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Will My Building Withstand Eq 2013

Cross Bracing (using a wide base, anchoring, a low center of gravity, rigid frame, or flexible frame) will be the most important factor in keeping it safe and minimizing damage. Make your hypothesis if you haven't already done so.

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27 views

Will My Building Withstand Eq 2013

Cross Bracing (using a wide base, anchoring, a low center of gravity, rigid frame, or flexible frame) will be the most important factor in keeping it safe and minimizing damage. Make your hypothesis if you haven't already done so.

Uploaded by

api-208327096
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Assignment # Name: Sydney Rogan Period: 2 Date: February 13, 2013

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Will My Building Withstand an Earthquake? Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was an innovator in designing buildings that could withstand earthquakes. For example, Wright designed the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which withstood that citys severe 1923 earthquake with only minor damage. Many modern cities located in earthquake prone areas have enacted building codes designed to reduce damage to structures, thereby reducing the incidents of injury or death. Architects often go beyond these safety codes to ensure public safety. For example, the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco is stronger than required by the citys building code. It also has features built into its base that are designed to dramatically reduce how much the building will sway during an earthquake.

Problem: What design strategies keep structures safe in an earthquake? Hypothesis: If my structure of 13 centimeters tall can withstand an earthquake, then the design strategy of Cross Bracing (cross bracing, using a wide base, anchoring, a low center of gravity, rigid frame, or flexible frame) will be the most important factor in keeping it safe and minimizing damage. Materials: 40 Toothpicks 5 mini marshmallows or 25 grams of clay Sheet of paper (to build structure on and put names and group number on) Procedure: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Make your hypothesis if you havent already done so. On the back or bottom of this sheet, sketch a plan how you and your partner are going to build your structure. How are you going to use the materials? Draw an example of your structure. Have the teacher check and sign off on your drawing. Before you start building get a group number 1. Once the teacher has given you your group number, you may start building your model. After you have finished making your model, fill out the data table for your group below. Place your model on the counter with a piece of paper underneath it and be sure your names and group number are on it. Collect data from all the other groups so that your data table is filled out. Results: Class Data Table for Period # _____ Group Height of Width of # of Anchored to Low # model base cross the paper (yes center of (centimeters) (centimeters) braces or no) gravity (majorit y of the mass is lower than halfway down (yes or no) Rigid (clay) or Flexible (marshmallow) (choose one) Time lasted on the shake table (seconds)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11.5 8.5 10.0 19.5 15.0 13.5 9.6 13.5 6.5 14.0

6.0 4.0 9.3 13.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.0 8.8 13.0

4 0 0 8 3 7 6 3 9 9

No Yes No No No No No No Yes No

Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes

Flexible Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid

6 2 1 1 DQ 2 10 3 5 3

11 12 13

11.0 10.0 15.5

8.0 7.5 5.5

7 5 0

No No No

Yes Yes Yes

Rigid Rigid Rigid

1 13 3

Observations of your model during shake test. (Must be qualitative and quantitative.) Our model lasted six seconds and lost zero toothpicks. It leaned over zero degrees. We used five marshmallows and fourteen toothpicks. Our model came in third place. We were the only team who used marshmallows instead of clay and ended up being happy with our decision. The rigid frame became too hard and dry and ended up tipping over most of the time. Rigid structures are not good designs because twelve out of the twelve rigid structures broke. Anchoring and flexibility might be important in the future. Only one was flexible and only two were anchored.

Conclusion: According to the textbook on page 204-205 shear walls, tension ties, base isolators, cross braces, dampers, and flexible pipes are good design strategies because they help to build seismic-safe buildings and some of these features strengthen a building and reduce earthquake damage. In this lab we tested what design strategies keep structures safe in an earthquake. I hypothesized that my structure of thirteen centimeters tall could withstand an earthquake, and that cross bracing would be the most important design strategy in the structure. Over the course of six seconds my structure my structure moved to the side 100%. In the sixth second it tipped over 100%. It did not last all fifteen seconds. Rigid structures are not good designs because 100% of the rigid structures broke. Anchoring and flexibility might be important in the future. Only one was flexible and only two were anchored. In conclusion my hypothesis was incorrect. Anchoring was the most important factor in keeping the structures safe and minimizing damage during an earthquake.

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