Damper configurations

The RESTON®SA shock absorbers of the administration building of the ITESM university in Guadalajara illustrate how differently such seismic dampers can be used in the same structure

In order to comply with increasingly stringent seismic protection regulations, the Guadalajara campus of the ITESM (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey) university required to have its main administration building retrofitted with suitably designed seismic protection devices. It was decided to use shock absorbers of the RESTON®SA type, installed at 84 locations. These were designed by mageba with a load capacity of 100 kN and to accommodate movements of +/-75 mm. They were then manufactured at mageba’s Shanghai subsidiary, with testing in accordance with EN 15129 carried out at the in-house Sismalab seismic testing laboratory. mageba then provided advisory services during the installation process, which was very sensible considering the various configurations arising throughout the structure. While most of mageba’s past projects in Mexico involving retrofitting of RESTON®SA shock absorbers have required the devices to be simply installed in diagonal bracing – as was the case on the Cibeles Tower, the Telmex Lerma Building and the Ministry of Economy’s Executive Tower, for example – this project additionally features the dampers installed with less usual “chevron” and “scissor jack” configurations.

Thanks to the high quality of the design and fabrication of the devices, coupled with the on-site expertise of mageba’s local team, the shock absorbers are ready to protect the building during any future earthquakes – regardless of how they have been used in the building’s complex seismic protection design.

Building designer: WSP
Client: IGNIA BIENES RAICES S. DE R.L. DE C.V. (IBR)
Owner: Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM)

The main administration building of the Guadalajara campus of the ITESM (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey) university

While some of the 84 RESTON®SA shock absorbers were simply incorporated into diagonal bracing, others were installed as horizontal members in so-called “chevron” bracing designs

More of the RESTON®SA dampers were installed in “scissor jack” configurations – a far less common way of using shock absorbers for seismic protection of buildings

mageba technicians were on site to supervise the installation of the dampers – a valuable contribution considering some non-standard applications

Incorporation of RESTON®SA shock absorbers in the diagonal bracing of the Cibeles Tower in Mexico City

RESTON®SA shock absorbers have also been installed in the standard diagonal fashion in Telmex’s Lerma Building in Mexico City

Another project in Mexico City featuring RESTON®SA shock absorbers incorporated in the building’s diagonal bracing is the Ministry of Economy’s Executive Tower

Testing of RESTON®SA shock absorbers for the ITESM Guadalajara project at mageba’s Sismalab testing facility in China