Rethinking Seismic

Rethinking Seismic

WorkSafe Technologies’ ISO-Base Platforms Provide A Safe, Simple Alternative To Anchoring & Bolting Equipment

It doesn’t take a big earthquake to cause a lot of damage. In fact, that’s one of the misconceptions about the Richter Scale, says Don Hubbard, owner of WorkSafe Technologies.

“The concern is what the energy in the ground can do to your building.” During an earthquake, that energy has to go somewhere. “If your equipment is bolted, the energy is going to go right into your racks and shake the daylights out of the system.”

WorkSafe got its start in seismic protection by bolting and bracing equipment, which is what many data centers still do today. “We realized that wasn’t good enough,” Hubbard says, so WorkSafe developed the idea of using isolation on equipment. Today, the company’s ISO-Base seismic isolation platforms are installed in 26 countries, protecting more than $200 billion worth of equipment.

ISO-Base works using a patented Ball-N-ConeTM bearing that consists of two plates with matching conical recesses sandwiched over a steel ball bearing. In the event of an earthquake, the platform rolls smoothly and evenly and then re-centers once shaking or vibration has stopped.

The ISO-Base platform works with server racks and cabinets, storage units, and virtually any sensitive or valuable equipment. The modular product can accommodate almost any setup, and multiple ISO-Base platforms can be connected with tubing, easily accommodating data centers with hot-aisle/cold-aisle layouts. The open frame design allows room for cooling tubes, air circulation, and cable management.

“People still bolt things down,” Hubbard says. “But if they have to move a cabinet, it’ll get undone and never put back in place.” ISO-Base platforms don’t require bolting, anchoring, or drilling, making them easy to reconfigure and redeploy.

WorkSafe Technologies ISO-Base

  • Ideal for racks, cabinets, and any sensitive equipment
  • Sleek design requires no bolting or anchoring, so equipment can be easily moved and redeployed
  • Source: http://www.processor.com/article/16979/rethinking-seismic

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