In the past year, two significant events drew attention to the critical importance of robust seismic solutions. On April 3rd, 2024, an earthquake struck Taiwan, highlighting the necessity of seismic structures. Thanks to the correct construction of buildings, laboratories, and particularly cleanrooms, operations were able to continue without interruption, without stopping production of pharmaceutical products or tech-products. This event unveiled the resilience of well-engineered structures in maintaining operational continuity even in the face of natural disasters. Few days later, on April 5th, 2024, a smaller earthquake occurred in New Jersey. Although less severe, it served as a reminder that seismic activity can affect any region, reinforcing the need to safeguard cleanroom environments. Protecting these spaces is crucial not only for the safety of personnel but also for ensuring the integrity of production processes. Our new seismic system is designed to meet these challenges head-on. It has been rigorously tested and proven to maintain cleanroom functionality during and after an earthquake, ensuring that operational data remains consistent. This innovation guarantees that cleanrooms remain secure and productive, regardless of seismic activity.
It is often the collapse of nonstructural parts of buildings that causes the most serious damage during an earthquake event, as demonstrated by what happened during the tragic earthquake in L’Aquila (Abruzzo, Italy), in2009. At that time, the San Salvatore hospital was closed because of the impact that the earthquake had had on the internal partitions, false ceilings, electrical system and external walls. In contrast, the damage to the structural components was overall much more limited. The non-structural parts are divided into three main classes, namely acceleration- and velocity sensitive elements such as cabinets and network servers; the latter are displacement sensitive (piping); others are both acceleration- and displacement-sensitive: the interior partitions.
Preventing an earthquake from causing human casualties is the main objective of any design and construction activity; no less important is ensuring -especially for hospitals and the pharma and medical industries- that professional activities continue without interruption. Nor can a calculation of the economic losses that the collapse of non-structural parts can generate be neglected in such a context. Drawing on literature and other previous international experiences, Professor and engineer Gennaro Magliulo has been and is dealing with all this. He works at the Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture at the University of Naples Federico II as well as for the Italian National Research Council (CNR) at the Institute for Construction Technology. Quoting Stanford University, Magliulo noted that «the cost of non-structural elements significantly outweighs that of structural components, ranging from over 80 to over 90% of the total». Since they are designed for other purposes - and have different characteristics - they are exposed to severe damage even in the event of earthquakes of relatively modest intensity, «which in medium to high seismicity areas in Italy occur at least once during a building’s lifetime».
Non-structural elements are the cleanrooms, the beating hearts of drug development and production. Professor Magliulo dealt with them together with colleagues Martino Zito and Danilo D’Angela in a recent article entitled Dynamic identification and seismic capacity of an innovative cleanroom with walkable ceiling system published in the Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (doi.org/10.1007/s10518-024-01895-z). «Cleanrooms- the three academics wrote, also based on the results of previous studies - are often highly vulnerable and exposed to damage caused by seismic actions, as evidenced by the2012 Emilia earthquake. Cleanroom partitions showed severe seismic damage, such as cracks and collapses of plasterboard panels and failures of ceiling-mounted equipment. This caused significant damage to the cleanroom facilities themselves and required a major rehabilitation of structures and equipment before production could resume. Seismic damage to cleanrooms can put human lives at risk and cause serious economic consequences due to damage and downtime». The Neapolitan professor had argued all this in a previous study titled The importance of seismic protection of nonstructural elements in a hospital environment where he had already recalled what happened in the highly specialized area of Mirandola (Modena).
In that event, «almost all the victims were caused by the collapse of non-structural elements, i.e. the closing panels of industrial buildings through which the escape routes from these buildings are constructed. In some of the collapsed structures, medicines were produced and in others, medicines from different countries around the world we restored». As a result, «the collapse of these buildings resulted in the interruption of the supply of some essential products for several days». The index is not only pointed at the rubble that can fall on people, but also at the dust that is formed from the collapses and can cause death by suffocation. This was the casein the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan: subsequent analyses showed that more than 60% of the deaths had been caused precisely by dust, which was also lethal in Amatrice (Italy) 21years later. Professor Magliulo became interested in the safety and operational continuity of clean rooms, following up with his team their qualification tests on a 3 x 3 meter (approx 10 x10ft) vibrating table.
«Cleanrooms - says the Professor - are critical and strategic environments for the development of drugs and vaccines, meticulously designed to prevent contamination by external agents such as dust. At Federico II, in collaboration with the Italian industrial group Mangini, renowned for producing modular cleanrooms (recently joined by Nicomac Europe), we addressed and successfully resolved a significant challenge: ensuring their uninterrupted functionality while safeguarding against collapse, which could endanger both personnel and materials. This issue is particularly pertinent in advanced and industrialized regions, where any interruption in plant operations, equipment functionality, or structural integrity incurs substantial restoration costs. As a result of an intense design effort, we developed patented, cost-effective elements and technologies, integrating them into cleanroom structures to withstand seismic activity of the highest magnitude on Italian soil». Tests carried out on Nicos-Mangini’s earthquake-proof cleanrooms involved simulations of escalating seismic intensities, assessing predetermined operational parameters to validate and certify their effectiveness. Performance standards were correlated with specific levels of acceleration, and even when subjected to maximum acceleration levels, operational functionality remained uncompromised. Despite noticeable displacement and acceleration during seismic events, the cleanrooms maintained operability, ensuring work continuity once the effects of seismic shocks subsided.
Gennaro Magliulo and his collaborators also took the air pressure into account - it must be greater inside than outside a cleanroom - and found that there were no noticeable variations between the pre- and post earthquake phases. Similarly, the correct opening and closing of personnel and material entrance doors were checked. «This is the groundbreaking first time ever - he remarked- that such specific tests that are also applicable to more extreme seismic activity (such as those in the Middle East or the Circumpacific belt) are conducted on cleanrooms. This certification model echoes experiences in California and elsewhere, and is poised to evolve into a comprehensive European protocol. Central to these tests are specially designed vibrating tables created ad hoc at our university: they create bidirectional accelerations and represent the floor where the cleanrooms are mounted. This is an expensive technology that has been gradually implemented over the years. From the point of view of the reliability of the results, a lot depends on the input, i.e. the accelerometer signal provided, which in real events differs depending on where - i.e. in what country or region of the globe, in what type of building and on what floor - the cleanroom is located. It is important, therefore, that the signal used for seismic certification is all-inclusive and internationally recognized and accepted: therein lies the essence of the protocol». The vibrating tables utilized in Naples have broader applications beyond cleanroom testing, facilitating evaluations of largescale architectural projects. Within the university’s facilities, the cleanroom environment is faithfully replicated, utilizing steel structures and appropriate connections, ensuring realistic testing conditions.
Translating the experiences gained by Professor Magliulo in the laboratories of the Federico II University in Naples into practice was the Nicos-Mangini Group, whose president - and Nicomac’s Chief - Massimo Mangini elaborated on the project’s developments and outcomes to NCF International
When and how did the results of the research and tests conducted by Professor Magliulo start to become an integral part of your work?
"Our relationship with Professor Magliulo and the Federico II University of Naples began back in 2013, when we started the paperwork for the assessment of the seismic behaviour of our mobile partition walls. With the first vibration table test, which took place in2015 on our modular walls, Nicos-Mangini was the first company internationally to offer modular partition systems with seismic certification. This was followed by numerous other dynamic test campaigns aligning with international protocol AC 156,across various Nicos-Mangini products for diverse applications, from hospitals to schools, airports, and public facilities where safety requirements are highly restrictive and binding. In recent years, in compliance with the NTC 2018 technical standards (check the QR Code),our company has obtained earthquake-proof certification for cleanrooms, following numerous vibration table tests, the last of which took place in 2021. They verified the certified performance as SD0 (Damage Status 0, i.e. with no interruption of functionality) for contamination-controlled environments. Even today, we believe we can define ourselves as the only company in the world able to propose integrated cleanroom systems - walls, ceilings and related systems -with specific earthquake-proof certification."
What are the criticalities and opportunities given, from the point of view of securing on-structural elements, by acting on new and under construction contamination-controlled plants or on existing structures to be modified?
"In new construction, challenges are minimal as seismic solutions are integrated into the design process. The seismic solution is customized to each individual project by studying the layout and using the patented tools certified and tested on a vibrating table according to the international AC156 protocol. The related opportunities are obvious as they relate to compliance with current legislation and therefore by its very nature binding, to respect for the safety of workers - a fundamental element in itself -allowing personnel to work in safe environments, and finally to the protection of the investment made. This is because in the event of a seismic event, not only is the safety of the systems guaranteed, but also the continuity of work is allowed, thus avoiding damaging downtime of production cycles. The criticalities inherent in preexisting structures, if not built with earthquake-proof products, are considerable. Specific analyses should be carried out on each individual project and possible solutions studied. A process that could therefore be lengthy, costly, and risky. Obviously, there are no opportunities in such a scenario. However, for additions to existing buildings, integrating earthquake-resistant systems for new installations remains viable."
Which projects that have been carried out so far can be cited as success stories and what are the future developments?
"For privacy reasons we cannot mention specific projects, but certainly the Nicos-Mangini Group’s basic choice is to be 100% compliant with the NTC 2018 standard, which is a State Law. Therefore, the Nicos-Mangini Group’s cleanroom projects include and integrate the certified seismic system."
Nicos Group, Inc.
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