RESEARCH ON SEISMIC RESPONSE WITH IMPERMEABLE FOUNDATIONS

After the Friuli earthquake certain instances of the sliding of bridges were noticed. This was due to the very low coefficient of friction of the neoprene bearings. The observation led to research to study the behaviour in seismic conditions of buildings supported on foundations with an impermeable layer to see whether, and to what extent, there was any sliding of the building, and whether the sliding friction would damage the waterproof layer. This article describes the experiment and the plastics materials used. Laboratory results showed that the sudden sliding did not affect the impermeability function of the layer. (TRRL)