Assignment #23 Name: Erin McCarthy Period: 3 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 19 centimeters tall can withstand an earthquake, then the design strategy of _ flexible frame_ (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 2. 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. Class Data Table for Period # _____ Width of # of Anchored to Low base cross the paper center of (centimeters) braces (yes or no) gravity (majority of the mass is lower than halfway down (yes or no) Results: Group Height of # model (centimeters) Rigid (clay) or Flexible (marshmallow) (choose one) Time lasted on the shake table (seconds)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

19.3 16.5 9.5 20.3 10.5 10.0 16.8 7.0 17.5 10.1

6.5 6.0 11.0 5.6 6.0 7.0 11.0 4.0 7.0 11.1

4 0 16 4 4 0 0 0 4 13

yes Yes Yes No Yes Si No Yes Yes Yes

yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Si Yes Yes Yes Yes

Mar/flexible Flexible/Mar Flexible/Mar Rigid Flexible/Mar Rigid Rigid Rigid Flexible Flexible

15.0 15.0 15 6 15 2 5 3 15 2

11 12 13

10.5

6.0

No

Yes

Rigid

Observations: When we observed the shake test our16.5 cm structure and it did not moved 0cm. After the shaking it was still 16.5cm. Our model lasted all 15 seconds. 0 percent of my tooth picks come off. We had no cross braces. We used 5 marshmallows, which makes it more flexible. Conclusion According to the textbook on 204 & 205 they state that it is important to build with design structures such as dampers, tension ties, cross bracing, base isolators because it can prevent damage during and strengthens the building a earthquake by making the buildings more flexible able making it able to move a little during the earthquake. In this lab we were tested design strategies that could withstand an earthquake of 15 seconds. I hypothesized that if my structure of 19 centimeters tall can withstand an earthquake, and the design strategy of flexible frame will be the most important factor in keeping it safe and minimizing damage. Over the course of 15seconds my structure of 16.5 cm move 0cm. After the shaking it was still 16.5cm. Our model lasted all 15 seconds. 0 percent of my tooth picks come off. We had no cross braces. We used 5 marshmallows, which makes it more flexible. Fifty-five of the made it structure though the fifteen seconds of the earthquake. One-hundreds of the clay structure fell over or broke apart in the 15. 100% of the flexible structures made it. 75% of the structures that were anchored made it through the shaking, Where as 100% of the structures that werent anchored didnt make it. In conclusion my hypothesis was incorrect. Flexibility was the most important factor in keeping the structures safe and minimizing damage during an earthquake.