Assignment # 23 Name: Eva Geitheim Period: 6 Date: 2-12-13

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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 16 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 6. 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 (centimeters) (centimeters) braces or no) of 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

22.2cm 13.7cm .5cm 22.0cm 19.5cm 9.6cm 13.0cm 12.0cm 9.4cm

12.9cm 5.0cm 7.0cm 12.0cm 5.5cm 6.8 cm 5.9cm 13.0 6.6cm

3 0 1 1 0 0 8 16 1

no no no no yes yes yes yes no

no yes no no yes yes yes yes yes

Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid flexible Flexible Flexible Flexible Rigid

1 1 15 15 15 15 15 15 1

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

15.1cm 10.5cm 12.5cm 14.0cm 16.2cm 8.0cm 16.0cm

5.9cm 10.5cm 5.6cm 11.0cm 4.0cm 7.0cm 10.5cm

3 0 0 5 0 4 0

yes yes No no no no no

yes no yes yes yes no yes

Flexible Flexible Rigid Rigid Rigid Flexible Rigid

15 15 1 1 1 3 1

During the shake test our house lasted all 15 seconds without breaking. 0 toothpicks fell off and it tilted 0 degrees. Our house was built well to withstand the earthquake. Conclusion According to our textbook on pages 204-205 base isolators, pistons, dampers, tension ties, shear walls, cross braces, flexible pipes, and braces are all great design strategies to keep a building safe in an earthquake because they help absorb energy seismic energy can separate a building from its foundation. In this lab we looked at and used design strategies that would keep structures safe in an earthquake. I hypothesized that I would have a structure of 16 centimeters tall that could withstand an earthquake, and would use the design strategy of cross bracing. Over the course of 15 seconds my structure moved 0 and 0 pieces fell off the structure. Fifty Percent of the classs structures lasted all 15 seconds, (8/16 structure.) Seventy-five percent of the structures that lasted 15 seconds (3/4,) were anchored to the paper. One hundred percent of the anchored structures lasted. Also 75% of the structures that lasted were flexible and 6/7 (86%) of the flexible structures lasted 15 seconds. In conclusion my hypothesis was incorrect. My building was only 9.6cm and anchoring and flexibility were the most important factors in keeping the structures safe and minimizing damage during an earthquake.