Natural phenomena are changes caused in an environment by the constant movement or transformation of ecosystems. However, there are some elements that pose a danger to human life, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and fires. These events can cause great devastation in cities and towns where large communities are located. For this reason, it is important to be prepared for any adverse circumstance that could pose a risk to the society in which we live. It is necessary that the constructions and materials we use have the necessary physical and chemical structure to withstand any type of adversities. Within this context, stainless steel has proven to be an ideal metal to benefit community life.
Hurricanes and earthquakes, main concepts
The word hurricane comes from the Mayan "hurakan", which was the name of a creator god. According to the legends of this pre-Hispanic culture, he sent his breath through the chaos that existed in the waters of the beginning and in this way created the Earth. Hurricanes are one of the most severe natural disasters that humans have had to face. It is a low pressure system with intense rain, a large load of electrical activity and extremely strong winds, which can reach a speed of 118 km/hr, which are the least intense, and up to 250 km/hr, which are the most intense.
Another phenomenon that can significantly impact human populations is earthquakes. This phenomenon is caused by the collision of tectonic plates found inside the planet. The main cause of this is the deformation of the large rocks or stones that are in an active fault and that release the potential energy that is accumulated, causing the great tremors that we already know.
Now, the hurricane season has certain defined months and this has helped to prevent the presence of these phenomena in much of the populations, preventing greater losses and protecting the lives of the inhabitants to a greater extent. The main dates are around June to November, in the areas that comprise the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. While within the Mexican Republic there are four defined seismic zones.
ZONE A: Represents the one with the least historical records of seismic movements in the last 80 years and where no ground movements greater than 10% are expected due to an earthquake.
ZONES B and C: These represent the intermediate zones, where earthquakes have occurred not so frequently; however, these do not exceed 70% of the acceleration in the ground.
ZONE D: In these zones the strongest earthquakes in the history of our country have occurred. Seismic movements occur frequently and ground acceleration exceeds 70% in various cases, causing great damage.
One of the things we need to know is that one of the most resistant materials and that offers certain advantages against natural phenomena is stainless steel. As it has excellent resistance and adaptability to a large number of environmental changes or within its composition.
Advantages and benefits of stainless steel in natural phenomena
Stainless steel provides three specific advantages that can help in the case of natural phenomena. For this reason, a large number of industries use this metal to build or manufacture their instruments or products.
It has great wind resistance. It is a material that can perfectly withstand the lifting by the intense winds of hurricanes. This represents a higher degree of safety for the inhabitants of any building when there is a season of intense rains or cyclones. There are various cases where this material has only received minor damage after a major hurricane.
Excellent adaptability and resistance to seismic movements. The resistance of stainless steel provides a higher degree of safety to structures and buildings, which benefits that there is little affectation when an earthquake occurs. This metal has excellent deformation behavior due to tension, which guarantees that it adapts to these intense movements and that the constructions manage to withstand this type of natural phenomena. A characteristic that carbon steels do not fully share.
Excellent fire resistance. Another outstanding aspect of this metal is that it has outstanding performance at high temperatures, something that other alloys cannot boast. An example of this is that stainless steel retains 60% rigidity when it is at 800 ° C. With this characteristic, the need for fire protection coatings can be reduced or even eliminated. With this alloy, severe structural damage can be avoided in constructions, in addition to ensuring greater protection in elements such as corridors and railings, which would help in the need for evacuation and access for firefighters.
At Ulbrinox we understand the importance of feeling safe where you live. That's why we are one of the leading suppliers of stainless steel in Mexico and Latin America. Get in touch with us! You can request a quote on this website or check our products. We specialize in providing global solutions.
