INTRODUCING THE ULTIMATE SAFEGUARD

The consistency of large seismic events in recent years has proved that infrastructure and people in earthquake-prone areas are constantly at risk. Earthquakes do, and will, strike without warning.

ONGUARD’s Founder and Managing Director, Will Lomax, stood alongside a winery owner in the aftermath of a 2013 Marlborough, New Zealand M6.6 earthquake, and witnessed thousands of liters of valuable, hard-earned wine disappear down the drain as a result of damage inflicted to the tanks. He vowed to create an engineering solution that would protect liquid processing and storage tanks from this kind of damage in the future. The result is ONGUARD, with cutting edge technology it's the first genuine seismic tank system specifically designed to protect liquid storage tanks and their contents from earthquake damage and loss.

Developed in New Zealand by structural engineers with first-hand experience of the destructive power of earthquakes, ONGUARD’s patented tension and compression system dissipates seismic energy in a controlled manner, keeping the tank and its contents protected.  

The integrated system is built to provide high levels of seismic risk mitigation with the ability to continuously withstand multiple aftershocks. It can be specified from the ground up with new tank installations, including tanks on stands, or retro-fitted to existing tanks to improve their earthquake performance and introduce much-needed resilience.

ONGUARD provides an unrivaled level of performance, protection and peace of mind.

THE PROBLEM:

Until now, tank design the world over has been based on design codes that were developed to protect only people, not property. Knowing from experience that failing to protect your facility and your product from earthquakes could be catastrophic for your business, ONGUARD has reversed this approach and created a system focused primarily on preventing earthquake damage and loss, knowing that in doing so people will be inherently protected too. The result is a system that provides protection from seismic activity, can be quickly and cheaply reset after an event, and minimizes the potential for negative impact to both lives and livelihoods.

HOW IT WORKS:

The ONGUARD anchors are welded to the tank around its base where it connects to the tank foundation or welded to the base of the tanks where they connect with the stands. During an earthquake, they prevent the tank from overturning by holding it down, whilst dissipating seismic energy through yielding of the anchors.

The energy dissipating element within each ONGUARD anchor acts as a seismic fuse. Once the fuse has done its job it can be inspected and if needed quickly, easily and cheaply replaced using everyday tools and with no specialist skills or experience. Full earthquake readiness is reinstated with minimal fuss.

RETRO-FITTING:

Existing tanks with traditional anchorages pose a great threat to your operations. While most older tanks don't meet modern design codes, this threat is greater still.

Using gathered information, ONGUARD engineers are able to calculate the earthquake strength of an existing tank system and quantify the level of earthquake risk that it poses. They can then specify a type and number of ONGUARD anchors that, when added around the base of the tank to replace the tank’s existing anchorage system, will activate in an earthquake before any other element of the system fails. The new ONGUARD anchors protect the remainder of the system from damage by introducing much-needed ductility and resilience, delivering improved earthquake resistance and performance, and giving you peace of mind.

As you would expect, by reducing your exposure to earthquake risk and the negative consequences of damage from seismic events, retro-fitting the ONGUARD seismic system to your existing tanks can provide tangible financial benefits in the form of reduced insurance premiums and deductibles.

ENGINEERING & DESIGN EXPERTISE:

ONGUARD was born out of the innovation hotbed of Christchurch, New Zealand, a city with a reputation for producing some of the world’s finest structural designers and earthquake engineering techniques. In recent times this capability has been further enhanced by the need to regroup and rebuild following the city’s own devastating earthquake. Behind ONGUARD’s innovative seismic technology lies a very capable and experienced team of structural engineers and designers with a reputation for thinking outside the box. By combining the very latest design tools and methods with their customary innovative thinking, 

ONGUARD’s engineers consistently provide their clients with exceptional results.

With many years of experience working in the wine industry, the ONGUARD team has amassed an impressive portfolio of winery infrastructure and process design. Its thorough understanding of the subtleties and nuances of the wine industry has been a key contributor to the success of the ONGUARD seismic system. The ONGUARD team speak the same language as winery owners, winemakers and cellar staff, and as a result are well placed to meet the industry’s needs.

THE ONGUARD VALUE PROPOSITION: