NTUA seismic resistance test for prefabricated houses KOFINAS 2009

Seismicity test of prefabricated KOFINAS

The experiment was carried out on November 20, 2009.

Essay on physical scale, manufactured by the company KOFINAS Prefabricated Houses, was experimentally tested using seismic simulator of the National Technical University of Athens.

The purpose of the tests was to check the response of the structural system to seismic action.     

The success was a result of technical advantages:

1. Screw, which is robotically placed in all the structural parts of the house
2. Metal connecting plates, with which we tie the construction
3. Oversizing of a load-bearing structure through mechanical design
4. Strengthening at stress points through a special static program

Details about the KOFINA S.A. experiment:

N.T.P. seismic resistance test for prefabricated houses KOFINAS 2009

The prefabricated houses of Kofinas are renowned for their maximum earthquake resistance. The precise design and careful construction with the appropriate building materials, utilizing the know-how and years of experience, gives our company's houses the guaranteed result of complete earthquake resistance and static adequacy. 

Seismicity experiment NTUA for the prefabricated houses COCKPIT 2009

OR KOFINAS company Wanting to prove the great anti-seismic resistance of its prefabricated houses, it tried to practically certify this advantage of its constructions by conducting a scientific experiment.

In November 2009, in collaboration with the National Technical University of Athens, the houses of KOFINAS Prefabricated Houses were tested on a physical scale using a seismic simulator.

Specifically, at the earthquake technology laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens, which is the most recognized and most reliable institution for measuring earthquake resistance, in collaboration with the specialized educational and scientific staff of the University, a seismic test was carried out on a single-story prefabricated house of the company KOFINAS.  

The test house was assembled directly in the earthquake technology laboratory by our company's experienced construction staff and was placed on site on the seismic vibration platform, the so-called seismic simulator of the National Technical University of Athens.

After placing the house sample in the simulator, the experiment began, during which our house sample received successive seismic excitations and oscillations in the X and Z directions, to verify its anti-seismic character. 

In this first phase of the experiment, in a total of 16 consecutive seismic excitations and vibrations of scaled acceleration that were applied to the entire surface and structure of the specimen, the seismic simulator ultimately developed acceleration in various directions of up to 1 g! 

However, our company KOFINAS prefabricated houses He did not rest with this result and did not stop there. 

Continuing the experiment, with the addition of 8-ton masses, increasing the total weight of the house specimen by 6.5 times, the seismic simulation process was repeated with the excitation increasing and reaching an acceleration of 1.5 g in the horizontal X direction! Even then, the test structure remained intact and perfectly stable. 

The company KOFINAS is the only company in Europe that has conducted an experimental study on its constructions, reaching 1.5 g of stress!

The technical advantages of KOFINAS prefabricated houses 

The technical elements that played the most important and crucial role in the success of the experiment and in the irrefutable practical proof that KOFINAS prefabricated houses provide comprehensive safety and earthquake resistance are the following: 

1. The wooden frame of the structure with purlins of Swedish timber (kiln-fired, class C24) made of approved and sturdy Swedish pine. 

2.Angling, pressing and screwing using a TORX wrench in a factory environment and conditions. 

3. Canadian OSB shielding and masonry sealing that make it ready for immediate on-site assembly and installation.

4. The use of screws to solidify each point of the wooden frame, which is placed based on robotic movements and designs. 

5. The metal connecting plates used for the better and safer assembly of the parts of the prefabricated house. 

6. Over-dimensioning of a load-bearing structure through mechanical studies. 

7. Additional reinforcement at stress points of the entire structure based on an appropriate special static program.

The combination of the above structural technical elements, in the test house of the experiment, demonstrated the complete anti-seismic coverage of all prefabricated houses of the company KOFINAS. 

The results of the experiment on the seismic resistance of prefabricated houses KOFINAS

The data collected and noted after the end of the experiment were those for which the KOFINAS company guarantees reliable and completely safe constructions. 

In detail, even after the high seismic vibrations experienced by the test house, it did not show any visible or internal damage. 

Vertical and horizontal excitations with accelerations of 1 g and 1.5 g failed to cause problems and damage to any part of the entire structure. 

The doors and windows had not suffered any deformation or damage, and they opened with the same ease and comfort as before. At the same time, the walls and roof, that is, the general masonry of the test house, after both seismic experiments did not show any change or damage, remaining intact and sturdy as before.

With these positive results, the unrivaled reliability of our company was proven. KOFINAS prefabricated houses. The maximum anti-seismic nature of each prefabricated house manufactured and assembled in our company's modern factory environment has been proven. 

Indeed, the design and construction processes followed are the key point for the durability of KOFINAS prefabricated houses. The same specifications were applied to the test house of the experiment, which undoubtedly and demonstrably withstood the seismic vibrations on a natural scale, without suffering any deformation or destruction.  

Experts' opinion on the earthquake resistance of prefabricated houses KOFINAS

The reliable educational and scientific staff of the National Technical University of Athens, after the experiment with the KOFINA prefabricated houses, spoke publicly about their anti-seismic behavior and shielding. 

Based on the experiment and study they conducted in the seismic simulator of the university laboratory, the expert scientists of the National Technical University of Athens ascertained in every possible way the quality and robustness of the masonry of the prefabricated houses of the company KOFINAS. Of course, they approved every construction process followed since the tangible practical results spoke for themselves. 

It was found that the test house, which was placed in the seismic simulator, did not suffer any damage either externally or internally.

They even concluded that the prefabricated KOFINA houses meet every condition necessary for the maximum strength and durability of the houses to repeated seismic oscillations, with a continuous, escalating increase in their sizes. 

At the same time, they emphasized that the fact that the test construction of the KOFINAS company suffered absolutely no damage, neither externally nor internally, certifies and highlights the quality. 

The zero damage after the 1.5 g acceleration reached by the seismic simulator during the experiment is irrefutable practical proof of the seismic resistance and safety that the company can provide to its customers, in any seismic area, should they wish to live in a KOFINAS prefabricated house.