Thread: Smash Lab - earthquake proof foundations

Anyone else watch tonights Smash Lab where they created two prototypes for dampening out the horizontal shock waves caused by an earthquake?

One style was effective for a minimal 4.0 quake, and effective for an equivalent of the Northridge quake (duration of their test was 15 seconds just like the Northridge quake), but failed when tested to over an 8.0, beyond a quake which has ever been reported.

The other style, though, WOW!, even at the highest equivalent rate beyond what anyone as recorded, the house stayed almost still, the only thing which fell was a tall and slender vase with a tall flower sticking up out of it. This system actually performed better the greater the movement was.

Of course, someone will need to take their primitive prototypes and make them suitable for real use, but the fact that they worked in a simulated quake that large, and the one worked with nothing damaged except a vase falling over - someone with $$$ backing needs to 'go for it' and complete all the designing and engineering needed to make it practical for use, and then manufacture the system - the basic design is there already, and it worked beautifully.

Not on the Smash Lab web site yet (I just checked before posting this).

In the extreme test, they shook 'the earth' back and forth 8 inches underneath the two story 'house' and the house just sat there. The only time the vase fell was when the 'earth' shaker slowed down, not during the highest part of the 'quake'.

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Jerry,

I did watch that one last night. It was pretty cool.

I also enjoyed the young lady that did all the calculations to determine the the right radius for the arc they used for the successful design.

Let's make that "Earthquake Resistant" as there's no such thing as EQ proof or fire proof. The only “proof” I know of for sure is in a court of law or on a bottle of booze. However, I agree that they are making big strides in figuring out of to stay vertical during our rock & roll episodes our here on the left coast. BTW, I'd rather be here than back east and endure those wind storms. Gotta be devastating for so many folks?.

Originally Posted by Jerry McCarthy

Let's make that "Earthquake Resistant" as there's no such thing as EQ proof or fire proof. The only “proof” I know of for sure is in a court of law or on a bottle of booze.

You are correct ... did I say "proof", if so, where so I can correct it.

Or is that what they said on the show and I missed it?

Originally Posted by Michael Larson

I also enjoyed the young lady that did all the calculations to determine the the right radius for the arc they used for the successful design.

Michael,

I watched that part too, and sure enough, the arc she said they needed is precisely what they needed - she had that down pat.

Tried to watch it, but got bored and left.

Originally Posted by Gunnar Alquist

Tried to watch it, but got bored

I started to, even switched channels a while, but I wanted to see what they would come up with, so ...

and left.

... while you left - I came back ... and was glad I did.

You missed the BESTEST PART - the tests!

I figured that would happen. As you indicated, it will probably be online in a short while and I can cut to the end.

Jerry,

I did manage to find it online and you were right, it was very impressive.

Jerry,

We call large rotating, funnel shaped “wind storms” tornados here.

Don Merritt
Germantown, Tennessee

Some of the Currently Applied Commercial Systems.

MCEER Information Service "Advanced Earthquake Resistant Design Techniques"

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

Some of the Currently Applied Commercial Systems.

MCEER Information Service "Advanced Earthquake Resistant Design Techniques"

Billy,

Yep, this - Spherical Sliding Isolation Systems - is similar to the one she designed and it worked better than what the guys designed - Damping Devices and Bracing Systems.

Originally Posted by Donald Merritt

Jerry,

We call large rotating, funnel shaped “wind storms” tornados here.

Don Merritt
Germantown, Tennessee

Donald,

Actually, by comparison, they are small (to hurricanes), however, they are extremely more destructive in their limited path of destruction.

If I was outside the area of the tornado, I would rather have a tornado, because it is so much easier to be 'outside the area of the tornado', however, if not outside the area of the tornado, then I would much rather have a hurricane - less concentrated destruction by winds (in most cases, but not always, such as the one which hit Galveston in 1900-8,000+ dead, Galveston in 1915, The Great Miami one in 1926, the Okeechobee one in 1928-2,000+ dead, the Labor Day one in 1935, Camille in 1969, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 ... actually the list if big deadly hurricanes is too create to try to list here).

Tornadoes, though, are 'scarier', little warning and great damage in a concentrated area.