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Invisible threats: Why should buildings worry about environmental vibrations?
In the modern urban environment, many buildings are facing an invisible threat - environmental vibration. Most of these vibrations come from human activities, natural forces and other factors. They not only affect the comfort of the city, but may also pose potential risks to the structural safety of buildings.
Seismic noise is a common term in related fields such as geophysics and civil engineering. This continuous vibration of the ground comes from various sources and is usually regarded as noise or unexplained signal components.
According to relevant research, low-frequency vibrations (usually referred to as microtremors below 1Hz) are mainly caused by natural phenomena, such as ocean waves and wind, while high-frequency vibrations (higher than 1Hz) are mostly caused by human activities, such as traffic or industry caused by work. These environmental vibrations not only cause inconvenience to the public, but may also cause potential damage to building structures.
Sources of environmental vibration
Research has found that the main causes of low-frequency vibrations are natural phenomena such as ocean waves and wind. High-frequency vibrations are largely related to human activities, including construction, industry, and transportation. Apart from this, there are some other natural sources such as the flow of rivers.
In some cases, human activities, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can strongly reduce seismic noise and attract the attention of researchers because this can reveal the connection between human activities and environmental vibrations.
In addition to human activities and the natural environment, certain special circumstances, such as trampling by fans at sports games, can also have a significant impact on the environment. With the advancement of science and technology, scientists are paying more and more attention to these vibrations and have begun to study their characteristics and potential applications.
Impact on buildings
Buildings, whether bridges, buildings or dams, are affected by environmental vibrations. These vibrations will cause resonance and increase the fatigue of the structure. In the long run, they may cause serious structural damage.
The vibration properties of buildings are often studied by operating modal analysis (OMA), which provides important data to help engineers understand how a building will behave in a variety of environments.
Although artificial vibration technology has some applications in building assessments, recent research shows that environmental vibration technology has excellent potential, especially at a relatively low cost as recording equipment and computational methods improve. , can provide reliable estimates.
Scientific research and application
In the scientific field, environmental vibration recording technology has been widely used to explore geological structures, safety monitoring and other related research. Using these techniques, scientists can conduct extensive studies from sediments to underground structures, helping to better understand the impact of earthquakes on buildings.
In the 1990s, array methods based on environmental vibration data began to be applied more deeply. This process opened up a new situation in the study of structural properties around buildings.
In addition to engineering applications, these vibrations can also be used as indirect indicators of economic development. As the pandemic changes patterns of human activity, it's giving researchers new perspectives on how to interpret shock data.
Conclusion
Environmental vibration is an issue that cannot be ignored for modern buildings. As urban modernization accelerates, we must think about how to effectively monitor and respond to this hidden threat to ensure the safety and stability of buildings. This question is thought-provoking: Can we protect our buildings and living environment from the increasing impact of environmental shocks?
