the damping means (107) is compressed between the inner surface of the cylinder (101) and the inner core (102) for absorbing vibration loads.

A reinforced masonry includes at least one wall panel (M) having at least one accessible face (F) almost vertical and adjacent to a set of respective almost horizontal curb elements (C). Each curb element (C) is associated with the at least one wall panel (M). The reinforced masonry (1) includes a plurality of rod elements (3) fixed, individually or in bundles and by use of fixing material (5), within respective hollow seats (7) carried out, almost vertically and mutually spaced, at least in the accessible face (F) of the at least one wall panel (M). The reinforced masonry (1) further includes, for each seat or group of hollow seats (7), a first reinforcing element (9) fixed to portions of the at least one accessible face (F) of the wall panel (M) which are adjacent to the longitudinal development of the seat or group of hollow seats (7).

A gap caulking device and a caulking method are provided, wherein the gap caulking device includes long plates, short plates, a dial plate, a three-way joint, a tensioner and a limit rod, and a closed quadrilateral structure with an adjustable angle is formed by two long plates hinged to each other and two short plates hinged to each other, a dial plate and a pointer are respectively provided on the two short plates, damping rods hinged on the two short plates to each other and a three-way joint matched with the two long plates are passed through by a limit rod to achieve connection limiting, and a shape memory alloy wire is connected to the three-way joint by a tensioner and is parallel to the limit rod. The problem is overcome that the original traditional wedge-shaped material that gaps rely on has a single filling function.

A method of retrofitting a pre-Northridge type steel beam-to-column connection, includes welding the web of the beam to a flange of the column and slotting the beam web in the region of the connection and near the beam flanges. Stress relief holes are made into the web of the beam and slots are cut into the web of the beam. A top backup bar is welded to the flange of the column and a bottom backup bar is removed from the flange weld to the column. The method includes back gouging the flange of the column at a position of the removed backup bar and welding a bottom flange of the beam to the flange of the column.

A truss for use in a staggered truss system in provided. The truss includes at least one slip joint for allowing relative movement between the top chord of the truss and the bottom chord of the truss. The staggered truss system may be suitable for use in seismic regions.

A building structure having at least one storey including at least one column; at least one brace attached at one end to one side of at least one of the columns and at a second end to a fixed foundation surface; the brace attached to the at least one column at an incline; the at least one brace having a first portion and a second portion; wherein the at least one brace has a first in-use configuration in which the first portion is freely moveable with respect to the second portion such that a gap is formed in the brace preventing the transmission of force axially along the brace by preventing tensional forces from travelling axially along the brace, and a second in-use configuration in which the gap is closed by the first portion and the second portion being in contact to permit the transmission of forces axially along the brace; and wherein the second in-use configuration allows compressive forces to be transmitted along the brace such that the brace is activated when sufficient deformation occurs in the column in a direction that compresses the brace; and further comprising at least one damper functionally connected to one or both of the first and second portions and configured to provide damping as the at least one brace moves from the first in-use configuration to the second in-use configuration.