Assignment #23 Name: Will Ethridge Period: 2 Date: 3-7-13

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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 15 centimeters tall can withstand an earthquake, then the design strategy of cross bracing with clay (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. 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: 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 13

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 12 13

11.5 8.5 10 19.5 15 13.5 9.6 13.5 6.5 6.5 11 10 15.5

6 4 9.3 13.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.0 8.8 8.8 8 7.5 5.5

4 0 0 8 3 7 6 3 9 9 7 5 0

no yes no no no no no no yes no no no no

yes yes no yes yes yes yes yes no yes yes yes yes

flexible ridged ridged ridged ridged ridged ridged ridged ridged ridged ridged ridged ridged

6 2 1 1 DQ 2 10 3 5 3 1 13 3

Observations: Are structure lasted 3 seconds and 1 tooth pick fell then most of the 40 tooth picks fell and are tower was split into 3 parts and fell of the earth quake board. Conclusion: According to the textbook on pages 204-205 pistons, flexible pipes, tension ties, and columns can help with stand earthquakes and make seismic-safe buildings because it shows how sturdy they are. In this lab we were testing structures made designs to withstand an earthquake simulator. I hypothesized that cross bracing would be the most important in are building. Over the course of 3 seconds my structure had 1 tooth pick fall then most of the 40 tooth picks fell and are tower was split into 3 parts and fell of the earth quake board. None of the thirteen structures lasted the whole fifteen seconds. One out of the thirteen used a flexible building strategy as the other fourteen used a ridged strategy. One of the thirteen was disqualified from the competition. In conclusion my hypothesis was incorrect. A flexible building structure was the most important factor in keeping the structures safe and minimizing damage during an earthquake.