Attention: Sheet 1 of

Faculty of Design and Creative Technology

Mechanical and Production Engineering
Department
[Strength of Material 1]

[Failure Case study Project,

‘Meidum Pyramid’]

By: Student ID No.

I the undersigned declare that I am the author of this work, and that any
content from other sources has been acknowledged and fully cited.

Signed: Time spent on assignment: hrs mins

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Introduction

(http://www.travel-library.com/)

The pyramid at Meidum is thought to have been originally built for Huni, the last
pharaoh of the Third Dynasty. It was completed and probably usurped by his
successor, Sneferu, who also turned it from a step pyramid to a true pyramid by
filling in the steps with limestone encasing. The Meidum pyramid was built in
different stages, beginning as a seven-step pyramid to which an additional step was
added at a later stage. It appears to have collapsed sometime during the New
Kingdom. This is also known as a collapsed pyramid.

Some believe it was the collapse of this pyramid during the reign of Sneferu that led
him to change the angle on his second pyramid at Dahshur to 43 degrees.
In the fifteenth century, it was described as looking like a five-stepped mountain by
al-Maqrizi, gradually falling further into ruin so by the time it was investigated by
Napoleon's Expedition in 1799 it had its present 3 steps.

The early locals of this century called the Meidum Pyramid el-haram el-kaddab,
meaning "false pyramid" and because of its form, it attracted attention as early as the
Middle Ages from travelers. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the famed Arab
historian Taqi ad-Din al-Maqrizi thought it looked like a huge, five stepped mountain.
However, it eroded so badly that when Frederik Ludwig Norden visited it in the
eighteenth century, the pyramid seemed to have only three levels. But it was not
weather that eroded it so, but human beings.
 (http://www.ntnu.edu/ab/pyramids)

In its ruined state, the structure is 65m high, and its entrance is aligned north-south,
with the entrance in the north, 20m meters above present ground level. The steep
descending passage 57 meters long leads to a horizontal passage, just below the
original ground level, that then leads to a vertical shaft 10 meters high that leads to
the corbelled burial chamber itself. It is thought to be unlikely that Sneferu was
buried here — whether Huni was may never be known, though construction may
have begun during his reign.
Failure Investigation

(www.lovetopsecret.com)

In respect of pyramid, the top stones of a pyramid had to support only their own
weight, while the bottom blocks supported the weight of all the stones above them-
6.5 million tons in the great pyramid at Gizeh- they adopted for the sloping faces of
all of them, except two, a angle of 52 degrees, which gives a height of 2/π or about
two-thirds of the side of the square base.

Was the Meidum pyramid so poorly built that it could not even support its own
weight? Historians have explained the Meidum disaster as caused by the theft of
pyramidal blocks to place in other monuments and temples. This opinion could have
been a cause for all these but there were no monuments or temples around or near
the pyramid at Meidum. An alternative hypothesis could be an earthquake which
made the pyramid to collapse. However,it can be objected why other two pyramids
not collapsed during the earthquake, where as the Meidum pyramid failed.

Learning the lesson of the Meidum pyramid, the designers of the next pyramid, the
bent pyramid at Dahshur, which had been started with a slope of 52 degrees,
continued it, from about two-thirds of the way up, at the safer angle of 43.5 degrees.
That angle gives a ratio of height to side of only 1.5 / π or about one-half rather than
two-thirds of the side. The next pyramid, the Red pyramid at Dahshur, was erected
from day one at the safe angle of 43.5 degrees, but from then on all the pyramids
standing today used the classical slope of 52 degrees.
These are the illustrations of base materials that supported the meidum pyramid and
a standard pyramid. As you can see there is not much to be supported regardless of
enormous weight of the pyramid where as the standard pyramid base is limestone.
A careful inspection of the Meidum pyramid reveals two significant features that
explain both its collapse and the more daring angle of its successors.

(http://www.planetware.com/map/meidum-pyramid-map-egy-pm.htm)

The bottom castings, still intact, show that the pyramid was started at the 52 degrees
angle but that the foundation under these castings rests directly on desert sand
rather than, as usual, on rock and that the castings blocks are set in horizontal layers
and not inclined inward, as in all other pyramids. Thus two relatively minor design
decisions were responsible for the catastrophe, since a sandy soil magnifies the
earthquake forces and setting the castings horizontally made it easier for them so
slide out and fall to the ground.
Prevention

The two main reasons that caused the collapse of meidum pyramid are bad choice
of the foundation material and casting blocks that are not inclined inward. The
foundation under the meidum pyramid was just sand.

In order to prevent the pyramid from collapse the foundation under the meidum
pyramid was supposed to be limestone, rocks, or at least hard materials that can
endure the weight of the pyramid as well as the catastrophes back in BC when
pyramids were built. Also the foundation must be horizontal and flat regardless of the
shape of pyramids in order to minimize the damage that might occur from
catastrophes such as earthquake. Any slight angled foundation can be a cause of
collapse since there is a possibility that the enormous weight of the pyramid might be
shifted with shear force through earthquake or movement of the earth.

As for the recent days, concrete might be a solution so that the pyramid does not
collapse any more. The foundation can be filled with concrete instead of sand base
however, back in BC, this was not possible.

Therefore, the stiff angle was supposed to be slightly smaller than 52 degrees when
it was built with poor conditions. This way, the risk can be minimized. An
improvement or renovation might be a great idea to protect this great creation of
mankind of our ancestors before it disappears to the ground.
Conclusion

The pyramid stands still in the desert despite the fact that it became a ruin now.
According to the historical research, these workers back in BC did not even have a
tool or machine to move the stones and cranes to deliver the casting blocks to the
upper side of the pyramid when it was built. However they still managed to finish
building it. Even though it collapsed, the spirit of the creation from mankind still
stands. If they assessed the design and side effects that might occur and took it to
the account and think about it twice, then there would not have been a collapse.
It is very important to know about failures but it is more important to know the
possibilities of failure that might occur in the future and prevent it from occurring.
Abstract

• The introduction of the great pyramid at meidum in order to discuss about the
failure and collapse of the pyramid.
• The original design for the foundation under the pyramid contributed to the
collapse of the pyramid becoming a ruin now days
• The stiff angle was quite large resulting the casting blocks to be out of the
pyramid and fell to the ground.
• The preventions that might have occurred in the BC such as changing the
foundation with harder materials
References

• Why buildings fall down, (Matthys Levy and marlo salvadori)

• Understanding Building Failures.
• Building Failures (W.H. RANSOM)
• www.google.co.nz
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meidum