Main Standards Worldwide and Comparison with the European Standard

This chapter compares the main global standards in the field of anti-seismic devices. Three standards in particular are taken into consideration: the European, the United States, and the international ISO standard for elastomeric isolators. Even if the number of standards considered may seem small, it must be considered that almost all those existing in the world derive from these. The comparison is made by comparing the extent of the standards, the type of experts who prepared them, the criteria for quality assurance, and the testing requirements. Ample space is dedicated to the comparison between the recentering requirements of the isolators between the European regulations and the American ones, which are based on totally different principles.