Name:_____________________

Period:__________________

Bridge to Classroom Lab

Please read all instructions before you answer the questions for each section.
This lab is intended to demonstrate the importance of seismic safety features when
engineering structures in earthquake prone locations. Please complete each section
before moving ahead.

Quake Country-
1. Plates float on the ___________________________.

2. What happens when two plates collide head-on?

3. What happens when one plate dives below another plate?

4. When two plates slide past each other they form a

______________________________.

5. Which two great plates meet in California?

6. Which direction is the Pacific plate

moving?____________________________________.

7. Why is it not possible for these two plates to slide past each other smoothly?

8. What has this complex stress created? What are the names of these and what are their
locations?
 9. What do we use to measure the strength of an earthquake?

10. What percent do scientists predict there being another major Bay Area earthquake
before 2013? What is this prediction based on?

11. What is an MCE? What does this tell us?

Engineering for Earthquakes

➔ Start by clicking on the ENGINEERING FOR EARTHQUAKES link
➔ Go to “Let’s Get Started!”
➔ You will be building multiple different bridges testing their dexterity with
earthquakes of different magnitudes.

1. Build a bridge composed of ​3 Beam Girder​ sections. When you are finished test your
bridge without any additional safety features. Test your bridge with San Andreas Fault
impacts and Hayward Fault impacts. Start with 5.0 magnitudes and increase after each
test. Stop once your bridge fails. Record the magnitude that your bridge withstood.

2. Now add additional safety features (​one feature at a time​) and retest your bridge to see
at which magnitude your bridge fails. Record your data (the magnitude it withstood and
the additional safety features included).
3. Build a bridge composed of ​3 Steel Arch​ sections. When you are finished test your
bridge without any additional safety features. Test your bridge with San Andreas Fault
impacts and Hayward Fault impacts. Start with 5.0 magnitudes and increase after each
test. Stop once your bridge fails. Record the magnitude that your bridge withstood.

4. Now add additional safety features (​one feature at a time​) and retest your bridge to see
at which magnitude your bridge fails. Record your data (the magnitude it withstood and
the additional safety features included).

5. Build a bridge composed of ​Cantilever-Truss​ sections. When you are finished test your
bridge without any additional safety features. Test your bridge with San Andreas Fault
impacts and Hayward Fault impacts. Start with 5.0 magnitudes and increase after each
test. Stop once your bridge fails. Record the magnitude that your bridge withstood.

6. Now add additional safety features (​one feature at a time​) and retest your bridge to see
at which magnitude your bridge fails. Record your data (the magnitude it withstood and
the additional safety features included).
7. Build a bridge composed of ​Suspension​ sections. When you are finished test your
bridge without any additional safety features. Test your bridge with San Andreas Fault
impacts and Hayward Fault impacts. Start with 5.0 magnitudes and increase after each
test. Stop once your bridge fails. Record the magnitude that your bridge withstood.

8. Now add additional safety features (​one feature at a time​) and retest your bridge to see
at which magnitude your bridge fails. Record your data (the magnitude it withstood and
the additional safety features included).

9. Build a bridge composed of ​Cable-Stay​ sections. When you are finished test your bridge
without any additional safety features. Test your bridge with San Andreas Fault impacts
and Hayward Fault impacts. Start with 5.0 magnitudes and increase after each test. Stop
once your bridge fails. Record the magnitude that your bridge withstood.

10. Now add additional safety features (​one feature at a time​) and retest your bridge to see
at which magnitude your bridge fails. Record your data (the magnitude it withstood and
the additional safety features included).
 11. Build a few bridges composed of ​Combinations of Section​. When you are finished test
your bridge without any additional safety features. Test your bridge with San Andreas
Fault impacts and Hayward Fault impacts. Start with 5.0 magnitudes and increase after
each test. Stop once your bridge fails. Record the magnitude that your bridge withstood.

12. Now add additional safety features (​one feature at a time​) and retest your bridge to see
at which magnitude your bridge fails. Record your data (the magnitude it withstood and
the additional safety features included).

What are ​Bearings?

What are ​Ductile Materials?

What are ​Shock Absorbers?

Two Miles & 2,000 Hands

➔ Click on the page link and watch the animation
What is Geofill?

What is Liquefaction?

What is a Skyway?

What do self-anchoring cables do?

What are sear links?

What is a suspension-span?

Conclusion
1. Which bridge type withstood the highest magnitude earthquake? Which Fault line did the
earthquake come from? Did that matter?

2. Which safety materials were needed to best support your bridge? Which did not really
help? Explain your answer.

3. How might you use this information to design your own earthquake proof structure? (​hint
hint, upcoming group activity spoiler​)

4. What does this lab tell you about the importance of safety features when engineering
bridges or structures?

5.