BUILDING A BUILDING TO WITHSTAND A EARTHQUAKE KIT!!!
Tags: Science, Elasticity, Plasticity
The Mission
In science class, we were challenged to act like civil engineers and design a tower that could survive a massive earthquake on our classroom shake table!
Our building had to meet these strict rules:
Be at least 30 cm tall.
Only use our limited supply of skewers, and connectors.
Our plan of the tower tower standing tall.
The Science Behind the Build: Elasticity vs. Plasticity
Before we started building, we had to learn how materials respond to forces so we could choose the right ones for our structure:
Elasticity is… An object that when bent will snap back to its original shape.
In our building, we used wooden skewers for elasticity because… If its not elastic it would just fall apart but if it was it would snap back into place incase if its a bad earthquake
Plasticity is… When an object is stiff and not bendy and will shatter if you bend it.
In our building, we used hard plastic connectors
for plasticity because… The joints absorb the energy of the simulated earthquake
Our Design & Strategy
When drawing our plan, my group decided to use both triangle and square for our frame because… Here is how we put our tower together:
- The Base: We used a square but at the top we put half of a pyramid..
- The Dampers/Joints: We used them on each corner of the build and the stick at the end of the pyramid was loose so we put 3 connectors on it..
The Shake Table Test!
It was time for the ultimate test! We placed our tower onto the shake table and held our breath…
Magnitude 7 Test (Violent Shaking): My build luckily survived and didn’t even drop a piece, not even the flag that we put on the top.
Caption: Testing our structure under extreme shaking!*
Evaluation and Analysis
Our structure survived during the shake table assessment.
Key Observations:
- Strengths: The following design elements were particularly effective in maintaining stability: The square at the bottom held it all up.
- Areas for Improvement: Our structure experienced a successful test and nothing fell off
- Iterative Design: If given the opportunity to refine our design, I would modify the flag to look better to enhance the structural integrity.
Join the Conversation
What are your thoughts on our engineering approach? Have you personally experienced an earthquake in New Zealand? We invite you to share your insights or experiences in the comments below.