Is the 83-year-old Kaohsiung Diguan Station able to withstand a magnitude 7 earthquake? CRITICAL EXPOSURE | LIFE | CTWANT

The installation of seismic isolation components is completed and the Diguan Station is lowered and positioned. (Picture/Reprinted from Facebook/Kaohsiung New Car Front)

There have been frequent earthquakes in recent days, and the outside world is very curious about how Kaohsiung’s 83-year-old Imperial Station is able to avoid earthquakes. The fan magazine “Kaohsiung New Locomotive” pointed out that 38 foundations were installed with seismic isolation components that passed the test of the National Earthquake Engineering Research Center, allowing the Diguan Station to achieve an earthquake resistance level of 7 on the magnitude scale without falling.

The fan magazine “Kaohsiung New Locomotive” stated that in order to meet the earthquake resistance of Diguan Station, plans for structural reinforcement, shock absorption devices, and isolation devices were proposed. In the end, considering that Diguan Station had a cultural status, it was difficult to fully strengthen the structure, so it chose to adopt Sliding seismic isolation elements with good durability and high energy carrying capacity use relative displacement to reduce the impact of seismic forces on buildings.

Fenzhuan pointed out that the seismic isolation element is like replacing the Imperial Crown Station with a new knee joint. The upper plate is installed under the foundation of the Imperial Crown Station, the lower plate is installed on the structural foundation, and sliding blocks are placed between the upper and lower plates. When an earthquake force strikes, , the sliding block plays the role of a joint between the upper and lower plates, allowing the building to limit displacement and reducing the impact of earthquake forces on the building itself.

A total of 38 foundations have been installed with seismic isolation components that have passed the test of the National Earthquake Engineering Research Center, allowing the Diguan Station to achieve an earthquake resistance level of 5 on the scale that it will not be damaged, that it can be repaired if it is 6, and that it will not collapse if it is 7.

Fanzhuan mentioned that Emperor Crown Station uses a seismic isolation element system to confirm the structural safety, and isolates the continuity of the structural system of the underground station and Emperor Crown Station through seismic isolation elements. In order to provide allowable displacement caused by earthquake forces, Emperor Crown Station and “Seismic isolation joints” must be installed between new underground stations to avoid structural collisions while maintaining continuity of surrounding passages.