1. Introduction

It is a well-known fact that in some countries, for example, Japan, earthquakes are an unfortunate fact of life, so it is not surprising that local construction companies keep looking for a way to protect their buildings. Some of them rely on thermoplastic carbon-fibre composite, which consists of inorganic, synthetic fibres covered with a finish of thermoplastic resin. Its unique tensile strength then makes this material one of the world’s lightest but also strongest seismic reinforcement systems.  Some other anti-seismic systems use seismic dampers fitted inside the walls of buildings. These dampers consist of pistons inside cylinders filled with a viscous fluid such as oil, so that as the wall moves, the piston can push into the fluid and this movement absorbs some of the kinetic energy of the wall.

            This unit deals with the latter option; however, as this is a new system and it is not clear to what extent the dampers are effective, some simulation tests are necessary. Unit 10a describes how the dampers are used during an earthquake simulation to see if the absorption of kinetic energy is sufficient to protect the building from damage. This context is used to introduce, or rather, revise hyphenated noun phrases. Why? You will see that they are useful tools for making a technical text/report concise, i.e. shorter (briefer) but still fully understandable. And these are undoubtedly qualities that are typical of a technical text.

Introduction adapted from:

Bingham, C., Wright, L. (2013). Technical English Level 4 Teacher´s Book. Pearson Longman, p. 97.

https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/rtf-fresh-perspectives/a1072-10-innovative-construction-materials-used-around-the-world/

https://aquicore.com/blog/10-new-materials-changing-commercial-construction/

 

Contents 

  • Reading about various destructive test methods
  • Grammar revision: Hyphenated adjectives as part of noun phrases: a motion-detecting device