In year 9 science we were tasked with creating a structure out of pasta and blue-tac that would withstand a hypothetical earthquake. The project required us to research, design, build, test and modify our structure so that it would withstand S waves and P waves.

The first step of the project was to research. We found that the best way to build was with a triangular shape as this is one of the strongest shapes. We also found that if we had cross-bracing then it would stop bending in the main structure.

Our final design was very different from our original idea as it was stronger and more efficient on materials. The building process was quite difficult as it required all hands-on. There were many challenges such as trying to build without overspending. Another challenge we faced was pasta snapping. This meant we had to build slower and with caution about every piece on the model. Our final design was a triangular base with triangular sides going to the 60 cm minimum limit. The base was also larger than the top as this made it more stable. We also used double or triple supports on the weaker pieces to make them stronger and reduce bending from the pieces.

The final step was testing. During this part of the process, we put our design on a shake table and tested it with S waves and P waves. Our design worked well with S waves but struggled with P waves. Our model broke during and we had to rebuild it with modifications. Our modification was we put double supports on the structure as this reduced bending.

This project is connected to the real world as major cities face earthquakes often or are at risk of facing a major earthquake. Buildings in risk areas have to build earthquake-proof otherwise the city puts more people at risk of injury or death. In poorer countries such as Nepal, Major earthquakes such as the April 2015 Earthquake can cause a catastrophe if buildings aren’t earthquake-proof. Earthquake-proof buildings reduce cleanup and rubble as well.