How Strong is a MAS™ Structure?”
It will be the last structure standing after a nuclear explosion!
It is an interesting fact that the only intact portion of any structure left standing near ground zero at Hiroshima were the concrete arch supports that supported the once spectacular dome apex of an exhibition hall. All MAS™ structures are supported by dual bisecting concrete arches which create the overwhelming integral and monolithic strength necessary to stand up to such an explosion.
MAS™ structures are made of 100% reinforced concrete using Helix micro-rebar which significantly outperforms regular concrete in both near field and far field blast tests. The only buildings that weren’t completely destroyed within miles of the Hiroshima nuclear blast were a small number of structures that were constructed of reinforced concrete. However, these were mostly destroyed due to the excess tension in the concrete created from the enormous blast pressure equivalent to 16 kilotons of TNT. Still, some of the concrete that remained in compression was not destroyed or fragmented.
The MAS™ structural components are designed to have the vast majority of sections remain in compression during wind, snow, and seismic loading The forces created from earthquakes do not come close to the engineered strength of a MAS™ structure during normal use. However, in times of disasters, it would take forces many times those that the MAS™ structures are designed to handle, before a failure would occure.
Normal re-bar in concrete does not play any role in tensile strength until AFTER the concrete has failed. I.e. re-bar is used to prevent catastrophic failure but can only do this once a failure HAS taken place. This is the same manner in which a fire extinguisher is used to put out or stop the spread of fire, but it does NOT prevent a fire in the first place. MAS™ structures are designed with a hybrid composite of both re-bar AND Helix. Helix is the worlds ONLY micro re-bar. Helix provides tensile strength PRIOR to concrete failure thus making concrete more ductile and failure resistant. In fact Helix offers 400% greater shear strength than re-bar.
Exhibition hall near Ground Zero Hiroshima Nuclear Explosion
Courtesy of Kevin Uebelein