Build & Test Earthquake Proof Buildings – SCOPES-DF
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Lesson Details

Subjects *
Computer Programming, Science
Age Ranges *
8-11, 11-14
Fab Tools *
electronics, Computer, Programming, Hot Glue Gun, Scissors, Micro-Bit, Cardboard
Standards
4-ESS3-2
Author
DFRobot Edu

Author

DFRobot Edu
DFRobot Edu
Informal educator

Summary

This project will show you how to make an earthquake shake table to simulate earthquakes at different frequencies. Connect the model with a microcontroller to measure and visualize the earthquake intensity in Mind+. Then you can build earthquake-proof structures and test out their seismic resistance.

 

Video reference: https://youtu.be/EWlnYXfWSHI

For more class contents, please visit edu.dfrobot.

What You'll Need

1 Box & 1 Cardboard

16 Straws

18 Pipe Cleaners

7 Bottle Caps (6 normal sizes, 1 slightly bigger)

4 Bubber Bans

1 Push Pin

1 micro:bit

1 BOSON Mainboard 1IO

1 BOSON Rotation Sensor

1 BOSON Motor Controller

1 BOSON Geared Motor

Lesson Materials

The Instructions

Build the Shake Table

The model simulates seismic ground motion during an earthquake. With a rotation sensor, you can change the speed of the motor to generate movement at different frequencies. It will be inspiring to test the effect of short and high-frequency earthquakes on buildings with different heights.

Make the Building Structure

Use straws and pipe cleaners to build up the building from the base plate.

Compare Earthquake-Proof Resistance

There are many ways to create earthquake-proof buildings, the most commonly used for tall buildings might be Tuned Mass Damper (check Taipei 101). I used several screw nuts as weight and suspend them from the top. You might need to test the height and length to get a better result. Add more structures like frames, braces to check how strong is your building. Download the sample program, collect and visualize the acceleration data from micro:bit, compare the data graphs to check the effectiveness of earthquake resistance.