Assignment #23 Anna Runnfeldt 1 Science 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 15 cm centimeters tall can withstand an earthquake, then the design strategy of anchoring (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 1. 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 # 1 Group Height of Width of # of Anchored to Low #1 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

9.7 19.5 9.5 11.0 10.8 13.1 11.0 7.0 10.0 13.4

11.9 12.0 8.5 x 7 4.5 x 4.7 5.0 9.0 11.0 x 6.5 5.0 8.5 6.2 x 5.5

1 0 1 6 3 0 0 0 0 0

No Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Rigid Rigid Rigid Flexible Flexible Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid Rigid

12 1 3 15 15 3 6 15 8 15

11 12 13

12.5 10.8

8.0 7.1

1 3

No No

Yes Yes

Rigid Rigid

15 3

Observations: Our Modle lasted 12 seconds and then crumbled into pieces. About 6 toothpicks were lying on the table, and then we broke the rest. The wide base was stable but other parts were loose. We could tell that the toothpicks were on the verge of falling!

Conclusion According to the textbook on page 204-205, base isolators and flexible pipes are good design strategies because base isolators keep energy from coming into the building while flexible pipes bend as energy passes through them, reducing the damage. In this lab we were asked, what design strategies keep structures safe in an earthquake. I hypothesized that if my structure of 15 centimeters tall could withstand an earthquake, then the design strategy of anchoring would be the most important factor in keeping it safe and minimizing damage. Over the course of 12 seconds my structure fell off of the edge and began to fall apart. Three toothpicks were pulling our structure down. Our structure lasted like that for 2 seconds then tumbled over once and for all. We wouldve made it to 15 seconds if we didnt let our structure fall off the edge, but it was our fault. Out of the 5 structures that made it, 40% were flexible and 60% were rigid. From this set of data 100% of the flexible structures withstood the earthquake. 80% of the earthquakes that made it were anchored to the paper. In conclusion my hypothesis was correct. Anchoring was the most important factor in keeping the structures safe and minimizing damage during an earthquake.