Seismic Control Specifications – SCS

DISCUSSION The very term ‘vibration isolation’ suggests the use of resilient materials between a structure and a machine. The classic model is a mass on top of large coil springs located near the four corners, as in Figure 1. While this is a perfectly practical system for vibration control, when dealing with earthquakes we must…

Sound & Vibration

Sound & Vibration Earthquake control of resiliently mounted systems is an area of primary concern for acoustical and mechanical engineers. The Northridge, CA earthquake of January 17th, 1994, provided several valuable lessons regarding protection of these systems. The lessons learned from this earthquake are highlighted with actual site photographs that are useful and dramatic. The…

Seismic Damage

A PICTORIAL STUDY OF SEISMIC DAMAGE AND THE USE OF PROPER SAFEGUARDS On an early January morning in 1994, the Northridge area of Southern California was shaken by an earthquake that measured 6.6 on the Richter scale and lasted approximately 30 seconds. The repercussions are still being felt throughout the engineering community After billions of…

Pipe Support Systems

PIPE RISER SUPPORT SYSTEM By: Steve Fey Senior Field Application Engineer Supporting pipe risers subject to thermal expansion and contraction in hi-rise HVAC Systems has presented tremendous problems to the Design Engineer. Standard carbon steel piping expands or contracts at a rate of 0.8” (20 mm) per 100ft (30.5 m) per 100°F (37.8°C), so pipe…

HVAC Engineering – VCS

To The Specifying Engineer: In 1962 we introduced our first “HVAC ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION.” While the 1962 approach was very well received and filled a void, it was made up of many individual specifications rather than presented in an organized format.It had no meaningful minimum static deflection guide and engineers found it hard to work with.…

ASHRAE Lecture

First Presented at the Fall Lecture Series NOISE AND VIBRATION PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS New York Chapter-A.S.H.R.A.E. November 1966 Condensed & Published in Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News – 1-29-68 Until a very few years ago the vibration isolator recommendations for air conditioning equipment were more a matter of tradition than science. It was well…

BUILDING ISOLATION

BUILDING ISOLATION Noise and vibration isolators are used to prevent the downward transmission of vibration from a machine to a structure, the upward transfer from the structure to a sensitive machine or to isolate a complete building from ground vibration. Ground vibration may be generated by above ground or under ground passenger or freight trains,…

ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING

ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING We have been floating floors, resiliently suspending ceilings and isolating walls for close to 45 years. The need for this acoustical reinforcement has been well established in textbooks, sales literature and acoustical engineering recommendations. Therefore, we thought it would be helpful to offer a handbook of specific methods and suggested specifications rather than…

SEISMIC ENGINEERING

Seismic Engineering Our company started calling on West Coast engineering firms as early as 1960. We opened our L.A. sales and applications office in 1965 when it became important to provide local service to the most seismically active parts of the country in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska as well as Vancouver, Canada. Very few…