Scientists develop steel-ball device to reduce earthquake damage without electricity

Scientists have developed a new mechanical device designed to reduce earthquake damage in buildings and bridges without relying on electricity, offering a potential solution for disasters that trigger both violent shaking and power outages.

The patented system, created by civil engineering professor Moussa Leblouba at the University of Sharjah, uses a hollow steel cylinder filled with solid steel balls to absorb and dissipate vibration energy through friction. Researchers say the device could help protect structures and sensitive equipment during earthquakes, strong winds, and other sources of intense vibration.

According to a United States patent, the device dissipates vibration energy through friction generated between steel balls and rods. Early laboratory tests reported an effective damping ratio of around 14 percent.

How the steel-ball device works

The invention is not based on computers, sensors, or smart-building technology. Instead, it functions like a mechanical shock absorber, with a central shaft moving back and forth inside a cylinder packed with steel balls.

When an earthquake, strong wind, train vibration, or industrial machine causes a structure to move, the shaft slides through the tightly packed spheres. Small rods attached to the shaft press against the balls, generating friction that converts part of the vibration energy into heat and internal movement inside the device, reducing the amount transferred to the structure itself.

Its simplicity is intentional. According to the inventor, the system operates through “pure physics,” relying on motion and contact rather than electronics, software, or an external power source.

Why friction-based damping matters

In earthquake engineering, the goal is not only to prevent buildings from collapsing but also to reduce swaying, twisting, and impact forces that can crack columns, damage walls, rupture utility lines, or dislodge sensitive equipment.

Engineers describe this process as “energy dissipation” — redirecting and absorbing vibration energy before it damages structural components. The concept is similar to how a car’s shock absorbers reduce the impact of bumps on the road.

Previous research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has identified passive dampers as systems capable of absorbing a portion of earthquake energy and reducing stress on structural elements.

Major disasters often trigger cascading failures, including power outages, communication breakdowns, and blocked transport routes. In such situations, protection systems that depend on continuous electricity can become vulnerable themselves.

The new device is entirely passive. According to the patent, its cylinder, steel balls, shaft, and rods are separable components, and the energy dissipation system requires no electrical power to function.

That feature could make it particularly valuable for critical infrastructure such as bridges, hospitals, laboratories, and communication facilities, where maintaining operational stability during emergencies is essential.