An Australian made polymer formwork product has been proven to withstand earthquakes up to a Magnitude 9 on the Richter Scale.

The Dincel Construction System, a patented formwork that clicks into position to build structural walls and columns, underwent two years of testing at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Results show that its polymer encapsulation can withstand collapsing walls during an earthquake.

According to inventor Burak Dincel, a practising structural engineer, the majority of casualties during an earthquake are caused by falling partition walls between columns.

“These walls are mainly masonry type infill walls. Worldwide expert consensus is that the safest structure to protect against earthquake damage is the monolithic style structure – a concrete load bearing wall system,” explains Dincel.

“Earthquake forces are distributed along the walls rather than being concentrated at the columns, and there are no masonry style infill walls to collapse during an earthquake.”

The construction system was designed for “extreme conditions” and is the world’s first structural wall that has been proven by the CSIRO to be a waterproof solution that resists corrosion and ‘concrete cancer’, making it suitable for subterranean, underwater and chemical environments.

As a load bearing wall system, it also helps achieve up to a 50 per cent reduction in construction time, and up to a 40 per cent reduction in the cost of multi-level apartment construction.

It was recently awarded the Best Environmental Practice (BEP) Approval Mark after meeting the Green Building Council Best Practice Guidelines for PVC. It is also cyclone and hurricane resistant.

Geraldine Chua

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