Seismic Invisibility Cloak Could Hide Buildings From Earthquakes


Engineering a precise series of ring-shaped shields to deflect
earthquakes around a building
By Dan Smith Posted 06.26.2009 at 4:07 pm 3 Comments
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Earthquake Damage, Southwestern China, May 2008: TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty
Images

Disaster film director Roland Emmerich must be quaking in his boots
knowing that his movies may soon have to be a little less destructive.
With the invention of an "invisibility cloak" for buildings, earthquake
damage could be significantly minimized. Using a series of concentric
rings in the foundation of a building, this "cloak" directs seismic
waves around a building, rather than destructively against and through it.


The cloak won't save buildings from all seismic waves, just surface
waves -- waves that travel across the earth's surface. The apparatus
consists of a series of up to 100 concentric rings embedded under a
building, each tuned to a certain frequency. That way, when surface
waves come along, the rings that are tuned to that particular frequency
will pick up the bulk of that frequency, and begin to vibrate along with
it. These rings then arc the waves around the building, deflecting the
shockwave and sending it off in another direction.

The theory has only been simulated and not tested experimentally yet,
but once tested it could save untold lives and property damage. It might
be that the only casualty will be earthquake movies: prepare for a rash
of disaster flicks focused on supervolcanoes instead.

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3 Comments
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Old.Timer
06/27/09 at 2:13 am

Just make sure there is nothing valuable in the direction the shock
waves are redirected too.

Might make a good weapon, redirecting the shock waves onto a competitors
building or factory.
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SteveMcQwark
06/27/09 at 9:24 am

It would be nice if you could tell us how much damage is attributed to
surface waves and how much to other waves.

Also, generally with these "cloaks", the wave continues along its merry
way as though there wasn't an object there. Is this the case here, or is
the design less precise and bends waves in the process?
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scottbruns
06/28/09 at 5:17 pm

I don't know about the word invention. I toured the catacombs beneath a
church in Lima Peru in the 1980's. They had constructed deep round wells
/ holes that our guide told us were for earthquake protection. They were
build in the 1500's.


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kCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001D8NMY4">The
Earthquake Alarm gives you precious seconds before the shaking starts</a>