Acting like shock absorbers for buildings, BRB’s are used to reduce earthquake damage in buildings. New Zealand based Grayson Engineering are one of the few BRB manufacturers that supply BRB’s to the construction market across the globe. Due to their critical role in occupant and building protection BRB’s are subject to rigorous testing, prescribed by a range of international standards.

Designed to withstand extremely high forces and major deformation, buckling restrained brace (BRB) testing requires earthquake simulation loads to stretch and squash each brace. We are equipped to test BRB’s with design loads of up to 4.5MN and lengths in excess of 10 metres, our test apparatus can cope with any brace that Grayson need to make. The capacity and adaptability of our testing system coupled with our engineering knowledge and expertise is what led Grayson Engineering to choose us as their testing partner. We are proud to help Grayson Engineering make buildings safer for when the next big shake comes.

Did you know?

• The February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch resulted in the highest ground accelerations ever recorded internationally. The shaking caused significant damage to our home town, resulting in the collapse of two buildings and irreparable damage to hundreds of others (including our former office).
• A BRB works by allowing a reduced area of steel plate to yield in both tension and compression. The plate is surrounded by a rigid membrane (often cement grout) to prevent them from buckling when subjected to compression. This form of energy dissipation is defined as hysteretic yielding.

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