Cooperation in earthquake engineering

The earthquake load case and the associated challenges in plant and equipment construction require solid knowledge of earthquake engineering, even in Germany with its low earthquake risk. The earthquake scenario has a completely different dimension for projects in earthquake-prone foreign countries. Countries such as the USA, Turkey, New Zealand, Chile and Japan are highly active earthquake regions. As a planner, manufacturer and operator in plant construction, you are responsible for earthquake verification and therefore the earthquake safety of the plant components and equipment. Correct seismic design for the local earthquake risk in accordance with national seismic standards is essential. In seismically active areas, earthquake verification may be required not only for stability, but also for an earthquake assessment of operational safety.

A wide range of earthquake damage from the past shows: Earthquake engineering requires a high level of experience and expertise. Merkle CAE Solutions GmbH and Ingenieurbüro Pinkawa (www.erdbebeningenieur.de) will cooperate in the future in the field of earthquake engineering of complex systems and components. This means that you will benefit from our combined expertise in quasi-static and dynamic earthquake calculations and standard-compliant earthquake verifications.

Marius Pinkawa graduated from RWTH Aachen University in 2012 with a degree in civil engineering, specializing in structural engineering. He then worked on various international earthquake projects at the Institute of Steel Construction and later at the Center for Wind and Earthquake Engineering (CWE) at RWTH Aachen University for almost nine years.

During this time, Mr. Pinkawa gained in-depth experience in a wide range of earthquake topics:

• Earthquake behavior of industrial plants and plant components
• Innovative earthquake-resistant structural concepts
• Earthquake design of high-bay warehouses in silo construction
• Bridge structures under earthquake load
• Earthquake loading of non-load-bearing components
• Earthquake tests (cyclic earthquake tests and shaking table tests)
• Earthquake protection devices / earthquake protection systems
• Earthquake simulations (static, response spectra, pushover, time history)

Fully dedicated to earthquake engineering, Mr. Pinkawa founded his own engineering office in 2021, specializing in earthquake load cases, and offers earthquake engineering services at erdbebeningenieur.de. He passes on his knowledge of earthquake design, which he acquired 15 years ago as a student assistant, in the form of consulting activities and training courses to engineers who work on projects in earthquake regions and therefore have to consider the special load case of earthquakes.

This is what Mr. Pinkawa says about the partnership in the field of earthquake engineering:

"Merkle CAE Solutions GmbH and erdbebeningenieur.de will be working closely together in future when it comes to complex earthquake projects. As a highly specialized but small engineering office, I have occasionally reached the limits of my capacity in the past and had to turn down highly interesting project inquiries with a heavy heart. With Merkle CAE Solutions GmbH, I have a strong partner at my side with many years of project experience and comprehensive capacities in the field of earthquake calculation and FE simulation. Combined with my specialist knowledge in earthquake engineering, the result is a powerful partnership for solving highly complex earthquake projects even more successfully, both nationally and internationally."

Merkle CAE Solutions GmbH also says: "The symbiosis of earthquake expertise and experience, FE specialist knowledge and simulation routine, manpower, computing power and software equipment sets the ideal course for the timely processing of highly complex special projects in earthquake engineering!"

Do you need an earthquake calculation for your supporting structures, plant components and equipment?

We advise you on conformity with national and international earthquake standards or other earthquake specifications so that you can take the earthquake load case into account at an early stage in the design and sales process.

Regardless of which earthquake standard you have to comply with, in Germany, Europe or worldwide, we support you in determining the local earthquake load and take care of the standard-compliant earthquake design of your plant components and equipment!

Whether structural seismic standards (Eurocode 8 (EC 8, EN 1998), ASCE 7, NCh2367, NZS 1170. 5, AS 1170, ...); whether conventional or nuclear (KTA 2201, RCC-E, ...); whether mechanical or electrical components (ICC-ES AC156, IEC 60068-3-3, IEC 62271-207/210, IEEE 344, IEEE 693, ...) - we are at your side in the implementation of earthquake specifications for earthquake safety! Both in terms of stability during the design earthquake and functionality in the event of an earthquake load.

The special load case of earthquakes also poses a challenge for manufacturers and suppliers of, for example, switch cabinets, containers, silos or tanks in earthquake regions. We take care of the verification of earthquake safety so that you can concentrate on your core business.

With our capabilities, we cover the entire portfolio of earthquake calculations: From static earthquake equivalent loads (equivalent force method), to the mono- or multimodal response spectrum method, to dynamic earthquake simulations (time history method).

As part of an earthquake design, we ensure that your supporting structures, plant, equipment, machinery and infrastructure facilities have sufficient earthquake resistance. We evaluate the earthquake behavior of existing systems and, if necessary, suggest measures for earthquake retrofitting such as the use of earthquake protection systems (basic insulation, damping, vibration damping). To ensure the functionality of your components after an earthquake event, we carry out a seismic qualification (earthquake assessment).

Please contact us if you are planning projects in seismic areas and would like support in determining the seismic loads to be applied and the seismic design in accordance with the regulations.

My team and I are very much looking forward to working with Marius Pinkawa!