Newly patented device to help buildings withstand earthquakes and strong vibrations

A newly granted U.S. patent describes a new device designed to help protect buildings, infrastructure, and sensitive equipment from earthquakes, strong winds, and other vibrations caused by human activity. The device developed by civil engineering professor Moussa Leblouba aims to offer a simpler and more reliable alternative.

Energy-dissipation systems have become increasingly important in engineering as cities grow into areas that are more exposed to seismic activity and extreme weather. At the same time, many existing technologies are expensive, complicated to maintain, or depend on power sources that may fail during disasters. The concept behind the device is relatively simple. It uses a hollow cylinder filled with solid steel balls. A central shaft runs through the cylinder and is equipped with short rods that extend outward, somewhat like branches.

When the structure connected to the device starts to vibrate, the shaft moves back and forth inside the cylinder. As the rods move through the tightly packed steel balls, friction is created between the surfaces. This friction absorbs part of the vibration energy and helps reduce the motion that would otherwise travel through the structure. Early laboratory tests have shown encouraging results since the device achieved an effective damping ratio of around 14%, which is considered promising for a fully passive system.

One of the main advantages of the design is that it does not need any external power to function. It is also flexible in terms of application. By adjusting the number, size, and arrangement of the rods and steel balls, the device can be adapted for different types of structures or equipment. This means it could potentially be used in a range of settings—from tall buildings in earthquake-prone regions to delicate military or scientific instruments that must be protected from vibrations. Another notable feature is that the system can return to its original shape even after a strong event.

Following the positive results from the early laboratory experiments, the research team is preparing to move toward testing in more realistic conditions. So far, the device has shown stable performance for displacement movements between 1 and 5mm, with an average effective stiffness of about 5kN/mm—an important indicator for systems designed to limit structural damage during earthquakes.

The next stage of the project will focus on scaling the device so it can be used in larger structures and testing it under more realistic seismic conditions. This will likely include shake-table experiments using small structural models. At the same time, researchers are continuing to refine the internal design to improve performance across different operating environments.