The paper presents the results of the influence on shrinkage deformations of the adopted composition during the drying and firing of ceramic bricks made using rice husk and ash of the combined heat and power plant of the city of Kyzylorda of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The optimal values of the husk additives content and ash from thermal power plants in the studied compositions were determined. Ash dumps from thermal power plants (TPP) create environmental tension and pose a great threat to both the environment and human health. It was found that the hydro-removal ash from the thermal power plant mainly consists of oxides of silica (45.45…46.37 %) and alumina (16.62…17.70 %), there are oxides of calcium (1.66…2.20 %), magnesium (0.86…1.12 %), iron (2.98…3.41 %) and alkali metals (0.80…1.04 %). The composition of ceramic bricks based on loess-like loam, rice husks, and ash from thermal power plants was studied. The charge composition of the raw components of the “clay, TPP ash, and rice husk” brick: clay is 71…75 %, TPP ash is 18…22 %, and rice husk is 2…6 % of the total mass of the components of the raw mixture of ceramic bricks. The compressive strength of fired ceramic bricks was 11…12 MPa. According to the results of experimental studies, it was found that the increased concentration of rice husks in natural mixtures is characterized by a stable increase in ceramic mass drying cracks. The increase in time until the appearance of drying cracks is 100 up to 160 sec. The resulting ceramic brick in accordance with the developed composition has a low weight, good thermal properties and meets the standard requirements for ceramic bricks according to GOST 530-2012

This paper considers the issue related to the protection of buildings and structures against seismic influences and the prevention, exclusion, or reduction of seismic hazards. The catastrophic destruction of modern «earthquake-resistant» buildings in Turkey and Taiwan has shown that existing methods of strengthening and reinforcing structures are not perfect and require further study. Analysis of existing approaches to ensuring seismic resistance showed that seismic insulation and seismic suppression systems still do not have a scientific and technical justification for the effectiveness of their operation from the point of view of ensuring the stability of structures. The estimation-dynamic models of the «base-seismic insulation-structure» system developed to date do not always make it possible to simulate the joint work of their interaction during an earthquake and account for the transformation of the seismic impact on the structure. An alternative technique has been devised, a geotechnical seismic insulation screen, as a seismic insulation system that reduces the intensity of seismic loads on the structure and ensures its seismic resistance. In a specific example, the effectiveness of this seismic insulation system is confirmed. This seismic insulation technique in the form of damper screens is characterized by reliability and manufacturability in ensuring the seismic resistance of objects under construction. The results of computational and experimental modeling of the interaction of an earthquake-insulated structure with a ground base found that the values of axial forces and bending moments in a building with a seismic insulating screen are less than in a building without seismic insulation by 30‒40 %. The geotechnical seismic insulation screen makes it possible to advance the development of new seismic insulation techniques and determine their effectiveness. This technique will also be effective when strengthening the base and seismic insulation systems of historical monuments, protecting them against seismic and dynamic influences.