Entries Tagged 'Earthquake' ↓

The University of Leeds’ NanoManufacturing Institute is currently building a proof of concept house in the Greek mountains. The Greek mountains are prone to frequent minor earthquakes. The plan is to build a house that will automatically heal cracks in the walls. The walls will contain nano particles that will liquefy under pressure, flow into cracks and gaps in the walls, and then harden again. The scientists involved say that the nano particles are easy to produce, and only a small amount are needed in the walls to be effective. So if all goes well, we may be seeing self healing walls within a few years. Of course, if the ground underneath your house disappears, then having self healing walls won’t do you much good. But they are working on that as well.

Regenerative house to grace Greece mountainside
‘Self-healing’ house in Greece will dare to defy nature

When earthquakes happen sandy soil can turn into a liquid-like state that can be disastrous to buildings built over it. Suddenly the stable ground that you built your house on, is not so stable. This is especially a concern in coastal cities.
Now scientists think they can turn that sandy soil into rock, just by injecting a type of bacteria into the soil under your home. The bacteria actually causes calcium to collect around the individual sand grains. Cementing them together to form a type of sandstone. The bacteria type is a natural, rather than engineered type, and is non-toxic. It simply has never been used in this way before.
Turning sandy soil into rock is not a new idea. There are chemicals that can be injected into soil to turn it into rock. the problem with the chemicals is that they are toxic, and will poison the ground they are injected into. So they really aren’t an option for your home.
The scientists say that it hasn’t been tested yet outside of the lab. So there may be unforeseen problems with this method.
Check out the full article here.