Iron Alloy Could Create Earthquake-Proof Buildings

separsons writes "Researchers at Japan's Tohoku University designed a new shape memory metal alloy. The super elastic iron alloy can endure serious stretching and still return to its original shape. The scientists say that once optimized, the material could be used in everything from braces to medical stents to earthquake-proof buildings!"

Proof?

[Elgonn]

Earthquake-Resistant!

not they aren't

[YesIAmAScript]

Concrete is stronger under compression, but it's so lousy under tension that you put metal into it to take that strain. And how metal is supposed to be stronger than metal I dunno.

And lighter than metal? Not yet. Tell me when you see stadiums with concrete roofs.

Also how you're going to resist an earthquake with only compression I dunno.

Concrete is very good at some things, others not so much.

Personally I don't like formwork buildings. I know they're really common now I know, and you really can do so much with it I see why architects are interested, but right no I just feel like architects haven't figured out how to make appealing buildings with it yet. Right when we finally broke out of the International style with skyscrapers, it feels like formwork has knocked us back a bit.

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[account_deleted]

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Re:OMG THIS WAS PROPHESIZED

[macshit]

Here's a visual representation:
http://www.angryflower.com/atlass.gif [angryflower.com]

Re:Flexibility != Ability to Carry Loads

[wish bot]

The frequency of oscillation is also important.

Very flexible materials may not break, but they can lead to standing waves that amplify to literally tear the structure apart.

What'd be the final goals?

[VincenzoRomano]

In my opinion, in order:
1. save as many lives as possible and
2. save as much stuff (money) as possible

So, a building structure that is capable to remember its original shape is certainly aimed to meet requirement no.2.
But will hardly meet no.1.
Can you imagine a building that's "flexible" enough to make stairs and elevators useless to people trying to get out of it?
And that'd be just the structure. What about the resulting wall rubble?
Maybe making lower buildings with wider streets in cities could help.

Re:It will be expensive and unused

[sensei moreh]

Chile is not Haiti - at least I don't think it is; I've never been to either one. However, the death toll in Chile was surprisingly low for a magnitude 8.8 earthquake. Sure, older buildings collapsed, just as they do in California and Japan when large earthquakes strike. The death toll in the 1989 Kobe, Japan earthquake was about 5100; more than five times that of the Chilean quake. And Japan is seen as a leader in building earthquake-resistant structures. Obviously, Chile has done something very, very right to keep the death toll so low.

Re:So far removed from the original article

[Nyder]

Original article, after following three backlinks: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE62I4AE20100319 [reuters.com]

So tired of the "news" sites that can't even link the original source anymore.

I hit the source link and goes to someones blog with a source link to someone else's blog, that might have the original story.

You telling me, your in such a hurry to post it, that you can't bother to go back the 2 links for everyone?

What even cracks me up more, is when a site I go to lists slashdot as the source. lol, slashdot isn't a news source, it's a news regurgator.