{"id":6866,"date":"2021-06-25T11:24:02","date_gmt":"2021-06-25T09:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/update.phoenixcontact.com\/news\/when-the-wall-shakes\/"},"modified":"2021-06-25T11:24:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-25T09:24:05","slug":"when-the-wall-shakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/update.phoenixcontact.com\/en\/when-the-wall-shakes\/","title":{"rendered":"When the wall shakes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Mother Earth discovers her archaic nature, man becomes very small. Earthquakes are an elementary force of nature against which hardly any protection is possible. It is therefore all the more important that those affected are warned as early as possible and can get to safety. In Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia, an early warning device has been developed that can ensure the crucial time needed for this.<\/p>\n\n

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Demonstration of the Secty lifePatron<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to earthquakes, one thinks of huge catastrophes, tidal waves and colliding earth plates. Our planet’s interior is much less explored than, say, the surface of the Moon, Mars or other distant celestial bodies. If the Earth’s crust, which is perceived to be so safe, moves all at once, it causes panic at the mildest, and hundreds of thousands die at the worst. And predicting such an event is considered impossible.<\/p>\n\n

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J\u00fcrgen Przybylak<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

In search of the company Secty electronics<\/a>, I drove and walked past the building three times. Expecting a large research center or at least an imposing start-up with glass and marble, I smoothly overlooked the doorbell button on a side street in the Ruhrpott town of Castrop-Rauxel. With a friendly hello, the door is opened and I am prevented from looking any further. And poof, I find myself in the heart of a global company that can save millions of lives and still doesn’t exceed the footprint of an average two-room apartment. <\/p>\n\n

Two inconspicuous-looking basic modules of the “secty lifePatron” are waiting on the table in the meeting room. As its developer and company boss J\u00fcrgen Przybylak explains to me, this is the main control unit that houses the entire intelligence with the mathematical algorithm of earthquake detection, distributed between masters and submasters. But before we get to the devices, Przybylak first explains the basics of earthquake science: <\/p>\n\n

Earthquakes warn of itself<\/h4>\n\n

“Every earthquake consists of a primary and a secondary wave. These wave movements of the earth’s surface occur when tensions in the earth’s crust are released, whether by continental plate movements, volcanic eruptions, explosions or even collapses of large cavities. The primary wave, the so-called p-wave, always runs ahead. It is not perceptible to humans. Only the secondary or s-wave that follows has the destructive potential. The p-wave travels twice as fast as the s-wave, so it always reaches the respective location first. The time difference between the appearance of the harmless p-wave and the destructive s-wave depends on the distance to the place of origin, the epicenter and the depth of the quake.”<\/p>\n\n

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You can tell that the 62-year-old technician is a well-traveled expert who is used to looking at initially incredulous faces. “Everyone always expects at least one professor when I present our solution,” he smiles mischievously. The down-to-earth globetrotter has long since stopped being afraid of an audience: “After all, I know about the quality of our product.” Przybylak is a convincing ambassador<\/a> of the Secty lifePatron. <\/p>\n\n