A full-scale seismic isolation test facility being built in Hyogo Prefecture by Kyoto University, Tokyo Institute of Technology and a research body for seismic isolation with government support will be put into operation next fiscal year starting April. Equipped with the world's top-rated large load capacity and large horizontal deformation capability, the facility will be capable of conducting experiments and performance verification. This will be the first full-scale test facility of its kind in Japan.

"E-Isolation" will be installed at the Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center, or E-Defense in Miki City operated by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, NIED. The testing device consists of a shaker table, reaction force beam, reaction force wall, and measuring equipment. The facility is expected to be used for research and development of seismic isolation and vibration control structures, performance verification tests of seismic isolation and vibration control components in actual projects, and overseas research and development.

The facility is a two-story steel structure with a total floor area of 1,658 square meters. Taisei Corporation is in charge of design and construction and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is building the machinery. The cost of the testing facility is approximately 6 billion yen. It is scheduled to be completed this year, and after completion, Tokyo Tech will own the machine and the research organization Japan Seismic Isolation Laboratory will be in charge of its operation. (2023/02/21)