This "national treasure" can truly reproduce all earthquake activities recorded by humans!

On November 5, the national major scientific and technological infrastructure project "Large-Scale Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research Facility" passed the national acceptance at Tianjin University and was officially put into operation.

This is the first major national scientific and technological infrastructure in the field of earthquake engineering in China . The facility can not only reproduce all earthquake activities recorded by humans, but also observe and analyze the damage of engineering structures in earthquakes.

This is a drone photo of the "Large-Scale Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research Facility", a major national scientific and technological infrastructure located at the Beiyang Campus of Tianjin University, taken on November 5.

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Zishuo

How can the country's important equipment help with disaster prevention and mitigation?

The research facility mainly includes three systems, namely earthquake engineering simulation test system, high-performance computing and intelligent simulation system, and test support and sharing system, covering multiple disciplines such as water conservancy engineering, civil engineering, ship and ocean engineering, mechanics, control science and engineering, mechanical engineering, precision instrument science, computer science, materials science and engineering, disaster prevention and safety, etc.

The entire test center is about 10 stories high, and the huge space can meet the needs of large-scale model tests. The "artificial earthquake" is currently the most direct test method for studying the seismic performance of structures, providing a basis for the design and construction of projects . Simply put, this large device can truly reproduce more than 4,700 recorded earthquake activities that have occurred at home and abroad, and can observe the damage and destruction of engineering structures in earthquakes.

On November 5, the "Large-Scale Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research Facility" project was undergoing acceptance tests.

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Zishuo

It is reported that the large-scale earthquake engineering simulation research facility is one of the priority projects in the "13th Five-Year Plan" for major national scientific and technological infrastructure, and is led by Tianjin University. The project started construction in October 2019 and took five years to build the world's largest earthquake simulation vibration table in terms of table size and load capacity, and the world's first mobile underwater vibration table array.

After the project is completed, it will continue to focus on the country's major strategic needs and the forefront of international scientific and technological development, aim at the actual needs and scientific problems in the construction and operation and maintenance of major national projects, continuously break through key issues in the field of earthquake engineering, and actively promote scientific research innovation, key technology research and development, and technology application promotion. It will achieve world-class results in experimental theory innovation, top talent training, and service to major projects, and provide strong support for the construction and operation safety of major projects in my country.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News, Science and Technology Daily, etc.