MTS Helps University Protect Architectural Heritage In Latin America

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MTS Systems Corporation (NASDAQ: MTSC), a leading global supplier of high-performance test systems, motion simulators and sensors, today announced a research collaboration with the Sismo Lab at Universidad Mariano Gálvez in Guatemala City, Guatemala to create seismic simulation solutions that will help predict and minimize earthquake damage to historical buildings.

Architectural heritage preservation through structural retrofitting is a critical civil engineering responsibility that is gaining attention from governments and researchers globally. To maintain cultural relevancy, the buildings, structures and monuments that have stood for centuries need to be protected from natural disasters and preserved for future generations. MTS and the Universidad Mariano Gálvez are addressing this need for disaster risk reduction with systems and models that simulate seismic events and thereby enable structural retrofitting of historical constructions in Latin America.

With the goal of protecting significant structures, the university's research team built a 1:8.75 adobe scale model of the Church of San Raymundo, a beautiful colonial church that was previously damaged by the famous 1976 Guatemala earthquake. The model was placed on an MTS seismic simulation system and instrumented with accelerometers and deformation sensors to record the structure's behavior when subjected to simulation of the 7.5 moment magnitude 1976 quake. Through the data gathered from this simulation, engineers will be able to stabilize and reinforce the Church of San Raymundo and proactively predict the earthquake resistance of other historical landmarks.

The research team used the simulation results to validate mathematical models that will help determine the dynamic behavior of similar structures, providing important input for future retrofit and disaster risk reduction plans. The project's research findings were presented at the International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions in Cuzco, Peru.

"MTS is pleased to help architectural preservationists and engineers find ways to retrofit irreplaceable historical buildings to make sure they remain standing for future generations to enjoy," states Dr. Jeffrey Graves, MTS President and CEO. "For several years, MTS seismic simulators have been used to evaluate new construction technologies, and determine the likely effects of seismic activity on existing buildings and infrastructure. Now, MTS looks forward to using this technology in future opportunities to stabilize and protect culturally significant treasures and World Heritage landmarks."

About MTS Systems Corporation MTS Systems Corporation's testing and simulation hardware, software and services solutions help customers accelerate and improve their design, development and manufacturing processes and are used for determining the mechanical behavior of materials, products and structures. MTS' high-performance sensors provide measurements of vibration, pressure, position, force and sound in a variety of applications. MTS had 3,400 employees as of September 29, 2018 and revenue of $778 million for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018. Additional information on MTS can be found at: http://www.mts.com

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SOURCE MTS Systems Corporation