The spray on 'superconcrete' coating that can protect buildings against earthquakes

Anew seismic- resistant, fiber- reinforced concrete will be used in its first real-life application this fall as part of a retrofit of a Vancouver elementary school.

The new material can be sprayed onto walls in a thin, 10-millimter (0.4-inch) layer to make them more resilient to shaking.

Instead of fracturing, the material would bend and continue to withstand stresses during an earthquake.

Researchers subjected the material to earthquake simulation tests, finding that it was able to withstand intensities as high as the 9-9.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Tohoku, Japain in 2011.

The material, called eco-friendly ductile cementitious composite (EDCC) was engineered by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

It was designed at the molecular scale to be strong, malleable, and ductile, similar to steel.

' We sprayed a number of walls with a 10 millimeter- thick layer of EDCC, which is sufficient to reinforce most interior walls against seismic shocks,' s ay s Salman SoleimaniDashtaki, a PhD candidate in the department of civil engineering at UBC.

'Then we subjected them to Tohoku-level quakes and other types and intensities of earthquakes—and we couldn’t break them.'

EDCC combines cement with polymer-based fibers, flyash and other industrial additives, making it highly sustainable, says UBC civil engineering professor Dr Nemy Banthia, who supervised the work.

' By replacing nearly 70 per cent of cement with flyash, an industrial byproduct, we can reduce the amount of cement used,' said Dr Banthia.

'This is quite an urgent requirement as one tonne of cement production releases almost a tonne of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the cement industry produces close to seven per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.'

EDCC has been officially added as a retrofit option in British Columbia's seismic retrofit program, and the UBC team will be working contractors to upgrade the Annie B. Jamieson Elementary School in Vancouver.

According to Soleimani- Dashtaki, the material will also be used for more schools that are due for seismic upgrade in the next few months that are due for seismic upgrade.

' This UBC- developed technology has far-reaching impact and could save the lives of not only British Columbians, but citizens throughout the world,' said Advanced Education, Skills and Training Minister Melanie Mark.

' The earthquake- resistant concrete is a great example of how applied research at our public universities is developing the next generation of agents of change.

' The innovation and entrepreneurship being advanced at all of our post-secondary institutions is leading to cutting-edge technologies and helping to create a dynamic, modern B.C. economy that benefits all of us.'

The research was funded the UBC-hosted Canada- India Research Center of Excellence, IC-IMPACTS, which promotes research collaboration between Canada and India.

IC-IMPACTS will make the new material available to retrofit a school in Roorkee in Uttarakhand, a highly seismic area in northern India.

' This technology is gaining significant attention in India and will provide our Canadian companies a strong competitive edge in the growing global infrastructure market,' said Dr Banthia, who also serves as IC-IMPACTS scientific director.

The new material can also be used to create more resilient homes for First Natiuons communities, pipelines, pavements, offshore platforms, blast-resistant structures and industrial floors.

Then we subjected them to Tohokulevel quakes and other types and intensities of earthquakes—and we couldn’t break them.