1. How Engineers Prepare for
The Big One

2. Review: California Faults
Review of prior lessons on earthquakes
SAN ANDREAS FAULT

3. Review: California Earthquakes
8 major earthquakes since 1800
Richter scale ranges from 6.6 to 7.9
Highest magnitude = 7.9
Fort Tejon, 1857
San Francisco, 1906
Most Expensive ($ Damage)
Northridge, 1999—$15 billion
Most deaths
San Francisco, 1906—3000
Most recent earthquake in 1999
Discussion of major earthquakes in California
Information from USGS

4. What do you think engineers do?
How do we prepare?
What do you think engineers do?
Engineers work together to study the area of the building location to determine how safe the ground is to build on and if there are additional building requirements.
People involved
Civil engineers
Earthquake engineers
Geotechnical engineers (dirt!)

5. Lesson Goals Today we will learn: Building components
Learn how certain Engineers
Design buildings to survive an earthquake
Stay within a supply budget
Build efficiently and creatively!
Today we will learn:
Building components
Building structure
Plan and Design
Earthquake Testing
Redesign and Stability

6. Building Components STEP 1 JOINT (Dots or mini marshmallow)
BEAM (Toothpick)

7. Building Structure STEP 1 STEP 2 1st cube = 8 Joints & 12 Beams
BUILDING CUBE

8. Plan and Design Supply Inventory and Specs:
Length of Beam (toothpick) [inches]
Number of Beams
Number of Joints (Dots & marshmallows)
Hypothesis:
Initial structure plan

9. Plan and Design “FOUNDATION” Recommend using Dots
Students start off with building a cube or they can use other shape they like.
The dots/gummies are placed on the foundation because they are the stronger material that can support the overlying weight.
“FOUNDATION”
Recommend using Dots

10. Plan and Design “BUILDING LAYOUT” Recommend using marshmallows
The building layout can use marshmallows because they are lighter and are still pretty strong.
“FOUNDATION”
Recommend using Dots

11. Plan and Design Label the following:
Use engineering paper to plan your building
Plan and Design
Label the following:
Length and Width of the foundation
Height of the building
Label the number of levels
HEIGHT
They use the engineering paper to design their building. They draw a bird’s eye view of the foundation labeling length and width, and plan how tall they want their building layout to be—label weight and height.
WIDTH
LENGTH

12. Plan and Design “STABILITY”
The state or quality of being stable, especially:
Resistant to changing, breaking down, or moving.
Measurement of reliability and dependability.
“CROSS BEAM”
Used to add stability to structure
Case of the 3 bears
If you add too few, your building will be weak and collapse
If you add too many, your building will be heavy and collapse
If you add just enough, your building will survive
To create a cross-beam you use two chopsticks and a marshmallow. You put a marshmallow at the center of the toothpick and extend it using another toothpick. Just an FYI…

13. Earthquake Testing SURVIVAL! SHAKER [P earthquake waves]
This is animated to show the shaking did not break the building.
SHAKER
[P earthquake waves]

14. Earthquake Testing REDESIGN! SHAKER [P earthquake waves]
This is animated to show the shaking broke break the building and a redesign is required to make it stronger.
SHAKER
[P earthquake waves]

15. Building Restrictions
Must be at least 1 foot tall
Must fit inside green basket
No new supplies!!
1 foot
Inside basket

16. GO Plan and Design! Label the following:
Use engineering paper to plan your building
GO Plan and Design!
Label the following:
Length and Width of the foundation
Height of the building
Label the number of levels
HEIGHT
“CROSS BEAM”
Used to add stability to structure
Too few, your building will be weak
Too many, your building will be heavy
Just enough, your building will survive
WIDTH
LENGTH

17. CLEAN-UP! CLEAN TOOTHPICKS IN THE BAG DIRTY TOOTHPICKS IN THE TRASH
PUT THE BAG WITH TOOTHPICKS AND EMPTY MARSHMALLOW BAG BACK IN YOUR GREEN BASKET