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Technical support

MAURER offers a comprehensive range of services in the field of infrastructure. Our range of services includes:

Analyses of the structural system

There is an option to allow controlled displacement of structures. MAURER supports you from the planning stage right through to execution. We provide consulting services so you can achieve optimum protection for any structure while taking the specific site conditions into consideration.

Structural dynamics analyses

Checking vibration behaviour of the structure due to wind, live loads, etc. with regard to the given limitation of amplitude and acceleration.

Seismic analyses

As early as the planning stage, MAURER can conduct seismic analyses in order to protect the structure against seismic events in a cost-effective manner.

Input data and system requirements:

  • Location-specific response spectrums for design earthquake DBE and maximum earthquake MCE
  • Seismic transients (directions and combinations must be defined); if these are not available, they can be calculated by MAURER
  • Total structural mass, relative displacements or deformations, structural damping (5% if not stipulated), natural frequencies of the first natural bending vibrations and torsion mode
  • Maximum permissible inter-storey drifts and peak floor accelerations
  • For base isolators: maximum target relative isolator displacement in peak earthquakes, maximum shear in the isolator for the Design Basis Earthquake and the peak earthquake
  • For inter-storey dampers: maximum target forces and displacement

Linear structural analysis (response spectrum analysis)

This simplified method only takes global parameters such as structural mass, structural damping and the location-specific response spectrum for the design basis earthquake into consideration. This method is less CPU-intensive and can be used to plan seismic isolators approximately, such as sliding isolation pendulums and lead rubber bearings or inter-storey dampers such as hydraulic and steel hysteresis dampers, by means of the response spectrum method.

Non-linear time-domain analysis (simulation)

Base isolators or inter-storey dampers are optimised on the basis of an expanded structural model with seismic transients with respect to efficiency and economy. The simulation model depicts the seismic protection system in detail with any nonlinearity and dynamic effects. Calculation of seismic transients is based on the given response spectrums. Upon request, non-linear structural damping can also be considered. Optimising the seismic protection system in this way results in significant savings in construction costs thanks to the reduction in reinforcement, steel and concrete.

 

Accurate determination of

  • Inter-storey drifts, peak floor accelerations, base shear, forces from inter-storey dampers
  • Structural movement including torsion
  • Response forces that act on the structural elements and the structure
  • Recentring properties of the base isolation system
  • Types of isolators and/or dampers

Design planning

Calculation of several alternative solutions and concepts using the design requirements for structural elements and the resulting structural loads. Identifying the economically and technically most reasonable configuration for the structure.

Preliminary structural calculation for structural elements

Taking the design planning concept as the basis, individual structural elements and combinations thereof are designed in the system.

Component testing

Depending on the stipulated standards and structural elements, full-scale or scale tests are conducted at various universities or institutes (RUB/Germany, EUCENTRE/Italy, CALTRANS/USA, etc.) or in the MAURER Seismic Protection Laboratory in Türkiye.

Installation inspections and installation acceptance testing

An installation inspection and an additional installation acceptance test can be offered for all MAURER components in order to ensure correct installation and safe functioning. See also Services.