There were several topics to choose for this essay, but architectural earthquake-resistant design was best fitted for my Gaming/Animation degree for a few reasons. The first reason is I have had the privilege to take several art history classes that focused on architecture throughout the world. Secondly, I am learning how to use 3d modeling programs such as, Maya and Cinema 4d. To become successful with those programs, I have to learn about the interior as well as the exterior to make the models look real. Lastly, learning about earthquakes and architecture was intriguing because I am from Kansas City and I have not experienced an earthquake. The only prior knowledge I had of the behavior of architectures during an earthquake is what I have seen in pictures. Even then those pictures left me with a few questions like, why certain buildings reacted differently during an earthquake or what information the victims of the earthquake knew about the building or house. There are many factors that affect the damages to a building during and after an earthquake, such as the ground beneath the building (fault line, landfills, bedrock) …show more content…
“The damage to structures can depend on the material that the structure is made of, the type of earthquake wave (motion) that is affecting the structure, and the ground on which the structure is built. Wood structures respond to earthquakes differently than brick... because wood can bend” (South Carolina Earthquake Education Preparedness Program 1). Wood’s elastic property allows it to bend under large amounts of pressure. Despite wood being very flammable, it is the most popularly used material in construction, in the US. Instead of breaking just like a brick, wood will slightly bend which helps it to compensate for the amount of pressure and tension on it. Also, it is cheaper and lighter than
Earthquakes are best described as a shaking or vibration of the ground caused by breaking of rock. Sometimes they are very strong and other times you would hardly notice them. This shaking occurs when stress that builds up in the crust is suddenly released as the crust breaks free and/or slides against the other pieces of crust. Earthquakes may also be thought of as the breaking of a popsicle stick by applying pressure to both ends at the same time. Should you try this experiment , you will feel the pressure build up as you apply more force until the stick snaps. When the stick snaps you will feel an instant of pain at your fingers as the stress reduces and energy waves move throughout the stick. When the earth's crust is placed under similar types of stress, binding as the stress builds, it will also snap and release the energy into the surrounding rocks, 'ooch'. Thinking about earthquakes will become more clear if you try another experiment.
Heller, Arnie. "The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake." Science & Technology (2006): 4-12. Web. 8 May 2014.
Earthquakes have been recorded throughout history for thousands of years. Even before seismographs in early times, there are records and accounts of mysterious ground shaking. Earthquakes occur when rocks break along an underground fault (UPSeis, 2007). This, in return, causes vibrations through the earth which causes ground shaking. The magnitude of the shaking varies depending on how great the movement along the fault is; the greater the movement, the bigger the earthquake. Some earthquakes are huge and cause significant damage, while others are small and cause little or no damage what-so-ever. Earthquakes are unpredictable, and can happen at any time. It is uncertain where an earthquake will strike, but there is a greater risk of an earthquake for areas lying on or near a fault. No one is ever prepared for an earthquake, so the people affected must face a sometimes terrifying reality and can be scarred for life. One country in particular that has been severely affected from an earthquake is Italy. Over a century ago Messina, a city located in Sicily, was to face one of the most devastating natural events of the century.
Mr. Adams describes the San Francisco earthquake as his most profound human suffering experience because the horror of shaking floors, parts of his mom’s house collapse to the floor, and got a broken nose from stumbling into a brick wall (Ansel Adams & The 1906 Earthquake 2008). Earthquakes are part of natural disasters of the earth and normally caused by shaking ground and rapid movement of one block of rock slipping past another a long fractures in the earth crust called faults. Faults that are usually locked excluding abrupt movements, which slippage creates an earthquake (Lutgens, F. & Tarbuck, E.
Earthquakes are caused by tectonic plates moving in the earth's crust. They either move apart or pull together at faults. Two forms of faults are normal faulting where the hanging wall moves downward causing rocks to be pulled apart by tension and reverse faulting, which is the opposite where the hanging wall moves upward casuing rocks to be forced together by tension. These movements cause tectonic plate boundaries called divergent boundaries, convergent boundaries and transform boundaries. Each boundary is different and play a
In 1910 a series of fifty-two earthquakes struck Arizona between September 10th-23rd and it caused much of the Flagstaff residents to flee the area as even strong households cracked and chimneys crumbled. The fifty-two earthquakes were all light-shock earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0-4.2 that came right after another. If only one earthquake occurred in that timespan then it is likely that only objects would be knocked from shelves but no damage would be done to infrastructure, but the earthquakes happened right after another causing significant slight
Earthquakes can cause significant damage to building via waves of energy that propagate from the epicenter. The waves cause the ground to move, which can create structural failure of buildings, resulting in collapse or partial failure. Although the waves cause significant damage, what happens to the structure after the earthquake? A common theme from the 1906 California earthquake was fire. Two images in the text with descriptions, explained that the building had partially withstood the quake, only to burn down later.
Geologists today define an earthquake as the shaking and the trembling of the earth’s surface, known as the ground. Earthquakes are caused by the sudden release of energy, usually as a result of faulting which involves displacements of rocks along fraction. All of this energy has been building up for a long period of time and then suddenly just blows.
The concept of dynamic considerations of buildings is one which sometimes generates unease and uncertainty within the designer. Although this is understandable, and a common characteristic of any new challenge, it is usually misplaced. Effective earthquake design methodologies can be, and usually are, easily simplified without detracting from the effectiveness of the design. Indeed the high level of uncertainty relating to the ground motion generated by earthquakes seldom justifies the often used complex analysis techniques nor the high level of design sophistication often employed. A good earthquake engineering design is one where the designer takes control of the building by dictating how the building is to respond. This can be achieved by selection of the preferred response mode, selecting zones where inelastic deformations are acceptable and suppressing the development of undesirable response modes which could lead to building collapse.
Primary effects are usually a result of the ground shaking causing buildings to collaspe. This than results in the secondary effects which are usually tsunamis, fires due to gas lines rupturing, landslides and other catastophic events. Human life is impacted greatly by all of these as they leave us without homes and missing family members that might be trapped under rumble and debris. As if that wasn't bad enough earthquakes tend to casue tsunamis which destroy absolutely everything in their path. Nothing will stand a chance in the path of a tsunami as it's huge wave of destruction takes its course. Another disater would be a landslide which is often more desturctive than the earthquake itself. In Alaska, Turnagain Heights, an entire residential area was destroyed by a shock induced landslide. Many seimologists believe that earthquakes do not kill people, buildings do. They feel that during an earthquake the destruction of buildings and man made structures crashing down cause most of the deaths. Another devistating aftermath of an earthquake is the fires due to broken gas lines and electrical lines. During an earthquake gas is set free and the smallest spark will cause the biggest inferno. An example of this would be the great earthquake of 1906 in San Fransisco which caused 90% fire
Liquefaction is another source of earthquake related damage. During sustained strong shaking, poorly consolidated, water saturated sediments can liquefy and loose their ability to support loads. The foundations and supports of structures built on liquefiable sediments can fail, causing damage or destruction. Much of the country is of loose sandy soil and most of it remains in saturated condition round the year, thereby vulnerable to liquefaction in case of sustained ground motions.
And analysis their characteristics. In order to understand the work of architecture, we need to understand the concept of type. The work of architecture can either be characterized by a condition of individuality or it can also be referred as a class of repeated objects. The concept of type is based on grouping objects by certain essential structural similarities. For example, when we mention about sky scrapers, we are actually referring to something huge. Architecture is not only defined by types but it is also created through them. The concept of types is also taken as a process of transformation, where the type is thought as the frame work within which change occurs. In this process of change, the architect can extrapolate from the type, change its use or different types can be overlapped to form a new type. Architect characterises architecture as a discipline, when an architect is able to describe new set of formal relations through new type. According to Vidler, architecture possesses the capability to generate a complete image or structure comprising subject-object relations within city, and which then propose an experience of a real and historical life inside what is yet an irreducibly structural design modality, or the critical function of typology. Therefore, to understand the subject matter of type is to understand the character of architectural object. This is because architectural objects are no longer thought out as single and isolated events, as it is restricted by the world which surrounds, including its hist...
Earthquakes are vibrations felt at the surface of the earth which are caused by disturbances of the energy in the earth's interior. These vibrations are known as seismic waves. (Skinner Robinson McVerry 1) There are different type sof seisimc waves such as Primary (P) waves, whcih travel the fastest, Secondary (S) waves which cause the earth to vibrate vertically, Surface (L) waves. P and S waves are "affected by changes in the density and the rigidity of the materials through which they pass." (Columbia Encyclopedia) Earthquakes vary in their intensity and duration. Often times they are strong enough to cause massive destriction. Tall buildings often suffer as a result of these natural disasters. In recent years this has become a larger and larger threat with both the number of large buildings, and their number of occupants increasing. In an effort to try to minimize the damage caused by earthquakes many some engineers focus primarily on designing and constructing earthquake resistant buildings. Earthquake engineers have gathered much of their information from analyzing past earthquakes, and learning which buildings can and can't withstand the tremors. The goals of these engineers is to design buildings that can withstand moderate earthquakes and obtain minimal damage, and that the buildings will not collapse lowering the probability of human deaths.
Earthquakes belong to the class of most disastrous natural hazards. They result in unexpected and tremendous earth movements. These movements results from dissemination of an enormous amount of intense energy in form of seismic waves which are detected by use of seismograms. The impact of earthquakes leaves behind several landmarks including: destruction of property, extensive disruption of services like sewer and water lines, loss of life, and causes instability in both economic and social components of the affected nation (Webcache 2).
With the help of architectural engineers, our world has become very civilized and advanced over the past decades. Like all other engineers, architectural engineers use logic and creativity to solve problems. They come up with effective designs to assist people in their everyday tasks. In our daily lives we are surrounded by buildings. Places that were once a dessert are turned into cities that now hold amazing buildings. When we think of big, tall, and creative buildings, we think of places like New York, for example. Houses, schools, shopping centers, offices, apartments, airports, etc. are very essential in the world we live in today. These buildings do not only please the eye, but they also provide us with shelter, and were made to withstand hurricanes, earthquakes, snow storms, and strong winds. Several engineers working in teams with architects, created those stable and creative buildings. There are different engineers with each their own expertise, but for buildings in particular, architectural engineers are needed. Architectural engineering, also known as building engineering, is an interdisciplinary program that integrates important knowledge from different disciplines such as civil engineering , mechanical engineering, electrical engineering , architecture, physics, chemistry, biology, and economics (“Building Engineering”). An architectural engineering professional has to master all these discipline because the design of buildings often requires these disciplines. Architectural engineers are important in today’s society because they possess the knowledge and qualifications to work on complex buildings, to lead project teams and also, most importantly, to provide us with a safe civilized environment.