NTUA seismicity experiment for prefabricated houses KOFINAS 2009

Seismicity experiment prefabricated KOFINAS

The experiment was realized on November 20, 2009.

Test subject under natural scale, constructed by “ Prefabricated Houses” company was examined experimentally using the seismic simulator of the National Technical University of Athens.

The purpose of the tests was the measurement of the response of the construction system against seismic action.

The success was the result of the technical advantages :

1. Screw, which is robotically installed in all the constructive parts of the house
2. Metallic construction brackets, used to “tie” the construction
3. Oversizing of bearing structure through mechanical study
4. Reinforcement of the stress points using special computer static calculation program

Details about the experiment of KOFINA SA:

NTUA seismicity experiment for the prefabricated houses KOFINAS 2009

The prefabricated houses of Kofinas are famous for their maximum seismicity. The precise design and careful construction with the appropriate building materials, utilizing the know-how and experience of years, gives the homes of our company the guaranteed result of complete anti-seismic shielding and static adequacy.

NTUA seismicity experiment for the prefabricated houses KOFINAS 2009

The company KOFINAS, wanting to prove the great earthquake resistance of its prefabricated houses, tried to certify in practice 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 KOFINA Prefabricated Houses were tested on a physical scale using a seismic simulator.

Specifically, in the laboratory of seismic technology of NTUA, which is the most recognized and most reliable institution for measuring seismicity, in collaboration with the specialized educational and scientific staff of the University, a seismic test was performed in a single-storey prefabricated house of KOFINAS.

The test house was assembled directly on the site of the anti-seismic technology laboratory by the experienced construction staff of our company and was placed on site on the seismic vibration platform, the so-called NTUA seismic simulator.

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

In this first phase of the experiment, in a total of 16 consecutive seismic excitations and scaling vibrations applied to the entire surface and construction of the specimen, the seismic simulator finally developed acceleration of different directions up to 1 g!

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

Continuing the experiment, by adding masses weighing 8 tons, increasing the total weight of the home specimen by 6.5 times more, the process of seismic simulation was repeated with the excitation increasing and reaching in the horizontal direction X the magnitude of 1.5 g! Even then, the construction specimens remained intact and perfectly stable.

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

The technical advantages of prefabricated houses KOFINAS

The technical elements that played the most important and crucial role in the success of the experiment and in the unshakable practical proof that the prefabricated houses KOFINAS provide complete safety and seismicity are the following:

1.The wooden frame of the construction with slats of Swedish wood (baked in the dryer, class C24) from approved and solid Swedish pine.

2. The angle, the pressing and the screwing with the use of TORX spool in factory environment and conditions.

3. The Canadian OSB shield and the sealing of the masonry that make it ready for immediate on-site assembly and installation.

4. The use of the screw 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 best and safest assembly of the parts of the prefabricated house.

6. The oversizing of a load-bearing organism through mechanical studies.

7. The additional reinforcement at the stress points of the whole construction based on an appropriate special static program.

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

The results of the earthquake seismic experiment in prefabricated houses KOFINAS

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

In detail, even after the high seismic vibrations that the test house received, it did not show any obvious or internal damage.

Vertical and horizontal excitations with acceleration of 1 g and 1.5 g did not manage to cause problems and damage to any of the parts of the entire structure.

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

With these positive results, the unrivaled reliability of our company KOFINAS prefabricated houses proved. It proved to be the maximum seismic character of every prefabricated house that is constructed and assembled in the modern factory environment of our company.

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

The opinion of experts on the seismicity of prefabricated houses KOFINAS

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

Based on the experiment and the study carried out in the seismic simulator of the university laboratory, the experts of NTUA. 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.

In fact, they concluded that the prefabricated houses KOFINAS meet every condition that is necessary for the maximum strength and resilience of the houses to repeated seismic oscillations, with a continuous escalating increase in their size.

At the same time, they stressed how the fact that the test construction of the company KOFINAS did not suffer any damage either externally or internally certifies and highlights the quality.

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