Hurricanes and earthquakes inflict billions of dollars in damages on a yearly basis. Professor Moussa Leblouba, affiliated with the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, has conceived a groundbreaking solution. This energy dissipation device officially secured a U.S. patent in December of last year. Experts view this innovation as a cost-effective substitute for expensive and complex protection infrastructures.
Standard seismic isolators currently in use, such as fluidic dampers or malleable metallic mechanisms, are quite costly to manufacture and frequently become unusable after the very first significant incident (due to leaks or structural deformation).
Professor Leblouba’s creation comprises a hollow cylinder packed tightly with small spheres, inside which a shaft fitted with rods moves. Vibrations compel the shaft to oscillate, causing the rods to push through the mass of balls. The resulting friction between the components converts into heat, which is either dissipated or harnessed for power generation.
The system has already undergone laboratory evaluations, yielding excellent outcomes. According to the inventor, the apparatus requires no electrical power and maintains its functionality even subsequent to enduring extreme stress levels.
By April 2026, the inventor’s team aims to conduct large-scale trials on shake tables utilizing scale models of actual structures. Specialists will investigate variations in the material composition of the spheres and the geometry of the rods to customize the damper for diverse construction types, including residential buildings, precision equipment, and so forth.
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