Are Steel Buildings Earthquake-resistant?
Many people buying metal buildings have the question – Are steel buildings earthquake-resistant?
The answer is yes!
This is because the shock waves generated by an earthquake can cause a certain degree of structural damage to a building, resulting in the collapse of the building and causing injury to people.
When designing and constructing steel buildings, designers must therefore consider the appropriate materials and framing to withstand the impact of an impending earthquake.
Ductile building material
Steel, on the other hand, is a ductile building material with good resistance to bending. According to the World Steel Association. Ductile buildings have higher resistance to earthquakes because they are better able to absorb seismic wave energy, where the energy absorbed is converted into plastic deformation without any damage to the building structure. The choice of steel buildings is therefore one of the most effective means of resisting seismic shocks available.
Concrete buildings, on the other hand, are made of concrete combined with steel reinforcement, which, when hardened, has a higher degree of rigidity and cannot be converted into any deformation forces to counteract structural damage in the face of powerful shock waves, thus producing permanent structural damage and irreversible losses.
The second is the lighter building weight compared to conventional buildings, which also reduces the impact of seismic waves on the building. Generally speaking, concrete buildings are 60-70% heavier than metal buildings for the same high rise. This greatly improves the safety performance of metal buildings.
Proper frame construction
Another reason why metal buildings can effectively withstand earthquakes is their sound frame construction.
In areas that are prone to earthquakes, we have added X-shaped stiffening crossbeams to the external framing system to strengthen the metal structure. This is because the cross structure effectively transmits the energy generated by the seismic waves back to the ground, while reducing the direct impact on the metal building. This causes structural damage.
Next is the specialist flexural frame structure, which is flexible enough to allow for shape changes during an earthquake. This effectively removes a significant amount of the impact. Although costly, flexural structures are an effective means of reducing the risk of excessive horizontal earthquakes.
powerful metal structure
In 2015, FRANK’s home in Ranau, Sabah, Malaysia, was hit by an earthquake of magnitude 6, which occurred over a period of roughly 30S.
It was the strongest earthquake to occur since 1976. We immediately contacted our client when communication was restored.
Fortunately, there was no damage to the client’s house or people.
We also asked several other clients in Malaysia and the answer was the same.
Of course, this is only an isolated case and according to research, more and more people in earthquake-prone Japan are giving priority to metal buildings when it comes to building construction, as they are the most structurally intact after each earthquake.
Construction begins in partnership with KAFA
After learning about the seismic performance of a steel building, there are plenty of reasons to choose this metal building. However, you may still have some questions about this, so you can contact our metal building designers directly. By providing us with the corresponding area and the maximum seismic magnitude, we will recommend the best building structure to protect you against any unknown risks.
