May 30, 2000

Click on the picture below to see a larger, jpeg version.

 

 

With the recent publicity we have been given, our fund raising has improved enough that we have begun two large, ambitious projects in earthquake prevention. The second is aimed at preventing small earthquakes by releasing the stress along faults by inducing a vibration at the fracture line. The vibration will allow the two faces of the plates to slide away from each other relatively easily, preventing the sudden, unpredictable fault movement that occurs when sufficient shear stress finally shifts one face violently across the other.

By using the base shear equation:

V = (ZIC / Rw) W

we have strived to reduce V in two ways:

  • We strive to reduce the I value to less than 0.5 for all buildings in the area via our guidelines for property management.
  • We strive to reduce Z by limiting our database for statistical analysis to only the previous 12 months, unless a significant earthquake occurred in the period, in which case we use the 12 months previous to that.

The Dynamic Underground Coupled Kinetic Induction Engine, shown at the left, houses a 440 ton piston. The piston is raised by compressed air which is generated by a solar powered Sterling engine mounted on the roof. The piston rises 40 feet and then free falls to hammer on a 1.2 meter long beam which is coupled to a lattice of beams embedded in the shatter zone of the fault directly below. The shock wave travels along both faces of the fault and causes uncoupled vibrations, which temporarily separates the two faces, allowing them to slip past each other in small movements, rather than waiting until a large natural force causes catastrophic movement.

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