Evaluation of seismic izolator effect on hospital building performance

Today, seismic isolator applications are one of the most effective and up-to-date applications used to reduce the destructive effects of earthquakes significantly. Seismic isolator applications aim to minimize loss of life and material losses in large structures, public buildings, and especially important buildings that need to provide uninterrupted service after an earthquake. Seismic isolation applications and awareness of this issue started quite late in our country compared to the process in the world. This start came into question with the great destruction caused by the 1999 Gölcük and Adapazarı earthquakes in our country. Since seismic isolated structures can survive earthquakes without significant damage and important buildings such as health facilities need to be used immediately after the earthquake, the Ministry of Health has realized the importance of the issue and has made it mandatory to use seismic isolators in hospital buildings with more than 100 beds in 1st and 2nd-degree earthquake zones. Within the scope of this study, the earthquake performances and structural displacements of a hospital structure planned to be built in Kahramanmaraş province under different soil classes with and without isolators are examined, and the importance and effects of using seismic isolators in hospital structures are be discussed.