Earthquake And Earthquake Engineering
explanatory Essay
833 words
Earthquake and Geotechnical Engineering Earthquake Engineering is a branch of Civil Engineering that is in charge of protecting the society from natural disasters like Earthquakes. This branch of Civil Engineering mainly studies how structures behave when they are hit by a seismic wave. Earthquake engineers main responsibilities are to design structures that can stand an earthquake and to make sure that all structures have the required building codes. In addition, they need to estimate the probable damages to structures after an earthquake. Many lives were lost because of collapsing structures during an earthquake. As mentioned in class an earthquake will never kill anybody but the results of an earthquake are what kill people. In 1909, more than 100,000 people died in Italy after an earthquake because of the poor unprepared structures. Sometimes people may not get hurt because of the land shaking but from landslides or tsunamis that happen after an earthquake. Safe structures are the structures that do not endanger the lives of people inside or around it by collapsing completely or partially after or during an earthquake. Critical structures such as hospitals, nuclear power plants, schools and dams not only are built to survive an earthquake but also to remain in operation. Extra money is always spent when building those structures to ensure that they will survive an earthquake. Engineers set up all building codes based on accurate calculations that are based on theories and actual observations known as seismic assessment. . There are two different types of seismic performance assessments, experimental assessment and numerical assessment. Experimental assessments are very expensive since engineers need to build a scaled m... ... middle of paper ... ...nical Engineers study soils and rocks to make sure or investigate if a surface or a subsurface is appropriate to build a structure on or in it. One major thing that Geotechnical Engineers do is double-checking the placement of the foundations and if the soil under it could handle the amount of stress put. If soil assessment indicated something wrong with soil properties, it may be fixed through ground improvements like treating the soil mass. These processes helped in saving alot of money and time and it made buildings last longer. Soil mechanics studies are the most related studies in Geotechnical Engineering to geology. It is analyzing the site conditions and the soil properties. Many soil properties need to be checked like the Atterberg Limits, which is the shrinkage limit. This indicates how much would the soil shrink because of weather and water limits.
In this essay, the author
- Explains earthquake engineering is a branch of civil engineering that is in charge of protecting the society from natural disasters like earthquakes.
- Explains that many lives were lost because of collapsing structures during an earthquake. in 1909, more than 100,000 people died in italy after the poor unprepared structures.
- Explains that safe structures are those that do not endanger the lives of people inside or around them by collapsing completely or partially after or during an earthquake. critical structures such as hospitals, nuclear power plants, schools and dams are built to survive and remain in operation.
- Explains that engineers set up building codes based on accurate calculations, known as seismic assessment. experimental assessments are expensive since engineers need to build a scaled model of the actual structure.
- Explains that building codes are different in each country based on weather, geological history, and the geography of the country. japan's earthquake-resistant buildings are built on plates and springs that absorb the energy released during an earthquake.
- Explains that architects and engineers believed that skyscrapers that are shaped like a pyramid are more resistant to earthquakes and winds.
- Explains that some types of buildings are considered earthquake resistant structures. adobe structures are mainly made of mud bricks and mortar.
- Explains that engineers are required to do an earthquake loss estimation, which is called a damage ratio. an engineer could never have an accurate evaluation of the damage.
- Explains that geotechnical engineering is a branch of civil engineering that studies soils, rocks, and all earth materials.
- Explains that soil mechanics studies are the most related studies in geotechnical engineering to geology.
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- Earthquake Resistance Techniquesexplanatory essayEarthquake Resistance Techniques Introduction “Earthquakes don’t have the ability to kill or cause harm, however buildings do.” This is a famous quote that tries to emphasize on the need for earthquake precautions and measures especially in buildings. Earthquakes, just like other natural calamities, cannot be prevented, though it is possible to minimize their impacts and effects. Like other natural calamities, earthquakes have the ability to cause harm and damage to both life and property. Two basic types of seismic waves are responsible for causing earthquakes (Chang, & Soong, 1992).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that earthquakes cannot be prevented, though it is possible to minimize their impacts and effects. primary and push waves travel faster and are longitudinal in nature.
- Analyzes energy dissipation devices, active control devices and base isolation as earthquake resistant methods for buildings.
- Explains the four types of seismic dampers used in energy dissipation devices.
- Explains that a viscous damper operates in the same way as an automobile shock absorber. innovative measures are constantly being put in place to make the energy dissipation devices even better.
- Explains the concept of a base isolation structure propped up by bearing pads, placed between structures, buildings, and building foundations.
- Explains that a proper choice of base isolators minimizes the energy produced by the ground as it reaches the building. base isolation introduces an element of flexibility in earthquake resistance.
- Explains that most base isolators resemble rubber pads though they exist in various types and forms. the lead rubber bearings are made up of layers of rubber sandwiched with steel layers.
- Explains that not all buildings are suitable for base isolation. inertia forces are the primary forces that cause damage to buildings during an earthquake. isolated buildings reduce earthquakes to as little as 0.25 of the acceleration.
- Explains that base isolation is the best and the most powerful tool when dealing with earthquake resistance.
- Explains active control devices, such as base isolators and energy dissipaters, are passive devices used in earthquake resistance. they work by an outside force source.
- Explains that kajima corporation in japan is responsible for the innovation of dynamic intelligent buildings, an innovation that makes use of the active control devices concept.
- Explains that a vigorous control system is made up of three elements: sensors, computer hardware, software, actuators, and external source of energy.
- Explains that base isolation is the best earthquake resistance technique. it is used in nuclear plants because it simplifies design and costs of the plants.
- Explains that the us has 45 buildings that have fitted base isolators, and structures with expensive or critical contents have also been built. this technology is being applied in schools, hospitals, public houses in developing countries.
- Cites chang, c., & soong, t.t. (1992). seismic response of full-scale structure with added viscoelastic dampers.
- Cites pastia, c., pall, a. and soli, b.
1535 wordsRead More - Taking a Look at Earthquakesexplanatory essayEarthquakes What are earthquakes? Earthquakes are sudden and violent shakings/trembles of the ground. Sometimes earthquakes can be so small that they can be felt by no one. But other times, the earthquakes are so large that they can kill thousands of people and cause tons of destruction.
In this essay, the author
- Explains earthquakes are sudden and violent shakings/trembles of the ground. sometimes they are so small that they can be felt by no one.
- Explains that earthquakes can cause damage to buildings, furniture, water heaters, storage tanks, and dams.
- Explains that earthquakes affect people in many different ways. they cause fires that burn buildings to the ground, and sometimes they wipe out whole towns.
- Opines that earthquakes cause death, and that if there is an earthquake in your town, or the town of a loved one, they could die or get seriously injured.
- Describes chile's largest earthquake since the 1900s, which occurred on may 22, 1960. the earthquake killed many people and caused a major tsunami by the time it had finished.
- Explains that most of the damage that was done was not actually from earthquake itself, but from the tsunami that came after it.
- Explains that the chile earthquake caused approximately 1,655 deaths, 3,000 people with injuries, 2,000,000 people going homeless, and $550 million damage in southern chile.
- Describes the largest earthquake of the 20th century. the rupture zone is estimated to be about 621 miles long, from lebu to puerto aisen.
- Explains that the full extent of damage remained unclear as dozens of aftershocks—one nearly as powerful as the hati’s devastating january 12 earthquake—shuffled across the disaster-prone andean nation.
566 wordsRead More - 1906 Earthquake Research Papercomparative essayEarthquakes 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.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that earthquakes can cause significant damage to buildings via waves of energy that propagate from the epicenter. the 1906 california earthquake was a common theme.
- Describes how the university of california, san diego conducted a test to determine how fire prevention systems weather an earthquake.
- Concludes that the study concluded that joints between compartments on upper floors failed during the quakes, which would allow fire and smoke to spread more easily throughout the structure.
253 wordsRead More - The Impact Of Earthquakescomparative essayEarthquakes are a powerful event that have fascinated scientists and geologist for years. Scientists can learn much from these events. Earthquakes have helped shape our planet to what it is today. Scientists can use them to study the Earth’s internal system. Earthquakes are not something to be taken lightly. They can cause massive devastation and loss of life and property wherever they occur and even the most prepared countries can be overwhelmed by this force of nature.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that earthquakes are a powerful event that have fascinated scientists and geologists for years. scientists can use them to study the earth’s internal system.
- Compares the magnitude of the earthquake that hit the east coast of tohoku, japan on march 3, 2011 with that of chile in 1960.
- Explains that earthquakes occur in the earth's crust, which is the uppermost layer of the planet and can reach depths up to 18 miles.
- Describes the motion associated with the tohoku event, which occurred along a subduction zone off the coast of japan.
- Compares the san andreas fault with a transform fault, which produces less powerful earthquakes.
- Describes how the tohoku earthquake generated a tsunami because there was an upthrust of 6 to 8 meters thus causing the massive wave.
- Explains that japan has strict building codes, regular earthquake drills, and a state-of-the-art tsunami warning system, but there was nothing that could stop the events that transpired.
- Explains that the tsunami was the most devastating event during the tohoku earthquake of 2011.
- Explains that the nuclear power plant in fukushima experienced a meltdown due to the tsunami, which disabled the power supply that kept the cooling system active.
- Explains japan is considered the most prepared nation for an earthquake. japan's building codes have been modernized and adapted to reflect this threat.
- Explains japan has learned how to deal with tsunamis as they are a constant threat to the island nation.
- Explains that the tsunami caused massive amounts of damage due to the wave breaking the seawall. the last major tsunami to hit japan was in 1993.
1361 wordsRead More - Natural Disasters: Earthquakes Part 1opinionated essayCalifornia is known for earthquakes that often occur at great magnitudes. Earthquakes have changed not only the environment but have also resulted in the loss of many lives. For example, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 was known for destroying most of San Francisco and its buildings. This earthquake caused the death of sixty people, injured around four thousand, and property damage costing up to around six million dollars. Many recognize this to be a comparable earthquake to the one that occurred in 1906 which was also a very large and devastating earthquake that occurred along the San Andreas fault line. Many bridges were damaged during the earthquake of 1989, where ten needed temporary supports, and another ten were closed off completely because of the damaging effects of the earthquake. Most of the deaths that occurred during this earthquake happened due to the poor foundation of many buildings which resulted in forty-one deaths from the sixty that were reported. This earthquake was so massive, that most of central California could feel the earthquake (Historic Earthquakes). The state of California is overdue for another big earthquake. As a state, we should seek to improve earthquake preparedness through the retrofitting of buildings, better alarm systems and overall awareness through emergency plans. Being prepared will save many lives and prevent massive damage of buildings in the process.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the 1989 loma prieta earthquake to the 1906 earthquake, which destroyed most of san francisco and its buildings. the state of california is overdue for another big earthquake.
- Explains that earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.7 or higher cause mass destruction and cause injuries and even deaths. with the right protection, we could save many lives and minimize property damage.
- Explains that many people don't worry about future natural disasters because their occurrence is unknown, which is connected to their lack of preparation.
- Explains that most people believe that being prepared for the next earthquake is not important because the government will cover all financial needs of the people in case a disaster occurs.
- Explains that earthquakes follow a similar pattern from the time they occur. japan's trains run on time, and earthquake prediction is possible.
- Opines that california is overdue for a massive, large earthquake that might cost millions of lives.
- Explains that the 1989 loma prieta earthquake resulted in old buildings not being retrofitted and not having updated building codes.
- Opines that retrofitting buildings and homes is the most important aspect of earthquake preparedness.
- Cites hayward fault article, earthquake scienceinformation. web. 16 may 2014. allen, richard. "seconds before the big one." scientific american 304.4 (2011): 74-79.
- Explains haberman, clyde, "promises of preparedness followed devastating earthquakes. and yet." the new york times, 13 apr.
1132 wordsRead More - Research Paper On Iceland Earthquakecomparative essayOn May 29th, 2008, at approximately 15:46 hours, a doublet earthquake shook south western Iceland. A doublet earthquake is a pair of similarity sized earthquakes that occur close to each other in time and location. The earthquake happened about 31 miles southeast of the capital, Reykjavik. The Quake had a magnitude of about 6.3. The depth of the quake was about 9.0 km.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that iceland is known for its two tectonic plates, eurasian and north atlantic that meet in the middle of the country.
- Describes how a doublet earthquake shook south western iceland on may 29th, 2008. the earthquake was about 31 miles southeast of reykjavik.
- Describes iceland's geological location, where two tectonic plates, north american and eurasian, meet, creating the mid-atlantic ridge.
- Compares the magnitudes of the earthquakes in iceland with those in the united states.
895 wordsRead More - Earthquake Research Paperexplanatory essayEarthquake is the earth tremor that results from the sudden release of the pent-up energy in the earth’s crust. This released energy creates the seismic waves that determine the frequency, type and size of the earthquakes. Any earthquakes whose magnitude is bellow 5 on the Richter scale is considered weak, while the earthquakes whose magnitude is above 7on the Richter scale is considered potentially dangerous. The largest earthquake ever register in the history of man is the earthquake in Japan in 2011 which had a magnitude of 9.0 on the Mercalli scale(Seeram, pars. 4-5). While most earthquakes are causes by seismic events on the earth’s crust, these can be accelerated by natural events, or the activities of the human beings. For example, when the geological faults lines rapture, pressure is created in the earth’s crust forcing its way out thereby causing a break or sliding along the fault line. Volcanic activities are also known to cause earthquakes and so are nuclear test, bombs and landslides. The hypocenter is the initial point from which the raptures occur, while the epicenters is the ground directly above the hypocenter (Zacharias,, sec. A)
In this essay, the author
- Explains that earthquakes are caused by the sudden release of the pent-up energy in the earth’s crust.
- Explains that the kopet dagh mountain range covers over 660km along the border between iran and turkmenistan, starting from the caspian sea to the western part of the murghab depression.
- Describes how a massive earthquake rocked gara-gaudan on 6 october 1948. the magnitude was so huge that it collapsed large buildings, destroyed railway lines, and derailed freight trains.
- Opines that the country has not done much apart from teaching people how to behave during disaster. the country received a lot of donation and food aids from international countries.
- Explains that the tectonic movements on the ashgabat are caused by the deformation of the kopet-dagh mountain alpine geosynclinals belt, which extends from eurasia (atlantic ocean) to the pacific ocean through both, the himalayas, and the java.
- Explains the seismicity and seismogeodynamics region, which includes the kopet-dag. ellipses - earthquakes of different magnitudes.
639 wordsRead More - California Earthquakesexplanatory essayEarthquakes are incredibly destructive and occur all over the earth. The California earthquakes are the deadliest (USGS). Earthquakes are deadly and incredibly destructive but, people can be prepared for them. Earthquakes occur on all tectonic plate boundaries.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that earthquakes are deadly and incredibly destructive but, people can be prepared for them.
- Explains that earthquakes occur at all tectonic plate boundaries, such as the san andreas fault and divergent boundaries.
- Explains that people can be prepared for earthquakes by doing the drop, cover hold on technique and staying away from glass, windows, outside doors, walls, and anything that could fall.
- Explains that earthquakes are deadly and incredibly destructive. the deadliest earthquake in recorded history was in 1556 in shaanxi, china.
- Explains that earthquakes are deadly and incredibly destructive but, people can be prepared for them.
337 wordsRead More - 1960 Chile Earthquake Research Paperanalytical essayEarthquakes involve the powerful movement of rocks in the earth’s crust. The damage caused by the earthquake also depends on their depth and fault type. The 1960 Chile earthquake included many details common to earthquakes and caused damage and destruction to property and lives that effected the region, but the area has recovered in its aftermath
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the 1960 chile earthquake included many details common to earthquakes and caused damage and destruction to property and lives.
- Explains that the 1960 chile earthquake caused 550 million dollars in damage and destruction. it also caused tsunamis in the coastal region of chile.
- Explains how chile recovered from the earthquake by learning how to deal with the loss of loved ones, environmental changes, and disasters.
- Analyzes how the chile earthquake affected a lot of lives and caused destruction, but chile has recovered in many ways.
280 wordsRead More - China Earthquake Research Paperexplanatory essayHow did the people react during the earthquake? The earthquake hit at the worst possible hour. (2 pm) Students were at school or college, and most workers had just returned from their lunch break when the earthquake hit.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the earthquake hit at the worst possible hour. students were at school or college, and most workers had just returned from their lunch break.
- Describes how the chinese government started planning how to reconstruct healthcare facilities, shelters and houses, and gave psychological help to the people affected. 41,130 reconstruction plans were made and 99 percent of them were finished two years after the earthquake.
- Explains that the towns were not ready for the earthquake. most of the schools had a bad infrastructure and easily collapsed.
- Explains that the earthquake knocked down most of the buildings in the area it happened, and 5 million people lost their houses due to it.
519 wordsRead More