The Impact of and Recovery From Earthquakes By The Voyagers
Agenda
1. Introduction 2. Purpose 3. Methods & Materials 4. Results 5. Conclusion 6. Reflections and Future Work/Plans 7. Acknowledgments
Introduction The Voyagers
What are Earthquakes?
• An earthquake is a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface, usually resulting in great damage. • Faults are cracks in the earth’s crust and are the boundaries between tectonic plates. • When tension builds up along a fault, and then is released, the result is an earthquake. • Earthquakes are the number one deadliest natural disaster in the world, causing devastation and the crippling of communities and nations.
• Plate Tectonics - This is the theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth’s outer shell.
Earthquakes and Tectonic Plates
• Earth's outer layer-the lithosphere, is broken up into plates. These plates move over and under one another. These interactions cause faults in the earth. • Tension around fault lines result in natural disasters such as earthquakes • After Shocks - After the initial earthquake subsides, aftershocks can occur up to several weeks afterwards
• Ring of Fire - the most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world • Areas located along the "Ring of Fire are more susceptible to earthquakes than other areas.
Ring of Fire
• It is called the “Ring of Fire” as this volcano and earthquake activity area forms a shape of a ring. Its length is approximately 40,000 kilometers (24,900 miles) long. • Countries that line the "Ring of Fire" and that are more susceptible to earthquakes : Chile, Japan, the US west coast, and the Pacific Islands
The Ring of Fire • There are certain areas in the world that are more susceptible to earthquakes than others, such as those located along the “Ring of Fire.”
Natural Disasters
Figure 6: Natural Disasters Tornadoes, Floods, Wildfires, and Earthquakes
• Preparation:
Preparing for / Recovering from Earthquakes
Step 1. Secure your space Step 2. Make a Plan to be safe Step 3. Organize disaster supplies Step 4. Minimize financial hardship • Recovery • Government entities and organizations rebuild home and offer assistance. • Structural engineers work with architects to re-build.
Structural Engineers and Earthquakes
• Structural engineers work with architects to decrease damage to buildings • Structural engineers incorporate special techniques and devices within buildings to make them structurally sound to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes • A few of these techniques and devices are: Movement resisting frames, base isolators, Vibration control devices, seismic isolation
Purpose The Voyagers
Purpose
• The purpose of this study is to inform of the following: • likely locations • scientific causes • impacts • preparedness • recovery from an earthquake • Increasing awareness of careers associated with this science will potentially encourage students' interest.
Method and Materials
Materials The experiment setup consisted of the following items: ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖
Miniature Marshmallows Toothpicks (Box of at least 30) Cardboard Shoe Box Rubber Bands (Bag of at least 30) Marbles (Bag of 30 – 50) Vibration Shaker Unit Stopwatch Camera (Optional) Pen/Pencil Test Notebook
Methods • Due to COVID-19 restrictions, our team met remotely and divided up the tasks for individual contributions. • Jonathan Winstead II began the exploratory process by drafting several building concepts in a notebook which were reviewed by Advisor Jon Winstead. • After reviewing feedback provided by Jon Winstead, Jonathan Winstead II down-selected the multiple design concepts to just four (4) models that would be further analyzed by the team. • The four design concepts were identified as Concept A (rectangle), Concept B (triangle), Concept C (square), and Concept D (rhombus).
Methods -Science to
Simulation Overview
•
The Earthquake “simulator” was constructed using the identified materials.
•
Marbles were placed side by side inside the cardboard box and under a cardboard platform that covered most of the width of the box. Marbles represent magma. The platform represents the earth’s outer shell.
•
The various shaped concepts represented building structures.
•
Each structure was individually tested.
•
When the shaker was turned on, the rolling movement of the marbles between the platform and cardboard box simulated tectonic plate movement caused by shifting magma.
•
The time and frequency were adjusted. This simulates earthquakes of different magnitudes.
•
The team observed the impact of this on each structure and collected data.
Methods – Details Concept A was constructed and then placed on a flat table. Pictures of the concept were taken. Concept A was then placed on the shaker platform inside of the cardboard box.
The cardboard box was then placed on the vibration shaker unit. Concept A was then subjected to low frequency (15 Hz) vibration for a period of three (3) minutes as timed by the stopwatch. Concept A was observed for structural integrity and if/when the building concept collapsed.
Methods – Details A time of collapse (as applicable) was noted in the test notebook along with any other observations witnessed by the observers.
If no collapse was observed, the building concept was then subjected to high frequency (60 Hz) vibration for a period of one (1) minute. Any observations were noted in the test notebook.
Methods – Details • Post test pictures were taken of the concept after vibration testing. We used a 4" Round Lab Vibrator - Dental Laboratory Equipment Vibrator Oscillator Shaker to perform the testing. It operates from 0 - 60 hertz. • This process was repeated for Concept B through Concept D and the data was recorded in the test notebook.
Methods – Equipment and Material
Vibration Shaker Unit
Vibration Setup View 1 with box
MethodsMaterial
Cardboard and Marbles
Cardboard platform secured by rubber bands
Results The Voyagers
Concept ID#
Shape
Vibration Frequency
Trial
Vibration Time ( Minute(s) )
Collapse ( Y/N ? )
Observations
A
Rectangle
Low
1
3
N
Less sturdy; Stayed together, but moved a lot
A
Rectangle
HIgh
2
1
N
Less sturdy; Moved a lot, more movement than Trial 1
B
Triangle
Low
3
3
N
Sturdy; Moved less than Concept A
B
Triangle
High
4
1
N
Sturdy; Moved more than Trial 3
C
Square
Low
5
3
N
Not sturdy; Moved a lot
C
Square
High
6
1
N
Not sturdy; Moved a lot
D
Rhombus
Low
7
3
N
Not sturdy; Moved a lot
D
Rhombus
High
8
1
N
Not sturdy; Moved a lot; Some structural failure
Concept B after vibration
Concept D after vibration
Vibration Setup View 2 Concept D close up of failure
Concept A Concept B
Concept C
Concept D
Close up of failure
Round 1 Results Date: Jan. 23, 2021 Team Member(s) present: Jonathan, Nana, Imani, Daniel, and advisor Jon Winstead. Test Setup: Concept A through Concept D were tested on the vibration shaker with the observed results as shown in Table 4. Hypothesis: Based on the results of the testing, It was surmised that the triangle structure would more likely survive vibration at a higher frequency than the square, rectangle and rhombus structures. Observations: The team reviewed the test data and concurred that the strength of the structures could be ranked from strongest to weakest in the following order: (Strongest) -----------------------------------------------> (Weakest) Concept B Concept C Concept A Concept D Outcome: After completing these trials, we realized that we wanted to have a second round of trials to see what frequency and vibrating time would cause the structures to collapse. Based on observations from round 1, it was agreed that only the triangle and rhombus, which represented the strongest and weakest structures, respectively, would be tested during round 2.
Round 2 Results Date: Jan. 30, 2021 Team Member(s) present: Jonathan, and advisor Jon Winstead. Objective: Concept B and Concept D were tested on the vibration shaker with the observed result as described below. Test setup: For this round the structures were installed on the vibration shaker and secured to the vibration platform to prevent the overall movement of the structure that was observed during round 1 trials. Both structures were tested with the vibration set to high frequency. Observation: Concept B was tested and began to come apart in approximately 15 minutes and 23 seconds. It was noted that the rest of the structure seemed to be still intact which the team member hypothesized that this was probably due to uneven construction of the structure during the original build. Concept D was tested under the exact same conditions as Concept B however this structure began to come apart in approximately 7 minutes and 58 seconds. Round 2 testing of the two (2) selected structures provided the team members with some valuable insight on the response of different structures to vibration. Outcome: As expected, Concept B (Triangle) survived longer under the same vibration conditions as compared to Concept D (Rhombus).
Conclusion The Voyagers
Conclusion
• The best earthquake resistant structure was the triangle. • Research showed that domed shaped buildings, based on a geodesic structure using rigidness from triangle elements, are the strongest against high Richter-rated earthquakes. • Dome shaped buildings are prominent around the world in regions known to have strong earthquakes: Japan, California, South America
Geodesic Buildings use Triangles in a Dome-Shape • https://inhabitat.com/5-great-reasons-to-build-a-geode sic-dome-home/ • Geodesic buildings are Energy Efficient and more disaster proof than traditional homes. • This home survived the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the Santa Cruz mountains . • It was (7.1) Richter • 500 other traditionally designed homes in the area suffered damage. • This is evidence of our results showing the strength of triangles against earthquakes.
Research shows dome-shaped cement-based buildings are the most disaster resistant. This is an example of a hurricane resistant home.
3-D Home printing of DisasterResistant Designs • New 3D Home-printing technology allows more access to disaster resistant home designs. • ICON is one company that uses a proprietary cement-based mixer Lavacrete with extreme strength (6000 psi) to provide this level of protection.
Recovery from Earthquakes
● The process of fully recovering from earthquakes can take any time from a couple of weeks to a couple of years. ● Communication is vital when it comes to the impact and recovery of such events. Devices such as landline phones and portable radios will allow you to receive updates on information as well as safety advisories in and around your community during and after the event of an earthquake. ● Knowing how you can receive financial aid subsequent to an earthquake is crucial to the recovery process. ● Crowdfunding, Non-Governmental, and Government funded organizations look to assist the community by providing grants, donations, payment for utility bills, food, water, shelter, as well as other essential tools to recover.
Oklahoma Earthquake Feb 2021
• Communities in Oklahoma shaken by the recent earthquake that occurred on February 19th. • The earthquake reached a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter Scale as well as being accompanied by few aftershocks. • There could have been many causes of the February earthquake, but one that stood out was the presence of fracking in Oklahoma. • Injection of wastewater under the surface from gas and oil production could have very well been the cause of these series of earthquakes.
Reflections/Future Work Plan
What did each team member gain from working on this project? How does it influence your future plans?
Does the team wish to continue on this study or other research projects?
Daniel I gained knowledge about earthquakes that I did not know about before.
I learned how to be more confident while speaking in a group.
I want the group to research something else.
Jonathan What I learned and gained from working on this project is better presenting skills, how to be a leader of a group of people (specifically my age range) and I also learned a lot about the Ring of Fire.
This would probably influence my future plans if I was doing an engineering job. I would have better skills in working with people.
The team has finished this project. We spent a lot of time on it and we learned a lot.
Nana Thanks to the Voyagers I've learned many new things about earthquakes and structural engineering. I've learned about which materials hold up during an earthquake, and how the shape of a building can affect how much damage is done to the building. I've learned how structural engineers assess the damage done to buildings by earthquakes. One final thing I learned about earthquakes is that they're a real problem in the world and we need to find more ways to minimize the damage that can come from one.
From this experience, I have learned how to work closely as a team. I have also developed my skills in navigating through technology.
Imani
By being able to experience working on a team project with NSBE, It has influenced me to think about what other project topics we can work on together. I would like to start working on another research topic. I’ve had a great experience working with the voyagers and I plan to work with this team in the future.
Acknowledgements The Voyagers
Acknowledgments Thank you to our parents, our advisors, grantors and RTP NSBE JR for your support. NSBE Jr Advisors who coached us and helped facilitate our project were Mr. Jon Winstead, Mrs. Cher Winstead, Dr. Toni ArnoldMcFarland and Mr. Trey Arnold.
The End Questions and Answers
Addendum The Voyagers